What is a PLAYGIRL?
A PLAYGIRL is independent. Self-confident. Sensuous. Aware. Involved. Adventurous. Daring. Curious. Vital. Ambitious. Sensitive. Loving. Giving. Alive. Liberated. Free.
We have given you a sixteen word summary of the ideal qualities a PLAYGIRL should embody. But they are merely words. They remain static. Totally meaningless, unless they can be put into action and become a REALITY for YOU.
Playgirl’s first issue, June 1973.
Who is PLAYGIRL? Potentially, she is that ageless, magnetic, charismatic woman you look at every time you glance at your reflection in the glass. A PLAYGIRL can be in her teens. Twenties. Thirties. Forties. And beyond. Why? How? Because, becoming a PLAYGIRL means you have mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually accepted an overall free-form lifestyle. Therefore, to be a PLAYGIRL simply requires that you open your heart and your mind to the secrets of life’s meaning — and then take advantage of all of its magnificent potentials.
Today’s PLAYGIRL is liberated. Totally. Some of you may stop reading at this point, and say, “Come off it!” Yet, in reality, every PLAYGIRL is liberated to the extent to which she allows herself to feel free. Free of past guilts. Free of sexual hang-ups. Free of self-doubts, free. That one word -above all others- is the key to PLAYGIRL.
But—and there always is a but— freedom carries with it areas of responsibility which no PLAYGIRL should wish to abandon. To be free does not mean to be free of caring. Or loving. Or giving. To be free does not mean to be rid of desire. Or the need for pleasure. Or the intensity of spirit required to soar to the heights of joy. In fact, these most basic needs are a large part of what being a PLAYGIRL is all about.
To be a PLAYGIRL means to “get with it.” To take advantage of every modern, miraculous convenience which we, who live in the most exciting era in recorded history, have fallen heir to. Still, at the same time, a PLAYGIRL realizes that everything of a material nature which she possesses, and uses, or works with, and enjoys, are the fruits of other people’s brilliance. And, because she wishes to make her own personal contribution to the world around her, a PLAYGIRL first of all dedicates herself and her energies toward becoming someone special. She creates for herself a kind of uniqueness which sets her apart. She fashions for herself an individuality which is hers alone. She develops a character and personality which must initially be pleasing to her. Then, fully confident, she is able to project her special image to others.
Perhaps, up ’til now, some parts of our PLAYGIRL concept have seemed a bit selfish. Too introspective. Too limited. To the contrary, our foremost aim is to make your life a rewarding one… And, usually, the “rewards” we speak of come as a result of your personal ability to love. To love one other person. Or many people. To give of yourself. To graciously accept love and affection in return.
But—and this is a very big but— before you can be open and loving, giving and confident, freely receptive to others, first you must work on yourself. Once you have achieved even part of your goals, your world will begin to open wider. So, lest you think we are suggesting you revel in a selfish, hedonistic, narrow orbit, we hasten to assure you this is not our goal. Pleasure? Yes! All you can find. The more the better. But total, selfish self-concern to the exclusion of others? No! Definitely not. For that is the mark of an unformed, incomplete human being…and not at all what being a PLAYGIRL means!
A PLAYGIRL in the 1970’s shapes her own lifestyle. She sets a tone which becomes her personal trademark. Invariably, she begins with certain basics…Feet on the ground. Head in the clouds. Heart and body somewhere in between. To have one’s head in the clouds, in this context, is to be above all the rest who choose to live down below, devoid of dreams, desires, passions.
A PLAYGIRL is romantic. Idealistic. Optimistic. But always simultaneously realistic. Each PLAYGIRL sets tangible goals for herself, her goals, and your goals may differ from my goals. Yet, each of us, in our own unique ways, will take hold of ourselves, decide what we want out of life, then proceed to go after our desires.
A PLAYGIRL is intelligent in a special way. It is not her actual I.Q. which matters so much. It is her intuitive common sense approach to things that makes her eligible for “Playgirlhood.”
A PLAYGIRL is capable of living life to its fullest. In order to do this, her mind should be emptied of those inhibitions which may have kept her in a state of status quo for too long. Therefore, a PLAYGIRL tries very hard to rid herself of doubts, fears and negative thoughts. As she goes out and about in the world, she carries with her an aura of self-confidence and the quiet dignity born of self- esteem, enabling others to see her as she has already come to see herself.
