Hugh Hefner turned 80 Sunday. America, say happy birthday to our most influential pimp.
Hefner, the legendary founder of Playboy magazine, a pimp? Yes, if we told the truth about Hefner's "contribution" to society, we would refer to him as a pimp, as someone who sells women to men for sex. While pornography has never been treated as prostitution by the law, it's fundamentally the same exchange. The fact that the sex is mediated through a magazine or movie doesn't change that, nor does the fact that women sometimes use pornography. The fundamentals remain: Men pay to use women for sexual pleasure.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Hefner's Legacy
Robert Jensen and Gail Dines have published an insightful essay about "Hef's Big Influence." As playboy Hugh Hefner turns 80, theirs is the best appraisal of his influence that I have seen. Here's a quote:
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All Hefner has ever done is use sex to sell a magazine. Every product advertized by Madison Avenue does the same. There would be no T.V. or an entertainment industry at all without the realization that "Sex Sells"
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