The NY Daily News has a new interview with Hugh Hefner concerning a documentary out about his legacy. He makes some semi-controversial statements about women and sex, and gives some quotes that could be considered offensive. They sound relatively mild given his profession, although I can see how they would be negatively interpreted. I do like how matter-of-fact and unapologetic he is about his lifestyle, as skeevy as it is. He also says that having seven girlfriends was easier than trying to be committed to one wife:
What do you say to women who say you objectify the female form?
The notion that Playboy turns women into sex objects is ridiculous. Women are sex objects. If women weren’t sex objects, there wouldn’t be another generation. It’s the attraction between the sexes that makes the world go ’round. That’s why women wear lipstick and short skirts.Enough about the movie. Is there anything off-limits for Hugh Hefner in bed?
Absolutely. I’m actually a very moral guy. No horses, no reptiles.How do you handle so many women?
Sometimes one is more difficult. I was married and faithful for eight years in the 1980s, and following that, as an overreaction to that failed marriage, I wound up with seven live-in girlfriends. Dealing with those seven girlfriends was easier than dealing with one wife.Does sex change as you age?
Well, not particularly. Thank goodness for the arrival of Viagra. It breaks down that wall. But I think you gain some experience over the years and that helps. Woody Allen said, “If you don’t think that sex is dirty, you’re not doing it right.”Have you always been into blonds?
No, my first wife was a brunette and Barbi Benton, my major romantic relationship of the early 1970s, was a brunette. But since the end of my marriage, all of my girlfriends have been blonds. I have made the comment that Picasso went through his pink period and his blue period before he arrived at his abstract period. I am in my blond period…What are you most proud of in your life so far?
What I take the greatest pride in is the fact that I’ve played a significant part in the changing of our social and sexual values. Sex outside of wedlock used to not only be forbidden, it was illegal. Playboy helped change those attitudes and laws.
[From The NY Daily News via ONTD]
That’s pretty funny “I’m actually a very moral guy. No horses, no reptiles.” Hef’s a perv and he’ll admit it.
In terms of the “sex object” quote, he said something similar to the Herald Sun in Australia, but clarified it a little. “I still think, incidentally, that women are sex objects. It’s not all they are, but if they weren’t sex objects, if there weren’t genders attracted to each other, there wouldn’t be another generation.” I understand what he’s trying to say about how women are sex objects for biological and reproductive reasons. In the initial quote he didn’t elaborate so it’s not like he’s ruling out our ability to do anything but look pretty and be sexually available. Still, this guy’s behavior over the years suggests that he has trouble accepting women who do much more than that. It’s not like his sex partners have matured at all throughout the decades. At least he treats them with a kind of old fashioned respect. Is it inherently sexist to continue to hook up with women barely out of their teens when you’re well into old age? If this was anyone other than Hef, would we be giving him a pass?
He is still alive?!? Get on with it old man.
I mean, of course Hef will live with young hot girlfriends if there are young hot girlfriends to live with him. As long as their are women willing to have a career of being solely a pretty face, that attitude will persist. (And I’m not even saying there is something necessarily wrong with being just a pretty face in the case of say, modeling, etc)
pic-nic tables are sex objects, according to police records, as are bicycles, ham sandwiches, conveyor belts, fences, etc. playboy sells an illusion, that women are sex objects. if it was filled with actual sex objects it might be quite interesting.
i like him for being smart and there were women, lots of them who made a career that started with their naked body in playboy. its the tons of bimbos over the years who left a sallow taste to it all…
and him not making a difference between them.
haha at least the old coon is finally being honest instead of spouting off bullshit about how he is some female liberation star.
i also like how the women are the ones that are being blamed here, having a pretty face and being objectified because of it is your own fault ladies….you will get all the other females to hate and talk shit about you and when you get close to guys who seem to not mind that in the least, you shall discover that it’s a whole another can of worms and you just can’t win.