As a PLAYGIRL, you are, of course, totally honest with yourself in a variety of areas. For example, you understand your own basic needs. You readily admit you enjoy sex. Enjoy looking at the male body. Delight in desiring every pleasure which you are capable of attaining. Ideally, no matter what your own particular personal circumstances are, your life is designed in a free-form style. You are flexible. Ripe for adventure. Eager to meet each day with an insatiable curiosity which keeps your spine tingling. You have achieved this “state of Nirvana” because you have come to realize that negative, downbeat, depressing emotions are completely self-destructive and self-defeating. Emotions born of taboos created by Man to keep his fellow men and women enslaved.
As a PLAYGIRL, you find yourself pretty well able to evaluate life and love . . . with all the attendant complexities. You are prepared to tackle both head-on, opening yourself up to the possibility of experiencing both pleasure and pain. Both success and failure. Either way, a PLAYGIRL copes. She survives—with style. She revels in life’s joys. Shoulders the burdens life thrusts upon her, not allowing either to diminish her individual capacity for growth and further enlightenment.
As a PLAYGIRL, your personal life has taken, or may take dozens of twists and turns before straightening itself out. You may have one affair. Or many. You may marry. You may recognize a marital mistake and divorce. Or, as a PLAYGIRL, you may choose to remain single, creating for yourself a full, rich, exciting, unpredictable, completely marvelous life, undaunted by any social pressures which may still exist. Whatever your choice, be it a church wedding, a no-strings-attached affair, an occasional lover — with time off in between to pursue other goals—you will always remain a PLAYGIRL as long as your mind and heart and body are yours to give —freely.
As a PLAYGIRL, you enjoy just being alive. You adore being adored. You have learned to assert yourself. At the right time and place, you feel no qualms about taking the initiative, being the aggressor. Still — at all times — you are totally feminine. Femininity is not a sign of weakness or submissiveness. Quite to the contrary, as a totally feminine woman, you are individually the most powerful creature in your own orbit. You possess that unbeatable combination of courage, strength, femininity and resilience which are keys to a PLAYGIRL’S total liberation.
As a PLAYGIRL, you will quietly analyze life and conclude that no one is happy or content 100% of every moment of every day. You know, by your reading and observation, that the world’s greatest beauties often weep, and that the world’s richest women do have their limitations.
Once you understand that there are unobtainable people, and certain possessions which come with no price tags attached, you automatically become a member of PLAYGIRL’S “smart set.” Your awareness of the reality that life is, at times, a game of chance—and that the dice do not always come up seven or eleven — makes your road to success as a PLAYGIRL shorter. Your goals are much closer…Within your grasp… Because, while you dare to dream and fantasize, you simultaneously refuse to be bogged down by the unalterable facts of life.
Before we go further, a brief pause to offer a few words about what a PLAYGIRL is not. To be a PLAYGIRL does not automatically make you a member of a movement. A PLAYGIRL most definitely is not a groupie. A PLAYGIRL does not require a collective gathering of “sisters in arms” in order to feel secure.
As a PLAYGIRL, you do your own thing . . . Self-concern . . . Self-confidence … Self-improvement. . . Self-esteem … These four cornerstones of your individual personality take precedence. But always, you maintain a respect for causes and organized movements which do have their rightful place in the 1970’s. They are not necessarily the essence, or the center of a PLAYGIRL’S life.
In our milieu, the need to cling to any group means merely to exchange one set of chains for another. So, with all due respect and fondness for the Ms.’s of the world — those most magnificent ladies who have blazed a trail for all of us — we say, “Godspeed.” We are with you in spirit. But all of those things which you are into are not necessarily the things which we may wish to pursue… PLAYGIRLS are first and foremost individuals. Each of us will evolve a personal philosophy and lifestyle which is most pleasing to us on our own unique level.
As a PLAYGIRL, you may be a housewife, a career woman, a student, a jet setter. But always, you are a free soul. Therefore, whenever you can, you travel the world, tote bag in hand… very eager to discover people and places beyond your own front door. Anxious to meet others—always with an open heart and a receptive mind. You rush to drink in life’s juices —digesting what is personally pleasurable, disregarding what is not.
