For gay and bisexual men of a certain age, Playgirl provided the first in-hand periodical that featured full-frontal male nudity. More explicit gay content was usually relegated to under-the-counter sales or in adult sex shops.
Initially started in the 1970s as a women's version of Playboy' the magazine was an instant success. Briefly rivaled by the Bob Guccione's lesser soft-focus publication Viva, it remained the most popular form of women-focused editorial on health, feminism, sexuality, and, of course, male nudity.
For the editors to call it a 'cult' magazine is a bit of a misnomer, since any horny American teenager could buy (or shoplift) a copy of the magazine at their mall bookstore, which sold 14 million copies in its early years.
Playgirl's gay fandom is acknowledged, but the majority of the book's contents include multiple nudes, celebrity interviews, and essays about the magazine from its editors and contributors.
Gay filmmaker Bruce LaBruce writes in the introduction, "What really matters about the advent of Playgirl — a feisty feminist corrective to those big-titted juggernauts Playboy and Penthouse, whose outsize popularity seemed to imply that only men could get their rocks off by perusing the nude human form — is that feminists finally got to eat their cake, so to speak, and have it."
Bruce praises the publication not only for its "jerk-off material," but for interviews with the likes of Maya Angelou, Dolly Parton and Sandra Bernhard.
Nudes and news
Daniel McKernan, a gay man, would spearhead the website Playgirl TV out of the company's 1990s-2000s rut and into online popularity by 2007.
"To many a gay," he writes, "it is a coming-of-age experience — an introduction to their sexuality — to find a stack of Playgirls under a bed. Plenty have told me they'd stolen a Playgirl magazine as a teenager because they weren't old enough to buy it or because they were too embarrassed to be seen purchasing it."
The magazine initially sought lesser celebrities for its centerfolds, but shied away from full frontal nudity, only discreetly showing a bit more with the late gay actor, George Maharis, and later the unforgettable big talent of straight actor Peter Lupus.
Nicole Caldwell, Editor-in-Chief from 2006 to 2016, writes, "Feminists latched on to [the] exploration of male voyeurism in traditionally Western art and media, in which nude women are presented as disempowered subjects of male desire. Enter Playgirl, inviting women (and, winkingly at first, gay men) to look — and in so doing, to flip the antiquated script on who is beholding and who is being beheld."
While acknowledging its gay readership, other contributors steer away from the fact that many of the models had been featured in, or would go on to pose in, explicit photo shoots and videos elsewhere. For example, popular 1970s model Rock Pamplin also worked with Colt Studios. By the 1990s, many other models had performed in gay porn with their names changed to confuse readers.
By the 1990s, Caldwell writes, Playgirl "was a much more explicit nod to the magazine's gay audience — an ironic move, as sexual content for the gay market was exploding while similar content for straight women was nearly impossible to find. Playgirl's marketing still addressed women, but more and more its advertising content seemed not to."
Most amusing is contributor Mickey Boardman's essay, "Playgirl Made Me Gay," in which, despite the current culture of OnlyFans and infinite porn websites, he considers Playgirl "the OG."
"In society at the time, women were usually disrespected like gays were, so it was nice to see them treated well and catered to by a popular publication," Boardman writes. "And it was a treat to see hot men presented in a sex-positive way. These guys were happy to show off their physiques and be celebrated by readers."
Overall, the book is a celebration of the publication's five decades, including celebrity interviews, shots by numerous prominent photographers, pages of cartoons, and reproductions of a few too many covers and promotional items, like the now-campy 1980s Steve Rally workout videos "on VHS!"
'Playgirl's later shift to explicit online photos and videos gets short shrift, but many of those can be found on adult websites.
For an oddball stocking stuffer, any fan of vintage male erotica will be pleased by the book. However, it's far from comprehensive in terms of the male nudity that brought such popularity.
Toward the end, the more recent version of the publication's website shows a more underwhelming demure style. A majority of the more explicit erection-filled layouts in the 2000s are hinted at, but not displayed very prominently. At 240 pages, it's saucy and deservedly celebratory, but not too sexual.
'Playgirl: The Official History of a Cult Magazine,' $35. Available at bookstores and at www.playgirl.com
Never miss a story! Keep up to date on the latest news, arts, politics, entertainment, and nightlife.
Sign up for the Bay Area Reporter's free weekday email newsletter. You'll receive our newsletters and special offers from our community partners.
Support California's largest LGBTQ newsroom. Your one-time, monthly, or annual contribution advocates for LGBTQ communities. Amplify a trusted voice providing news, information, and cultural coverage to all members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay -- Donate today!