He never topped Barbi Benton-she was truly the most beautiful of all Hef’s girlfriends.
Well, then men are sex objects too… duh.
“That’s why women wear lipstick and short skirts.”
And that, is exactly why, I stop and THINK before I get dressed or put on lipstick, WHY am I doing this? What kind of attention am I trying to get? Then if I do it anyway, at least I own the decision with a clear head.
My worst nightmare is to realize that my personal choices about my body, even down to wearing lipstick, were influenced by some pimp and I never stopped to even consider it. It’s the same with the fashion industry and we just follow along like sheep.
There was a thread awhile back on Celebitchy, about pruning hedges. And some of the younger posters were saying how it’s ‘cleaner’ and not ‘dirty,’ etc. and expressing utter dismay at the idea that painfully ripping out their pubes could have anything to do with the porn industry. IMO, it’s a trend that started when men in the porn industry realized that they’d make more money off of women and sell more mags/vids if they could actually show the money shot more clearly, so they had their ‘girls’ ripping out their pubes and bleaching their anuses to try to please their male customers. This shit trickles down to teenage girls and they don’t even realize where it’s coming from. It just becomes ‘normal’ to them to think of their natural state as ‘dirty.’
What scares me is what’s coming along next to replace this old perv, who, next to Joe Francis, seems downright gentlemanly and benign.
*off to get lip implants and fake tits, total body waxing, vaginal ‘rejuvenation’ and some well-placed anal bleaching* thanks Hef!!
No, darling, the Viagra seems to be messing with your dusty old brain. It was the advent of the birth control pill amidst the political upheaval of the 60s that brought sexual freedoms to women. Playboy has done nothing to liberate women, quite the opposite. It has been one of the worst oppressors of women. This vile old reptile is just another sick man who has made bucks off the backs of women. Now he’s trying to justify it and paint it with some profound socio-political meaning perhaps because his perv empire is disintegrating and he’s trying to create controversy. And that spectacle of the 7 girlfriends is supposedly all show no action.
Ok, if women are sex objects then men are money objects. That’s why they parade around with their nice cars and they should be used and exploited accordingly.
Aw, it’s Hef, I give him a pass.
It’s perfect how this Hefner toad is lined up directly under the Casey Affleck sexual harassment story
Hefner is so past his time.
i don’t think he necessarily sees women in that way. mary has been his secretary for years. she does everything for him, and he respects her immensely in return. she is probably far from a sex object in his eyes. however, if i dressed like a playmate, i would be really disappointed if someone didn’t see me as a sex object. by now we know how to be taken seriously, and it’s up to us to dress and act the way we want to be perceived. should we be able to dress provocatively and still be taken seriously? yeah, that’d be nice. every time i think of that though i think about this dave chappelle stand up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkJ3QHe7gyw
She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, I love your points!
I also think that the clean shaven look in x-rated magazines and movies is to preserve the illusion of eternal youth which adds another degree to the sadness.
When I look at Hefner, I mostly feel sad for him for being or portraying a caricature of his youthful self. I also see a very lonely, old man who seems to have allowed his carnal desires to take over his life. I can’t imagine being constantly surrounded by an ever-changing corral of succubus who neither really know you or give a damn about you.
Perry- Thank you, I was struggling with
what to say (out of sheer frustration), awesome post.
Hef is so lame. His whole idea of beauty and women is so caveman. Thanks Hef for everything you have done for the empowerment of women. So progressive.
Nobody seems to mind that he regularly beds 19 year old women. That’s just F&*King gross! He is a major pedophile and just happens to run a successful magazine. Why people find him interesting or cool is just beyond me.
I am conflicted about Hef. He was raised deeply Christian, and the strict moral code is what made him this cultural rebel, which did free men and women sexually, but these law of which he speaks are not equal. Domestic violence still exists. Sex workers are still exploited, perhaps more so in our current sexual culture-clash. So, yeah Hef, thanks alot????
@ligeia: do you mean ‘coot’?
