With Playboy sale, an icon bows to changing times
(Agencies)
2009-11-14 15:04
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"All that kind of stuff just piled up issue after issue -- promoting that idea of consumer abundance as being synonymous with the good life in this country -- and Hefner is very important in promoting that idea," said Steven Watts, author of "Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream."
But as Playboy's fortunes waned, some of the symbols of wealth that surrounded Hefner became harder for him to hang on to.
In the early 1980s, he had to give up a private jet plane with a bedroom, a miniature disco and a kitchen, Watts said.
Through the decades and despite the loss of business, Hefner continued to live the good life and made sure everyone knew it.
"Hefner really tries to completely disengage the notion of guilt and sin from having a good time and, the last couple of generations, that has pretty much prevailed," said Thompson, the Syracuse professor. "Certainly, when I talk to my students, I don't get a sense they're feeling guilty about the good deal of fun they're having."