Excerpt from Playgirl, June 1993
One score and several editors ago, our founders brought forth onto this continent a new magazine, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all women have the right to see and enjoy beautiful men naked!
A gal’s first PLAYGIRL can be a lot like her first love: a fond memory that pops into her head from time to time, always guaranteed to bring a sly smile to her lips. So, in the spirit of our 20th anniversary, we asked you, our loyal readers, to take a trip down memory lane and recall your own first experience with PLAYGIRL.
It was 1983 and I was a sophomore at Syracuse. I remember that one day a copy of PLAYGIRL turned up in my sorority house, but none of my sorority sisters would admit that she bought it. Whenever the question of whose PLAYGIRL it was came up, the room would get completely silent, except for the occasional nervous giggle.
The funny part is that every single girl, bar none, looked at that magazine, although we would never admit it. It was always the same routine—during the day, the magazine would sit on the coffee table in the study room completely ignored, but at night, it always mysteriously disappeared into someone’s bedroom. And the next morning, voila! It was back on the table. I remember that by the end of the semester that poor magazine was completely dog-eared and tattered from so many readers!
The following semester, I moved out of the house, got my own subscription to PLAYGIRL and I didn’t share it with anybody!
—Rhoda, 31, bank officer, Chicago, IL
My husband, Rowan, has always been open to trying new things, especially when it comes to sex. One day back in the late ’70s, he brought home an issue of PLAYGIRL and started reading the fantasies aloud to me. At first, I was a bit put off by the whole thing, but the more he read, the more turned on I became. It was like we were watching those people in the stories make love! And by the end of the second or third story, I couldn’t control my own passion anymore and I attacked him! I remember it being one of the hottest, sexiest nights we have ever had! Since then, we haven’t missed an issue and we still take turns reading it to one another in bed. As far as we’re concerned, PLAYGIRL is the best foreplay around.
—Cissy, 37, book editor, Sarasota, FL
I was always curious about PLAYGIRL and I had a vague notion of what it was about. But I didn’t get up enough nerve to buy one until just a few years ago. I had just gone through a really messy divorce, I was adjusting to being a single mom and honestly, I was feeling about as sexual as a grapefruit, especially since there was no man on the horizon.
One night, the kids were at my mother’s house and I was all alone and, well, horny. I thought about going out in hopes of meeting somebody, but that really isn’t my style. So, instead, I went down to the store, took a deep breath and bought my very first issue of PLAYGIRL! I remember that Ted Danson was on the cover. I also remember pulling over a couple of blocks before my house to stuff it in my purse out of fear that one of the neighbors might see me carrying it! Looking back, I have to laugh at how paranoid I was.
But paranoid or not, I became a loyal fan that very night!
—Nedra, 34, hospital cook, Solvay, NY
Of course I remember when I got my first PLAYGIRL—it was last year, on the day of my bridal shower. My maid of honor put together a “Good-bye to Single Life” care package that included the August issue of PLAYGIRL, the one with the men of Hawaii in it. We all had a great time flipping through the issue and checking out all the hot guys. And, you know, I still have that very issue saved with the rest of my wedding memories.
—Mona, 23, medical assistant. Columbus, OH
Believe it or not, I saw my first issue of PLAYGIRL at the hairdresser’s. It was back around 1977 and I was waiting to have my hair frosted—I was trying to look like Angie Dickinson in “Police Woman!”
Anyway, I had looked through most of the magazines on the shelf—the usual: Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Vogue. Then I saw a copy of PLAYGIRL and picked it up. Now, I considered myself pretty hip, but I have to admit that I’d never looked at it before. And what a surprise it was! Those men were gorgeous—and naked! And the articles were smart and talked to me about stuff I was interested in.
I remember that the hairdresser called me in before I could finish the whole issue, so as soon as I was done, I went right to a newsstand and bought my own copy.
—Dee-Dee, 42, jewelry designer, Philadelphia, PA
My first PLAYGIRL? I was at a convention in San Francisco—just me and 500 other school principals. My second night in town, I was alone in my hotel room and very aroused, so I went to a newsstand and picked up PLAYGIRL. I was feeling so bold, being in the big city for the first time in years.
I remember bringing it back to my room, putting up the “Do Not Disturb” sign and having an incredible night. I had also just discovered masturbation. I guess you could say I was a late bloomer. But, hey, better late than never, right?!
—Margaret, 55, elementary school principal, Sedalia, MO
I first saw PLAYGIRL during my freshmen year of college back in ’76. There were three of us sharing a suite in the dorms at Northwestern University, and we were all pretty naive. We’d all dated—but none of us had gone all the way—and at the rate we were going, we weren’t likely to, either.
So, there we were, three curious, dateless, horny women looking for some kind of outlet. I remember thinking how brave and cool we were trying to be—acting worldly and sophisticated as we walked up to the newsstand. But we kept breaking into fits of giggles.
When we finally got our hands on “it,” we raced back to the dorm, stopping only long enough to pick up tons of chips and bottles of pop. We all piled onto Kelly’s bed for a reading and feeding frenzy. We were laughing, stuffing our faces, pointing at the guys and having a great time. It was a real blast, and it became a ritual that was repeated on many a long, wintry night after that.
—Ellen. 55, interior design consultant, San Diego, CA
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