Playgirl

PLAYGIRL was a monthly pornographic magazine published in the United States that features semi-nude or fully nude men. The magazine was founded in 1973 during the height of the feminist movement as a response to erotic men's magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse that featured similar photos of women. The last issue was published in January/February of 2009.

The magazine is well-known for two publicity stunts — offering Charles, Prince of Wales $45,000 to appear nude in a centerfold in 1990, and publishing a nude pictorial called "The Men of Enron" in September 2002 in which some former Enron employees "lost their shirts."

Though the magazine is marketed to heterosexual women, Playgirl's then-editor-in-chief Michele Zipp said in 2003, "The gay readership is about 30%." She went on to add, "It's 'Entertainment for Women' because there's no other magazine out there that caters to women in the way we do, but we love our gay readers, as well." Also, in 2003, Mark Graff, President of Trans Digital Media, the brand management firm for Playgirl TV, stated that 50% of Playgirl's readership are gay males.

Throughout the history of the magazine, Playgirl has featured male frontal nudity except for the early issues in 1973, and the infamous non-nude year 1987. In 1986, Drake Publishers (later renamed Crescent, and renamed again to Blue Horizon Media) bought Playgirl and relocated it to New York. John Paul became the first full frontal centerfold in November 1987 after a disastrous non-nude year. Throughout the years the magazine has matured as erections, foreskin and non-Caucasian models have appeared in the magazine. The magazine has generally featured models who have been circumcised but of late, layouts with uncircumcised models are featured.