Playboy Loses the Woman With First Gay Male Cover, Still Blasts the Nips Though

Playboy has come a long way since its first issue in 1953 featured an ill-gotten cover of Marilyn Monroe in a low-cut evening gown. For one, the nudie mag, enjoyed by readers and picture enthusiasts alike, decided to get rid of all nudity in 2015. (That didn’t last long.) In 2020, they halted print publication to focus entirely on digital media (goodbye sticky pages). This month, they’re featuring their first openly gay man on the cover with Bretman Rock.

Doffing the iconic cocktail dress and bunny ears, Rock poses with sinewy arms outstretched, as if physically pushing the boundaries of the cover to make way for a new era. The Filipino American YouTuber rose to fame with his series of beauty tutorials, and just like Playboy, the 23-year-old Rock has come a long way since those early days

“My personal style is very much like who Bretman Rock is. Not giving a f–k and wearing whatever I feel cute in,” Rock said. “I look cute in this today but I could’ve done this shit naked. Just saying.”

Check out more sassy snaps from the spread below:

Over its 70-year history, playboy has unfairly gotten lumped in with lower-brow magazines like Hustler and Juggs. However, with authors like Hunter Thompson, Haruki Murakami, Vladimir Nabokov, Ursula Le Guin, and Roald Dahl gracing the pages (to name but a few) people really did read Playboy for the articles. Yes, the rag loved a well-endowed woman in the buff, but cultural boundary-pushing has always been part of the magic.

Whatever the future brings for Playboy, it’s good to know we can always count on them to blast the nips like a giant teat firehouse. We hope that never changes.

Cover Photo: Playboy

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