Much has been made over Playboy’s recent decision to cease publishing nude photographs in its magazine. I’ve hardly seen any real commentary on this other than ha-ha statements noting the irony or gratuitous digs at “reading the articles.” As a fan of Playboy for several decades I really have nothing more to add other than… eh.

The magazine which more than any other brought sex and pornography to the mainstream outlived its necessity about 40 years ago and its relevance about 20 years ago. Sad but true, Playboy has basically become an imitator of all the magazines that grew as imitations of it: Maxim, FHM, Details, etc. Playboy had been the only one showing nudity, but now the transformation is complete.

At least we can’t say that the reason Playboy is covering up is the machinations of some tyrannically repressive government. Nope. It’s the exact opposite. Pornography is so widespread, commonplace, easily accessible… and free!… these days that paying for it hardly seems necessary anymore. Who wants to pay for classy porn when so much filth is out there for nothing? The “low-browification” of our culture is an endemic problem that goes far beyond porn, but this example shows it pretty well. Need another example? Read an article or short story published in Playboy in 1960 and then read one from today. Its photos, sadly, often get the same level of care.

Playboy moved from being a trendsetter to a trend-follower long ago, but this has been the sharpest example thus far. It’s disappointing, but I guess both financially and socially understandable. And is anyone out there still relying on Playboy as his only source of nude women? I think I’m too old and too married really to care about these kinds of things anymore. My reaction basically is… eh.