''Chic'' was an American
pornographic magazine
Pornographic magazines or erotic magazines, sometimes known as adult, sex or top-shelf magazines, are magazines that contain content of an explicitly sexual nature. Publications of this kind may contain images of attractive naked subjects, as is ...
first issued by
Larry Flynt
Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. (; November 1, 1942 – February 10, 2021) was an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). LFP mainly produces pornographic magazines, such as ''Hustler'', pornographic videos, and three por ...
, of ''
Hustler
Hustler or hustlers may also refer to:
Professions
* Hustler, an American slang word, e.g., for a:
** Con man, a practitioner of confidence tricks
** Drug dealer, seller of illegal drugs
** Male prostitute
** Pimp
** Business man, more gener ...
'' fame, in November 1976.
The publisher was CHIC Magazine Inc. based in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
.
Intentionally less controversial than ''Hustler'', but similar overall in layout and content, the magazine was an attempt to emulate the more upscale style of rivals such as ''
Penthouse
Penthouse most often refers to:
*Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building
*Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine
*Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...
'' and ''
Oui''. Early issues of ''Chic'' were oversized; the magazine changed to typical smaller dimensions in 1978.
In 1979, Flynt went on trial for
obscenity
An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be use ...
charges over eight issues of ''Hustler'' and three issues of ''Chic'' magazine.
In 1984, a Texas woman,
Jeannie Braun
Jeannie may refer to:
* Jeannie (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name
* Jeannie (''I Dream of Jeannie''), a main character of ''I Dream of Jeannie''
** ''Jeannie'' (TV series), an animated series based on ''I Dream of Jean ...
, successfully sued ''Chic'' for publishing a photo of herself and "Ralph the Diving Pig" in the magazine. She had contended that the editor had misrepresented ''Chic'' as a
fashion magazine
Fashion journalism is a component of fashion media, with a focus on writing and photojournalism. Fashion journalists write about fashion events, trends and have to cultivate and maintain a relationship with stylists and designers. A fashion jour ...
.
''Chic'' ceased publication in December 2001.
Contributors
*
G. Gordon Liddy
George Gordon Battle Liddy (November 30, 1930 – March 30, 2021) was an American lawyer, FBI agent, talk show host, actor, and convicted felon in the Watergate scandal as the chief operative in the White House Plumbers unit during the Nixon admi ...
[ Liddy, G. Gordon. "American Nightmare." ''Chic'' (US), vol. 2, no. 1 (Nov. 1977).]
References
1976 establishments in Ohio
Defunct magazines published in the United States
Erotica magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1976
Magazines disestablished in 2001
Magazines with year of disestablishment missing
Magazines published in Ohio
Mass media in Columbus, Ohio
Pornographic magazines published in the United States
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