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Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Hugh Hefner's complicated legacy

Hugh Hefner died at his home, the Playboy Mansion, yesterday. Although married a few times, the Playboy founder embodied the ultimate bachelor, in his signature silk pajamas, smoking jacket, and pipe. He popularized sexual liberation, voyeurism, and of course the “Playboy Playmate.” But there’s another side to Hefner’s legacy.

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By Madeleine Brand • Sep 28, 2017 • 1 min read

Hugh Hefner died at his home, the Playboy Mansion, yesterday. Although married a few times, the Playboy founder embodied the ultimate bachelor, in his signature silk pajamas, smoking jacket, and pipe. He popularized sexual liberation, voyeurism, and of course the “Playboy Playmate.” But there’s another side to Hefner’s legacy. “Playboy” featured black models, entertainers, and activists long before other mainstream outlets and Hefner was a supporter of various civil rights movements...so how should we remember Hef – as a supporter of racial equality or a master misogynist?

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    Madeleine Brand

    Host, 'Press Play'

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