Playmen
Encyclopedia
Playmen was an Italian
adult
entertainment
magazine
. It was founded in 1967 by a mother of three, Adelina Tattilo
, reaching fame as Italy's Playboy
magazine.
The magazine was published monthly and featured photograph
s of nude
women, and articles on fashion, sport, consumer goods and public figures. Playmen's use of "tasteful" nude photos is classified as softcore
in contrast to hardcore
pornographic
magazines.
It ceased publication in 2001.
Playmen was initially an imitator of Playboy magazine, although the first Girl of the Month, Brigitte Bardot
, held her hands over her breasts. Playmen later developed a style of its own, reflecting European tastes and not overly displaying breasts as per the American Playboy counterpart. The founder Tattilo is quoted as saying "The U.S. is a matriarchy. I think this is the reason for the American male preference for women with exaggerated, voluminous bosoms, true wet nurses with a reassuring maternal aspect." The women Tattilo chose for Playmen were slimmer and more mature than Hugh Hefner's
choices.
In the early years, each month the Italian police, in some cities, would order a mass seizure of the magazine. Playmen rarely lasted more than 48 hours on the newsstands before either being sold or seized.
, the French actress Brigitte Bardot
, the actress Ornella Muti
, the singer Amanda Lear
and many others. The magazine contained notables such as Teresa Ann Savoy
, Barbara Bouchet
, Lilli Carati
, and Camille Keaton
. The July 1968 edition contains an article by Henry Miller
. In 1969, Playmen obtained an international scoop: it published the photo of Jacqueline Kennedy, then wife of Aristotle Onassis
, while she was naked in the swimming pool of their villa in the island of Skorpios
.
The magazine contained interviews of significant people in literature, cinema, politics, and sport. Oliver Reed
was interviewed in 2000.
In the 1990s, with the arrival on the market of the erotic and pornographic videocassettes, Tattilo's empire gradually entered a crisis, followed by the closure of Playmen in 2001.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
adult
Pornographic magazine
Pornographic magazines, sometimes known as adult magazines, sex magazines or top-shelf magazines are pornographic magazines that contain content of a sexual nature. Adult magazines are mainly aimed towards men, and in some parts of the world, many men's first sight of a naked woman has been in an...
entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
. It was founded in 1967 by a mother of three, Adelina Tattilo
Adelina Tattilo
Adelina Tattilo is acknowledged to be a pioneer in the Italian erotic magazine publishing sector, who contributed to change the social customs Italy from the second half the 1960s...
, reaching fame as Italy's Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine.
The magazine was published monthly and featured photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s of nude
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
women, and articles on fashion, sport, consumer goods and public figures. Playmen's use of "tasteful" nude photos is classified as softcore
Softcore
Softcore pornography is a form of filmic or photographic pornography or erotica that is less sexually explicit than hardcore pornography. It is intended to tickle and arouse men and women. Softcore pornography depicts nude and semi-nude performers engaging in casual social nudity or non-graphic...
in contrast to hardcore
Hardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography is a form of pornography that features explicit sexual acts. The term was coined in the second half of the 20th century to distinguish it from softcore pornography. It usually takes the form of photographs, often displayed in magazines or on the Internet, or films. It can also...
pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
magazines.
It ceased publication in 2001.
Early years
During a running battle with the Italian police, the magazine reached a circulation of 450,000 within four years of its 1967 inception. It sold at about the equivalent of a US dollar per copy.Playmen was initially an imitator of Playboy magazine, although the first Girl of the Month, Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known sex-symbols of the 1960s.In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer...
, held her hands over her breasts. Playmen later developed a style of its own, reflecting European tastes and not overly displaying breasts as per the American Playboy counterpart. The founder Tattilo is quoted as saying "The U.S. is a matriarchy. I think this is the reason for the American male preference for women with exaggerated, voluminous bosoms, true wet nurses with a reassuring maternal aspect." The women Tattilo chose for Playmen were slimmer and more mature than Hugh Hefner's
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
choices.
In the early years, each month the Italian police, in some cities, would order a mass seizure of the magazine. Playmen rarely lasted more than 48 hours on the newsstands before either being sold or seized.
Content
Many actresses began their careers on the cover of Playmen: Pamela Villoresi, the singer Patty PravoPatty Pravo
Patty Pravo is an Italian pop singer whose career has spanned more than four decades. Her first single "Ragazzo triste", released in 1966, was the first pop song aired on Vatican Radio...
, the French actress Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known sex-symbols of the 1960s.In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer...
, the actress Ornella Muti
Ornella Muti
Ornella Muti is an Italian actress. She was born in Rome as Francesca Romana Rivelli, to a Neapolitan father and Russian mother. Her maternal grandparents immigrated from Leningrad , Russia, to Estonia...
, the singer Amanda Lear
Amanda Lear
Amanda Lear is a French singer, lyricist, composer, painter, TV presenter, actress and novelist....
and many others. The magazine contained notables such as Teresa Ann Savoy
Teresa Ann Savoy
Teresa Ann Savoy, FRSA is a British-born actress. She has appeared in a number of Italian films.-Biography:Savoy was 18 years old when she appeared in the Italian adult magazine Playmen , using an alias of "Terry"...
, Barbara Bouchet
Barbara Bouchet
Barbara Bouchet, is a German-American actress and entrepreneur.She has acted in more than 80 films and television episodes and founded a production company that has produced fitness videos and books as well as owning a fitness studio...
, Lilli Carati
Lilli Carati
Lilli Carati is an Italian former actress.-Biography:Lilli Carati was born in Varese . In 1974, she won the title "Miss Elegance" at a beauty contest in Calabria and began to work as a fashion model in Milan...
, and Camille Keaton
Camille Keaton
Camille Keaton is an American actress, perhaps best known for her role in the 1978 film I Spit on Your Grave.-Early years:Keaton was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and is a grand-niece of Buster Keaton...
. The July 1968 edition contains an article by Henry Miller
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist and painter. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new sort of 'novel' that is a mixture of novel, autobiography, social criticism, philosophical reflection, surrealist free association, and mysticism, one that is...
. In 1969, Playmen obtained an international scoop: it published the photo of Jacqueline Kennedy, then wife of Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
, while she was naked in the swimming pool of their villa in the island of Skorpios
Skorpios
Skorpios is a private island in the Ionian Sea off the western coast of Greece and just to the east of the island of Lefkada. The 2001 census reported a population of two inhabitants...
.
The magazine contained interviews of significant people in literature, cinema, politics, and sport. Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
was interviewed in 2000.
In the 1990s, with the arrival on the market of the erotic and pornographic videocassettes, Tattilo's empire gradually entered a crisis, followed by the closure of Playmen in 2001.
See also
- List of people in Playmen 1968-1969
- List of people in Playmen 1970-1979
- List of people in Playmen 1980-1989
- List of people in Playmen 1990-1999
- List of people in Playmen 2000-2001