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In reply to the discussion: Hugh Hefner was the ultimate enemy of women no feminist anywhere will shed a tear at his death [View all]DemocratSinceBirth
(101,585 posts)On certain issues like Trump there is no room for nuance. He is just a bad guy and it is incumbent upon us to oppose everything he does. On other issues nuance is demanded. I stand foursquare against objectifying anyone. That being said men and women have been objectifying one another since time immemorial. Several posters have said Hefner created ideals for feminine beauty that women struggle to live up to and are damaged in the process in all kinds of ways. Ideals of feminine beauty and male handsomeness have always been around and men and women have struggled with them. See foot binding, corsets, and Charles Atlas exercise programs.
It's ironic. Playboy struggled because Hefner refused to follow Bob Guccione and Larry Flynt into publishing more graphic content. Both of them mocked the more genteel Hefner.
Hefner's legacy is complex. He is Neither saint nor Satan. Demand precedes supply. People, regardless of their gender or orientation, want to see naked people . They also want to see other people having sex.