The internet, as it often does, ferociously mocked the shocking announcement that the world’s most famous gentlemen’s magazine, Playboy, would be doing away with nudity. However, it shouldn’t have really surprised anyone. For years, anyone with an internet connection and a computer or smart phone could find all kinds of pornography with a simple Google search. Girl-on-girl? Two-on-one? A bukakke extravaganza? Two girls, one cup? Barely legal? Amateur auditions? Foot fetishes? Pregnant fetishes? Cosplay fetishes? Sparkling vampire fetishes? Literally any other kind of fetish you can think of? It’s all out there for the convenient price of FREE, so what’s the point of continuing to offer horny teens and their nostalgic dads nude coeds at a subscription rate?
Instead, Playboy will be revamping and rebuilding its editorial offerings, which in all fairness have always been really strong. In between looking at The PAC-10’s Perkiest and the generously airbrushed breasts of a C-list reality starlet, Playboy readers could help themselves to an array of intelligent and thorough interviews with Hollywood’s biggest stars and generally important people. Also, the jokes page was always great for sales bros who needed to break the ice at that important Hooters lunch meeting. But will those interviews and other journalistic offerings be able to lure more readers in? Or will loyal readers simply turn to Penthouse’s glossy golden showers?
For more on Playboy’s brave, boob-free new world, anchors Tom Storey and Briana Lane weigh in on today’s episode of The Desk.