What Happened Next Door

If you'd told me when I was twelve years old that multiple women who'd appeared in Playboy magazine were going to live in the Playboy mansion, appear in the magazine multiple more times, and be in a "reality" cable television show with Hugh Hefner, I would have known that those women, who were several decades younger than him, were going to expected to be his girlfriends and have sex with him even though he was old and not in the best shape and not committing to any of them, and they would be expected to participate in parties whether that seemed like fun or more work, and that what they were going to get out of this deal was fame, money, access, networking, and visits to Disneyland and wherever else. He's an older man, not in the best shape, and yet these women were going to have to show him a good time.

I would have known that at twelve.

My siblings would have known.

What thinking person over the age of sixteen wouldn't have known this?

But once Hefner was dead, and thus no longer useful, he was cast as a villain by some of the people who used to praise him and cling to him.

Nope. Not buying it.

If you weren't saying this was bad behavior at the time, but rather were profiting off of it, you don't get to bash him now and get any sympathy or points from me at all. Those women knew exactly what they were signing up for. The same goes for anyone going to an adult party at the mansion. Of course staff, such as cooks, cleaners, etc. shouldn't be targeted for harassment, but it was the Playboy mansion; home to a man who built the magazine and brand from the ground up. Nudity and shenanigans should have been expected.

None of this is to say that Hugh Hefner didn't use them. He used them and they used him. The Girls Next Door and the rest of it involved a deal.

Now that he's not useful anymore, Holly Madison and others trash him, and the people who have been upset about Hefner and Playboy from the start, such as misandrists and certain religionists, are all too eager to seize on it. Everyone knew what was going on. It's like taking a job as a janitor and complaining that it involves trash.

For example, found on the Wikipedia page for Hugh Hefner:

Hefner's former girlfriend Holly Madison said that he "would encourage competition—and body image issues—between his multiple live-in girlfriends. His legacy is full of evidence of the exploitation of women for professional gain."

C'mon. What didn't you know before you agreed to move in to the mansion? (Holly was one of the stars of the television show.)

A 10-part television documentary series, Secrets of Playboy, debuted on A&E January 24, 2022, in which former female employees made claims of sexual misconduct and drug use at the Playboy Mansion.

Who does that surprise?

The PLBY group, now publicly owned, distanced itself from Hefner in a statement released shortly before the first episode was broadcast, saying, "Today's Playboy is not Hugh Hefner's Playboy. We trust and validate these women and their stories and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experience".

Of course! There's no profit in defending the dead guy. No, they're just going to profit from all of the work he and others did over the years while they claim they're so much better than him. After all, they could ditch the Playboy name, the logo, and all of the intellectual property/media archives if they'd like. Don't hold your breath.

"I'm shocked so discover that a man who built his business selling hedonism, casual sex, and erotic photography and videos of young women was a pervert and a dirty old man, and had other people working/living with him who were like that!"

Irony of irony, they used Hef. They used him for "liberation," money, exposure, exhibitionism, fame, sex, access, connections, stardom, parties, television, homes, etc.

From the Wikipedia page for Holly Madison:

During her time with Hefner, Madison stated that she wanted to marry him and have his children. However, in an interview at the Playmate of the Year luncheon in May 2008, Hefner said, "I love Holly very much and I think we're going to be together the rest of my life, but marriage isn't part of my puzzle. It's not a personal thing; I just haven't had much luck with marriages."

He didn't marry her or have children with her (thankfully). He did marry, again, though. Might that have had anything to do with this?

Reflecting on her time at the mansion, Madison has said her feelings for Hefner were attributable to Stockholm syndrome.

Hmmm. I don't know what Madison's co-stars Bridget Marquardt or Kendra Wilkinson have to say these days, other than Wilkinson claiming she didn't realize sex would be part of the deal... of living in Hefner's residence, a place known for sex.

I'm not saying that any of the women complaining were treated flawlessly. What I'm saying is that they accepted the terms of the deal at the time. It's likely they were each warned by people in their lives, but they took the deal anyway. They were not married to him. They had no children with him. They were free to move out of the mansion and limit their interactions with him. But they liked the attention and fame. They liked how they were desired. They liked the money. They liked how they were the girlfriends of a famous, successful man, no matter how old, decrepit, or gross he was. There was a lot they liked about the deal.

I write this as someone who knows people of both sexes who worked at the mansion, and as someone who knows people who have had lifelong friendships with women who've appeared nude in the magazine. I see this postmortem pearl clutching for what it is. Hugh Hefner isn't useful to the brand anymore, or as a sugar daddy, so he gets thrown under the bus.

Pay attention guys. These people only care what you can do for them. When you can't do anything for them anymore, you're dumped. Some men are lucky to be dead before that happens. Most aren't. Whether to your employer or a woman you're seeing, you're a means to an end for them. Plan accordingly.

[This entry bumped up after originally being published October 7, 2022.]