Playboy is reclaiming its old image and starting the entertainment magazine's April/May 2017 issue the nude photos will be back. Nudity, according to the publication, was not a problem to begin with.
This was the position that Cooper Hefner, son of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and currently the company's creative chief, took when the magazine decided to do away with nude images back in February 2016. The young Hefner maintained then that Playboy readers don't see nudity as a problem.
And in a Twitter post, Hefner declared: "Nudity was never the problem because nudity isn't a problem. Today we're taking our identity back and reclaiming who we are." The statement formally announced Playboy's return to its old main menu - nudity.
Hefner said the decision made by Playboy CEO Scott Flanders last year was a mistake but he conceded that the magazine's way of doing its business was dated.
How nude will get a fresh presentation, Playboy did not explain but according to Buzz Feed the publication is set to restart with model Elizabeth Elam. The magazine said Elam is an "unlikely amalgam of warmth, grit and obvious beauty."
Playboy returning to what it does best is the publication reasserting its identity, and that is to challenge social norms, Hefner said. According to BGR, he further explained that the magazine going nude anew is in line with the significant social landmarks seen lately - "the approval of same-sex marriage, the legalization of marijuana, and the nomination of a woman by a major political party."
Essentially, Hefner is championing "civil liberties and freedom of expression," through nudity, the same report suggested.
But in reality, going nude-free was bad business for Playboy. As noted by Buzz Feed, the magazine is dealing with the glaring fact that its base users are migrating to similar services online where nude images are readily available and can be had free of charge.
Belatedly, Playboy has realized that ditching nude last year was a bad move.
"Playboy grapples with its identity at a time when the internet has made nude images widely accessible and often free," the report added.
And the magazine backtracking from its stated position last year - that Playboy's battle has been fought and won - is basically an admission that serving up soft porn again is key to its survival. After all, "no one actually reads it for the articles, so Playboy is porn again," BGR said on its report.