Professor Block
ENGL 1157-026
29 September 2017
Hugh Hefner: The Playboy Pioneer He is an American businessman, the editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, and an advocate of sexual liberation and freedom of expression. (PlayboyEnterprises.com). Please welcome, Hugh Marston Hefner. Hugh smiles with anticipation for the interview to begin. Hello Hugh, now some on the progressive left have argued that your career is quite misogynistic. Here’s a quote from feminist columnist and staff writer for the Guardian, Jessica Valenti on Twitter, “Hugh Hefner rightfully rebels against right wing moralism before most people, but please don’t forget he treated women like garbage to do it.” Your response? Hugh responds, “Is extolling the beauty of women treating them like garbage? Is fighting for …show more content…
When women’s bodies were seen as objects of shame, you dared to present them as objects of beauty and the forces of conservatism tried their damnedest to punish you for it, but they never succeeded. You are a passionate supporter of civil rights with many publications that shied away from black writers and entertainers, you did not. You also are a champion of gay marriage. You even featured a transgender woman in your magazine in back in 1991, long before trans rights became a mainstream issue. You were active in the fight for women’s abortion rights, playing a pivotal role in Roe v. Wade. You are also a friend of writers of both fiction and nonfiction, giving many now famous literary figures their start and paying them far better than most publications of the time. You are also a great philanthropist, contributing to causes as far ranging as drug policy reform and fighting childhood prostitution (Hawkins, Derek, “For Hugh Hefner, Gay Rights Were Part of the Sexual Revolution,” WashingtonPost.com). That’s all the time we have Hugh, it has been nice speaking with