Playboy is reviving its iconic Playboy Playmates and Bunnies as part of a broader effort to modernize the storied but long-struggling men’s magazine brand — with executives insisting the publication remains a far cry from pornography.
“There’s always been a difference between Playboy and porn, especially the kinds of porn that are really prevalent today and that people have access to just by having a Twitter account or a Reddit account,” Phillip Picardi, Playboy’s editor-in-chief and chief brand officer, told Press Gazette over the weekend.
“[A]nd so I actually found the challenge of bringing back an artfulness and a thoughtfulness to nudity to be super exciting as a creative.”
The relaunched quarterly magazine has already sold out the modest print run of its first issue, featuring Colombian pop star Karol G, according to Press Gazette.
A second issue — featuring model and actress Cara Delevingne wearing only a latex corset — was unveiled last week with a slightly larger print run planned.
Picardi and David Miller, Playboy’s president of media and brand, were hired this year to revive the company’s media operation after regular print publication ended in 2020.
The relaunch is focused on restoring the storytelling that once drove Playboy’s prestige while expanding the brand across digital, social media and video.
Picardi, Playboy’s first openly gay editor-in-chief, said women who appear as Playmates or cover stars decide how much of their bodies they want to reveal and are “fully involved” in the creative process, including approving photographers and stylists.
“I stop short of calling what we do at Playboy feminist, because I think that’s a loaded term, and I’m sure many people would disagree with that qualification,” he said.
“But what I will say is what our approach with nudity has always been: that it is up to a woman how much she has to show on set.”
He added that Playboy aims to present more authentic imagery than in decades past.
“There just is an authenticity and a rawness to the images that I’ve gotten really good feedback about,” Picardi said.
“Not just from men, but outstanding feedback from women.”
Playboy reported $120.9 million in revenue during 2025, up 4% from a year earlier, while narrowing its net loss to $12.7 million from $79.4 million in 2024, according to figures cited by Press Gazette.
Founded by Hugh Hefner in Chicago in 1953, Playboy became one of the most influential magazines of the 20th century, pairing nude centerfolds with celebrity interviews and long-form journalism.
At its peak in the early 1970s, circulation topped 7 million copies a month.
But the internet eroded Playboy’s biggest advantage by making explicit content widely available for free.
The magazine dropped nudity in 2015 before restoring it two years later, shifted to quarterly publication in 2019 and halted regular print production in 2020.
Today, Playboy operates primarily as a licensing and lifestyle brand, with the relaunched print magazine serving as one piece of a broader strategy that includes apparel, digital media, hospitality and other consumer businesses.
Hefner, who died in 2017 at age 91, has faced renewed scrutiny in recent years after former girlfriends, Playmates and employees accused him of fostering a culture of manipulation, coercion and sexual exploitation at the Playboy Mansion.
The allegations resurfaced in the 2022 A&E docuseries “Secrets of Playboy,” prompting the company to distance itself from Hefner’s legacy.
Dr. Lillian Glass, a human behavior and media analyst, questioned whether the revived Playboy could resonate in an era dominated by internet pornography and social media.
“Playboy is a brand of the past,” she told The Post.
“It was devised when there was no access to internet porn that is so readily available today or seeing sites like OnlyFans pop up regularly.”
She also argued the company continues to grapple with Hefner’s legacy.
“With all the recent allegations attributed to Hefner after his death… this is not a brand that will be welcomed with open arms,” she said.
The Post has sought comment from Playboy.
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