@She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: Wish I weren’t in such a rush, but at least for me, you nailed it to the wall. And it doesn’t makes me a prude who is backsliding into barbarity to think as I do either, but…just thanks. Barbara Walters, take freaking note!
What a disgusting pig, seriously.
Truly despise this loathesome old toad. He has done the work of thousands to set back respect for women. Read about his early days and the playboy clubs. If you have a strong stomach that is. Yuck.
I’ve just recently read that they are offering pole dancing classes to young girls. Girls as young as 6 years old! WTF? Let’s prime our girls early to turn on creepy old men like Hef!
Hey Hugh,
Men are assholes!
I’m not sure how anything he’s doing is sexist. The women get what they want out of it, and he gets what he wants. Everyone makes the choice in their life – do I want to take the harder route and be known in this world for my intellect and accomplishments, or would I like to use what “god” gave me that I did little to acquire (aka looks, natural abilities perhaps, etc.).
It’s simply society who has decided one is better or more honorable than the other. Who cares? Nobody is being taken advantage of here. This is want these women want – feminism is about letting them make their own choices. So let them.
so technically men are sex objects too.
I guess you could call anything a sex object, really.
Anything you can have sex with…
I don’t think it is a huge insult, unless you think there is something wrong with sex. Although I suppose saying we are “objects” makes us sound like some stupid toy that doesn’t have a brain. hmm … we do though, so who cares what this stinky old man says.
Has anyone ever asked him if it bothers him the women only sleep with him because he is rich and they want to be in Playboy? NONE of these so called girlfriends LOVE him. They may say they do but whatthey love is his fame & money. He is old, ugly and decrepid. NO women is sleeping withthat without a payout. Im curious if this bothers him or he doesnt care or des he really think they WANT to sleep w/ him?
Everyone has made such good points. That’s very disrespectful to say about women…like if we just have a hole to “f*ck” and that’s it..and guys just have a tool to do it with and that’s it. I GUESS there’s nothing else to life or relationships besides just “f*cking.” What ever happened to just purely being in a relationship with loving each other and not always have sex? But ya, it’s certain women like the ones who choose to pose in playboy…women who are whores who make the well respected look bad, as if all we want is just SEX. It’s not all just Hef, but other guys too and women like that who let themselves be just a sex object. I guess that’s why some sick rapist do what they do, cause that’s what they see women as. He wasn’t the start of red lipstick or “short skirts.” If I choose to put red lipstick on or fix my hair or try to look cute in any way, it’s for my husband, not anyone else. I like to put my lotions on and perfume, and to smell good for him, he likes it, I don’t like to stink. If guys do happen to look at me, I barely even notice. I’m not trying to please them, but my own husband. If we have the time to be intimate, then we will, but everyday it’s not about that, there’s more to relationships. But I guess for some people who may just be in a relationship just for sex…if something were to happen to their partner, they’d be so devastated that they didn’t get their “f*ck” on before it happened, I guess…or they’d simply go to the next sex object on the back burner.
I’m sad for you young women that think this guy is okay. I’m assuming most of you are too young to remember the 50’s & 60’s when the baby boomer ladies fought hard for rights for women. For the right to equal pay and advancement, equal education, the right to work and keep your job without some sicko expecting you to put out for him. A lot of the bb generation and those of us right below are seeing a terrible decline in the womens movement; for example, look at how badly Hillary Clinton was treated by the mainstream media during the ’08 primary. You may think that being treated as a sex object is a “choice”, but its a stupid one, and one that will be regretted later in life. It would be nice if we could all strive for a society that places a higher value on human dignity and respect for all.
@jane16, haven’t you heard? “Feminism” is now a bad word. Being treated like a human toilet is now ’empowering to women’ because it’s a ‘choice.’
I wasn’t around in the 50s and 60s, but I’m not stupid enough to throw all that sacrifice and hard work away by buying into this ridiculous logic.