Sometimes, PLAYGIRLS travel alone. Awaiting adventure at every turn. Ready to meet it wherever it may be. Or, as a PLAYGIRL, you may travel with your man. Or just a man. Sharing for the moment the joys of undiscovered byways. But always, as a PLAYGIRL, you are prepared for whatever life has in store…Each voyage becomes one more glorious excursion into the unknown.
Undoubtedly, PLAYGIRL, on an individual level, there are many times when you’ll be alone. But you are self-sufficient enough to cope. Loneliness is too self-indulgent a mood. You will be too busy filling every moment of your life to waste even one second in self-pity, or in re-living the past. As a PLAYGIRL, you have learned from yesterday. But all of your momentum is geared toward creating a better tomorrow for yourself and for those you love.
For just another moment, let’s stay on the subject of loneliness. As a PLAYGIRL, as a person who has dipped into the bowl of life, you inevitably have come to realize that, no matter how surrounded you may be by loved ones, you are, essentially, still alone. As each of us is—at the very core —alone. Most of the time, you will be able to handle this realization. Perhaps partly because you love, and are very much loved in return, and these periods have become less and less frequent in your life. But for those moments when you need something more to hold on to, there should be developed within you a reservoir of strength. A kind of strength from which you are able to draw support, a special source of help no one else on earth can give you. A strength which you alone must find for yourself.
What I am referring to is a belief . . . Any kind of belief which helps you … A belief in a formal religion … Or in a free form philosophy . . . Or in the concept of oneness with the Universe and all of nature’s creatures. Without this hidden bank vault, from which you can always draw an unlimited amount, life and its joys are less meaningful. Your ability to love and to shoulder burdens is diminished, leaving you beset with problems which you should be free of if you truly wish to be a PLAYGIRL.
We have come just about full circle. At the beginning of this, our very first issue, we felt that you—the reader-wanted, needed, might even demand to know why a magazine such as PLAYGIRL has come into existence. Well, quite simply, it was “fathered” because we believe that there is a need for the concept we embody . . . Because of this belief, beginning right now, I am reaching out to each of you as individuals . . . Extending my hand in friendship . . . Seeking your handclasp in return . . .
When you have finished reading through, and looking at our “new baby,” will you do me a favor? Will you take a bit of time to sit down and drop me a line? I want to know what you think of PLAYGIRL. What you liked. What you disliked. Who and what you’d enjoy reading about and seeing visually. In addition to, or instead of, your letter, please fill out the questionnaire which appears further on in this issue. PLAYGIRL was designed for you . . . Help me direct it to you …
We at PLAYGIRL make a personal pledge to you. In every issue, we will bring you the best information available in all areas of life. We will feature the views of experts in a variety of fields. . . People who will tell you how to look your best. How to feel your best. How to dress in the smartest way, no matter what size your budget. How to handle your emotions. How to have the most fun out of life … in every area!
We will offer the latest information from top authorities in such fields as: Travel. Theatre. Hair. Make-up. Fashions. Diet. Nutrition. Psychology. Music. Art. Literature. Interior decorating. Cooking. Sports. All of these features, plus the finest in fiction and non-fiction … Cartoons which reflect the PLAYGIRL concept. . . personalities who will talk to you through the pages of PLAYGIRL. People who are recognized the world over for their outstanding accomplishments. Famous celebrities. International politicians. Beautiful and aware jet setters. Handsome award-winning athletes. . . In essence, each issue of PLAYGIRL will encompass the total concept which we have created for YOU.
And, we will bring you MEN. romantic men. Yes, as a PLAYGIRL, you deserve a look at today’s most exciting males. Men such as those you desire… Men you wish to reach out to—and touch… Be with… Experience… love in any manner which is most pleasing to the individual you.
As a publication, PLAYGIRL will offer hints, clues, suggestions, basic blueprints for lifestyles which are potentially most pleasing and rewarding. But we are only your beginning, your incentive. The Magazine For Women which will try, in each issue, to show you a way. Many ways. Then each of you can take from our pages those ideas which most personally and specifically apply to YOU, and proceed about the business of living!
So, if you wish to become a PLAYGIRL, it is already within your grasp. It is a state of mind, a look of body, a feeling inside which is yours for the taking. All you have to do is to believe in yourself . . . Believe that every time you open your front door and go out into the world you are making a statement. You are saying: I am beautiful because i believe I am. I am liberated because that is the way I choose to live. I am a PLAYGIRL . . . and I love being one, because—in the process of becoming a PLAYGIRL —I have set myself free!
