"What sort of man reads Playboy?" The self-reported influence of Playboy on the construction of masculinity.

Journal of Men's Studies, The, January, 2003 by Allison, Scott T.

"I subscribed to the magazine for the naked women, but I used to read the magazine cover to cover.... And I find that presenting your personal views in juxtaposition to hot naked women to be a very effective rhetorical technique."

--Respondent from the present research

Playboy magazine, an icon for the 20th century, has had a significant impact on American society (e.g., D'Emilio & Freedman, 1997; Talese, 1980). Elements of Playboy, such as the Rabbit symbol and the Playboy Mansion, have entered cultural mythology. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, a celebrity in his own fight, with a degree of popularity atypical for magazine publishers, has appeared on covers of national magazines including Time and Esquire.

Playboy has been published...

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