@Mollination – yes feminism is about women ‘making their own choices’… in a conscious, INFORMED way. I don’t see much ‘information’ being exchanged here…more like bodily fluids and cash…very sad…its still cash for a** matter how you slice it. Somehow putting feminism in the same context as Hugh Hefner does NOT work.
@Mollination
You hit the nail right on the head! Feminism is simply about “choices”. If a woman chooses to be primarily a “disposable sex toy” then so be it! That’s her choice and she has to live with the repercussions when someone she really wants doesn’t take her seriously enough to commit to her in a long term relationship. Men have always had subconscious conflicts with the whore/Madonna aspects of how they view women. All Hugh Hefner has done is given men an outlet for their more “carnal” fascination with women. Has he done anything wrong? No, he hasn’t. Pornography has always existed within society and before Playboy, it was seldom discussed in “polite company”. All Hugh Hefner has done was bring it out of the shadows into the light of day. Mature adults with healthy psyches know just how far to take it.
She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, brava! Thanks for that!
I’m disappointed Celebitchy; you are being dishonest by not publishing the entire quote Hef made about women as sexual objects:
“Women are sex objects, but that’s only a part of who they are. If women weren’t sex objects, then we’d never have a second generation. It’s that interaction between the two sexes that makes the world go ’round. It is the center of civilization. It’s why women wear lipstick. And it’s playing a game of semantics to take the notion that women are objects of desire, which they are, and to then infer that that is dehumanizing to them. Clearly it isn’t. Quite the contrary, it’s the essence of being human. It’s the attraction between the sexes. It’s the celebration of that sexuality. And I think we need more of that, to be honest with you. The notion that images of that kind are considered obscene while images of war and maiming and killing aren’t indicates how sick we are. That too is a reflection of our puritanical attitude towards sexuality. It indicates how sad and confused we are.”
I think he makes a very good point about the semantics of it and the truth is women ARE objects of desire, as are men. He caters obviously to the straight male who wants to see naked women. I don’t see men getting in line to protest at being made objects of when they pose for gay erotica or pornography. I also don’t see women protesting when they are in erotica of lesbian or bi- women.
Hef may be a dirty old man, but he’s honest. THe women he dates know exactly what they’re getting into and if he’s using them and they’re using him, so what? They’re simply more honest versions of trophy wives everywhere who pretend they’re marrying for love when in actual fact its for money. And let me tell you this, spend a few minutes on the French Riviera and you will see dozens of male versions of Playboy’s bunnies; but no one has a problem with them do they? Is anyone feeling sorry for them for using their bodies, good looks and youth to get into the pants and wallets of rich old ladies? Give me a break! As long as everyone involved goes in with their eyes open and they’re above the age of consent, then its their choice. Isn’t that what freedom is all about?
Oh hef, youve been hanging around those bleach blonde, gold digging, idiot ex strippers for way to long…do u really think they would be having sex with u if u werent rich? Go out and find an intelligent respectable woman who challenges and impresses u, one with a hobby that doesnt inolve her being on her back with her legs spread. Oh wait if u did that it would make u feel inferior, and you may not be able to even handle her. Thats what ur trying to avoid. Before u die u should do something productive instead of trying to inspire women to take steps backwards. If we were just sent here to have sex, then we wouldnt have brains or legs. We would just be vagina plants waiting for you to pollenate.
You may not like what Hef is saying, but if sexual attractiveness was not important in society, there would be no fashion, cosmetic, or fitness industries.
Women ARE walking sex objects. I don’t care who you are you because you can’t defend the masses. The media, which is controlled by the govt. tells them to have an anorexic beauty, to buy into all this materialistic attitude because of female competition. This is silly. Sure, it can make you feel good and raise your self-esteem but you are just showing off your SEX. tight pants, manicures and pedicures, push up bras, hair dye, and make up. It gives the illusion of sexual desire and attractiveness.
In conclusion, females make themselves the sex object. But never blame the males, if anything blame the media or yourself.