How have ideas about sexuality changed over the last 60 years

On December 1, 1953, the first issue of the men's magazine Playboy with the inimitable Marilyn Monroe on the cover appeared on newsstands in Chicago. The magazine played a huge role in the country's sexual revolution in the 1960s and 1980s. For half a century, Playboy has become one of the most recognizable brands around the world. On its pages one could see not only seductive beauties, but also short stories by such famous writers as Arthur C. Clarke, Ian Fleming, Vladimir Nabokov, Stephen King, Stanislav Lem. The magazine has always stood out with high-quality and "delicious" photos of semi-naked and nude models, unlike other publications bordering on pornography.

Using the example of the main "men's magazine", we decided to trace the evolution of the concepts of female beauty and sexuality.

Amen.

Despite the fact that Marilyn Monroe is an exceptional person of the XX century, her body is quite standard for that time: wide and slightly plump (according to today's ideas) hips; a pronounced stomach, which had to be pulled in so that the ribs stuck out; breasts, against the background of such a body, seeming not so big.

Here, for example, is Betty Page (January 1955) - although a smaller personality than Monroe, but also a recognized sex symbol of the fifties. As you can see, the figure is almost the same as that of the famous blonde. Girls "in the body" with retracted bellies and protruding ribs will remain the standard of beauty for almost 20 years, until the early seventies.

A characteristic feature of the "Playboy" of those years is the relative modesty of the pictures. The sexual revolution of the sixties is still ahead, so it will be normal to hide even breasts on the pages of the magazine for another ten years. There could be no question of exposing the "bottom" then. Rusty Fisher, April 1956 — this is more than modest for the current Playboy.

Jean Jani, July 1957 — this is the kind of underwear worn by the icons of sexuality of those years.

Another thing you think about when you look at these girls is that they look much older than their age. Either because of the magnificent forms, or because of old-fashioned (by current standards) hairstyles, or because of bright cosmetics… Here, for example, Elaine Reynolds (Elaine Reynolds), October 1959. In fact, she's only 20 here.

Or Elaine Paul, "Miss August 1960". You can't say she's 22 years old here.

Against their background, Judy Monterey, January 1963, who looks exactly like her 19, looks very unusual.

On July 2, 1964, racial segregation was officially abolished in the United States, and less than a year later, in March 1965, Jennifer Jackson, the first Black woman on the pages of Playboy, became the girl of the month. However, dark-skinned beauties subsequently appeared in Playboy infrequently - once every few years.

19-year-old Diana Chandler —Dianne Chandler) is a miracle beauty and by today's standards, however, a figure in the style of the same fifties and sixties: a retracted stomach and protruding ribs.

Joey Gibson, June 1967. As you can see from this and some previous pictures, the traces of a swimsuit on the model's body, unthinkable for today's glossy magazine, were then absolutely normal. Moreover, this situation will continue for more than thirty years, right up to the beginning of the XXI century.

At the end of the sixties, the fashion that has been established since the post-war years is finally slowly changing. Slender figures begin to be appreciated, hair straightens. Some photos of those years may well pass for modern ones — their age is given out except that all the same traces from the swimsuit. Melody Prentiss (Melodye Prentiss), July 1968.

Gloria Root, December 1969.

Sisters Madeline and Mary Collinson on the pages of Playboy in October 1970 symbolize the advent of the era of long-legged skinny girls. Girls in the style of Marilyn Monroe are still found in the magazine, but every year less and less.

Another ageless photograph (Ellen Michaels, March 1972). A new trend in the filming of "Playboy", which influenced the eroticism of the following decades: the naive touchiness and embarrassed smiles of the models of the sixties disappeared. A pose expressing pressure and confidence, a direct and hard look - a completely different, new woman looks from the pages of the magazine; a woman to be reckoned with.

In March 1973, a revolution took place in Playboy: the girl of the month demonstrates to readers her uncovered "bottom". The revolutionary's name is Bonnie Large.

After Bonnie Large, Playboy models began to expose their hitherto most intimate one after another. Touching imperfection: a tummy (as if from the sixties) and a newfangled thinness. Martha Smith, July 1973.

Denise Michel, "Miss April 1976".

Karen Hafter - December 1976.

Debra Peterson-June 1976.

In the late seventies, the emancipation of society is reflected in the pages of Playboy. Models are taking more and more depraved poses. Rita Lee, November 1977.

Christina Smith, March 1978.

Gail Stanton, June 1978.

Lush hairstyles come into fashion - Candy Loving, January 1979.

The eighties are the time of fit, athletic women. Fitness and aerobics are wildly popular, and this cannot but be reflected in the appearance of the girls of the month. Victoria Cook, August 1980.

However, girls "in the body" are still very much in high esteem. Karen Price, January 1981.

But still, the tone is set by athletic beauties - Heidi Sorenson, July 1981.

Backfill question: when did stockings and belts come into fashion as an erotic outfit? Playboy gives the answer to the exact month: June 1981, Katya Larmut.

Fashion, as we know, turned out to be eternal. There is nowhere without a belt and stockings now. "Miss October 1981", Kelly Tow.

Two years later — the same thing. Alana Soares, March 1983.

The passion for fitness sometimes led to strange results - Roberta Vasquez, November 1984.

November 1986, Donna Edmondson: stockings and belt - forever!

No, it's not Sharon Stone, although Sandy Greenberg looks like her here. The photo deserves attention because of the new fashionable hairstyle, as well as a hitherto unprecedented degree of frankness. Now, since June 1987, there will be more and more such provocative photos in Playboy.

By the nineties, nothing much had changed: sporty and figure-skater women were still in fashion — Carrie Kendall, September 1990.

But after a couple of years, everything began to change. The famous Anna Nicole Smith in May 1992 became the last playmate "in the body".

After her, a typical Playboy girl began to look like this - Ashley Allen, August 1992.

July 1993 - Lisa Sheridan.

The first silicone breast in Playboy: March 1994 - Neraya Davis.

Ulrika Eriksson, November 1996.

Miss August" 1997 Kalin Olson.

Natalia Sokolova, April 1999.

Tishara Lee Kuzino, May 1999.

The year 2000 turned out to be eventful. Playboy has implemented total photo retouching. In this picture from the March issue with Nicole Lenz, you can see every hair on the model's skin.

And then, in the photos in the magazine, such "inanimate dolls" — Buffy Tyler, November 2000, firmly established themselves. By the way, this photo shows the first manifestation of fashion for piercing in the navel.

December 2000 — the last girl of the month with traces of a swimsuit - Kara Michelle.

Amber Campaysi, February 2005.

March 2006 - Monica Lee.

Spencer Scott, October 2007.

2008 is the time of big, albeit fit pop - Kayla Collins, August 2008.

Jennifer Pershing — March 2009.

Kelly Brook — September 2010.

Karina Smirnoff — May 2011.

Lindsay Lohan - January 2012.

Pas de la Huerta - January 2013.

Kate Moss - January 2014.

Rachel Mortenson - January 2015.

Sarah McDaniel — February 2016. This year, the magazine made a reboot and abandoned nudity.

However, representatives of Playboy announced that photos of naked girls would return to the cover of the magazine, and the experiment on abandoning eroticism, which began in March 2016, was a mistake.