Playboy
Magazine - The 1950's - The First Lady
With borrowed money and a heart full of hope, 27-year-old Hugh Hefner
launched his debut Playboy Magazine, with “Sweetheart of the Month”
Marilyn Monroe gracing the cover in December of 1953. Now, Marilyn did
not exactly pose nude for Hefner himself for this issue. He actually
bought the rights of the nude photos from a local calendar store in
Chicago and put the 44 pages of the first issue of Playboy Magazine
together in his own home. Because of his uncertainty of Playboy’s
success, Hugh Hefner did not put his name nor an issue date on the
first 50,000 issues of Playboy Magazine. However, sales went through
the roof largely due to the fact that the marvelous Marilyn Monroe was
a sex-symbol siren already coveted by a multitude of American men.
While men everywhere felt liberated and thrilled about the new Playboy
Magazine, many were outraged and disgusted by Playboy Magazine’s
emergence. But, Hugh Hefner made his intentions quite clear in his
very first issue by stating, “If you're a man between the ages of 18
and 80, Playboy is meant for you. If you like your entertainment
served up with humor, sophistication and spice, Playboy will become a
very special favorite. We want to make it clear from the very start,
we aren't a family magazine. If you're somebody's sister, wife or
mother-in-law and picked us up by mistake, please pass us along to the
man in your life and get back to your Ladies Home Companion.”
Although women weren’t flocking to pose naked for Playboy Magazine as
they do today, many well-known ladies were intrigued by the popularity
and success of Playboy and wanted to be a part of that. The famous
women of the 1950’s that appeared in Playboy Magazine include Marilyn
Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Tina Louise, Joan Arnold, Kim Novak, and
Brigitte Bardot.
