- Pubic Wars
Pubic Wars, a
pun on thePunic Wars , is the name given to the rivalry between thepornographic magazine s "Playboy" and "Penthouse" during the 1960s and 1970s. Each magazine strove to show just a little bit more than the other, without crossing the "line ofdecency " generally accepted at the time [ [http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/media/features/n_9815/index1.html The Porn King in Winter] ] .In the 1950s it was generally agreed that nude photographs were not pornographic unless they showed
pubic hair or, even worse,genitals . Respectable photography was careful to come close to, but not cross over, this line."Penthouse" published
pictorial s featuring visible female pubic hair almost from its inception in 1965. "Playboy", however, showed a first slight glimpse of any pubic hair onMelodye Prentiss ' centerfold (Miss July 1968), some 15 years after the magazine's introduction. With Playmates it was usually the case that the pubic area would be obscured by an item of clothing, a leg, or a piece of furniture. The first appearance of pubic hair in "Playboy" actually occurred in August 1969 in a pictorial featuringdancer /actress Paula Kelly. A few more glimpses of pubic hair appeared in some pictorials and centerfolds, but it wasn't until January 1971 whenLiv Lindeland showed clearly visible pubic hair in her pictorial. The firstPlaymate to clearly have the first full frontal nude centerfold was Miss January 1972,Marilyn Cole . Incidentally, they both went on to becomePlaymate of the Year , respectively 1972 & 1973.Eventually, the two magazines would move their content in opposite directions. "Playboy" positioned itself as the less explicit
softcore alternative to be "read for the articles". "Penthouse" gravitated towards raunchier images, ultimately arriving athardcore pornography and photographs of women urinating, in the late 1990s. Under new ownership in 2005, "Penthouse" began to steer toward a more softcore direction as well.ee also
*
List of men's magazines
*Pornography Notes
References
* [http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/media/features/n_9815/index1.html "The Porn King in Winter"] , By Anthony Haden-Guest, "
New York Magazine "
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20030814/ai_n12707408 "From 'Penthouse' to penury?"] , Independent, The (London),August 14 ,2003 , by Terry Kirby Chief Reporter
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