双语阅读英语外刊精讲：花花公子

2019-04-04 09:02:00来源：酷学英语

　　American Icon and Playboy Founder, Hugh M. Hefner passed away today. He was 91.

　　— Playboy (@Playboy) September 28, 2017

　　Hefner’s dream of running his own magazine began while he was working as a copy editor at Esquire in 1952, and the following year he secured enough funding to launch Playboy.

　　The December 1953 inaugural issue featured none other than Marilyn Monroe as its cover girl, and the magazine would go on to become a multibillion-dollar empire ― including TV series, websites, DVDs and endless licensed merchandise ― and one of the most recognizable brands in the world.

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　　Hugh Hefner with Sylvia Sidney, Joan Bradshaw and Caroline Mitchell at a Playboy party in Los Angeles on June 26, 1957. (Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images)

　　In the 1960s, Hefner became the public face of the company and was known for his smoking jacket, his pipe and the assurance that wherever he was, a bevy of beautiful women surrounded him. He launched a series of private key clubs that he staffed with hostesses known as Bunnies for their now-iconic uniforms that included ears and a tail.

　　Hefner took the company public in 1971, but by the mid-’70s, the magazine was facing more competition with the arrival of hardcore publications such as Penthouse, and circulation began to fall. In response, the magazine released its first full-frontal nude centerfold in January 1972, featuring model Marilyn Cole.

　　The Playboy founder suffered a minor stroke in 1985, just a few weeks shy of his 59th birthday. It was an eye-opening experience for Hefner, who decided it was time to tone down his wild parties, according to the Los Angeles Times.

　　He handed over his empire to daughter Christie, who had been president of Playboy Enterprises since 1982. She began running the company as chairman of the board and CEO in 1988.

　　In 2009, Scott Flanders replaced Hefner’s daughter as CEO and Playboy Enterprises Inc. began to make a radical shift focusing on its branding potential and licensing opportunities.

　　In that same article, THR broached the subject of death, but it was not something Hefner ever talked about, a close colleague said. Hefner said he was not afraid of death and had no faith in any afterlife. And his death wasn’t just a subject that Hefner avoided ― at the time, the company hadn’t thought about it either.

　　Hugh Hefner with his daughter Christie Hefner at the re-opening of the Playboy Club in New York City on Oct. 29, 1985. (Yvonne Hemsey via Getty Images)

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