Mr Playboy

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Gorgeous young women, extravagant mansion parties, and the hedonistic pursuit of uninhibited sex evoke the name Hugh Hefner. From launching Playboy magazine to his television hit The Girls Next Door, Hefner has long attracted public attention and controversy. Historian Steven Watts explores how Hefner, a socially astute yet morally unconventional figure, evolved into a catalyst for cultural change. With unprecedented access, Watts traces Hefner's journey from his Methodist upbringing to the launch of Playboy in 1953 and beyond, revealing his ambition to challenge social norms. Hefner's influence is evident in four key cultural upheavals that reshaped postwar America: he played a pivotal role in the sexual revolution, advocated for consumer culture, transformed popular culture, and became a controversial figure in the women's rights movement. Despite promoting women's sexual freedom, he faced criticism from feminists who saw him as a symbol of male dominance. Watts provides insights into Hefner's personal contradictions—the pleasure seeker and workaholic, romantic and party host, simple life lover and Hollywood elite. Through anecdotes from the Playboy Mansions, this narrative illustrates how one provocative idea and passion for his work changed modern history. The book spans Hefner's life, contextualizing his work within American culture from the mid-twentieth century onward, and includes over 50 photos, including a fold-out c