ontheedgeofeverything

You are arguably aware that Hugh Hefner recently passed away at the age of ninety-two, therefore I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate a post to him and some of the endeavors he accomplished in his life.

Hefner is responsible for founding Playboy, an incredibly successful magazine brand that contains articles regarding various topics in addition to images of women in a soft-pornographic depiction. Hefner is responsible for normalizing and furthermore encouraging the sexual revolution that occurred in the 1950s, and I strongly believe he is the reason why sex as a general concept has become so widely accepted in contemporary society.

Hefner issued the first edition of Playboy in 1953, said issue containing images of a naked Marilyn Monroe. This particular edition was released at a time in which discussing sex was considered taboo and inappropriate, therefore Hefner engaged in a highly controversial industry at the time. His bravery was an obvious success considering his success with Playboy, and by the 1970s the magazine had accumulated over seven million subscribers.

According to an article in The Brantford Expositor by Andrew Dalton, when Hefner was interviewed by The New York Times in 1992 and was asked what his greatest accomplishment was in his own opinion, he responded: “That I changed attitudes towards sex. That nice people can live together now.”

Hefner was raised in a Puritan household in Chicago with his parents being incredibly strict in regards to alcohol and sex. Hefner supposedly credited his upbringing for prompting his decision to normalize sex because he witnessed first-hand the hypocrisy and juxtaposition of his parents’ lifestyle.

Many celebrities and highly recognized media figures took to social media to express their condolences to Hefner after his passing, and it soon became apparent how highly respected Hefner was. I would argue a majority of persons are unaware of the positive actions Hefner participated in throughout his career and the positive advancements he achieved as a result.