The Pubic Wars, a

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

on the

Punic Wars The Punic Wars were a series of wars between 264 and 146BC fought between Rome and Carthage. Three conflicts between these states took place on both land and sea across the western Mediterranean region and involved a total of forty-three ye ...

, was a rivalry between the 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 ...

s ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

'' and '' Penthouse'' during the 1960s and 1970s. Each magazine strove to show just a little bit more nudity on their female models than the other, without getting too crude."The Porn King in Winter"
Anthony Haden-Guest, ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...

'' The term was coined by ''Playboy'' owner

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...

. In 1950s and 1960s America, it was generally agreed that nude photographs were not

pornographic Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

unless they showed

pubic hair Pubic hair is terminal body hair that is found in the genital area of adolescent and adult humans. The hair is located on and around the sex organs and sometimes at the top of the inside of the thighs. In the pubic region around the pubis bon ...

genitals A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...

. Mainstream mass-market photography was careful to come close to this line without stepping over it. Consequently, the depiction of pubic hair was ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...

'' forbidden in U.S. pornographic magazines of the era.

History

''Penthouse'' originated in 1965 in Britain and was initially distributed in Europe. In September 1969 it was launched in the U.S., bringing new competition to ''Playboy'' which had dominated the niche since its 1953 debut. Due to more liberal European attitudes to nudity, ''Penthouse'' was already displaying pubic hair at the time of its U.S. launch. According to Penthouse magazine's owner

Bob Guccione Robert Charles Joseph Edward Sabatini Guccione ( ; December 17, 1930 – October 20, 2010) was an American photographer and publisher. He founded the adult magazine '' Penthouse'' in 1965. This was aimed at competing with Hugh Hefner's ''Playboy' ...

, "We began to show pubic hair, which was a big breakthrough." In order to retain its market share, ''Playboy'' followed suit, risking obscenity charges, and launching the "Pubic Wars". ''Playboy'' started showing wisps of pubic hair about nine months after ''Penthouse'' (June 1970). As competition between the two magazines escalated, their photo shoots became increasingly explicit. ''Playboy'', however, had actually first showed a very slight glimpse of any pubic hair on

Melodye Prentiss is a role-playing video game published by Konami. It is the first installment of the ''Suikoden'' series. Developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, it was released initially in 1995 for the PlayStation in Japan. A North American release ...

' centerfold (Miss July 1968), some 15 years after the magazine's introduction. With

Playmate A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

s, it was usually the case that the pubic area would be obscured by an item of clothing, a leg, or a piece of furniture. The first appearance of real pubic hair in ''Playboy'' actually occurred in August 1969 in a pictorial featuring dancer/actress Paula Kelly. A few more glimpses of pubic hair appeared in some later pictorials and centerfolds, but it was not until January 1971 when

Liv Lindeland Liv Lindeland (born 7 December 1945 in Norway) is a Norwegian model, actress, and talent agent. She was chosen as ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month for January 1971 and as the Playmate of the Year for 1972. Her original pictorial was p ...

showed clearly visible pubic hair in her pictorial. The first Playmate to clearly have the first full frontal nude centerfold was Miss January 1972,

Marilyn Cole Marilyn Cole (born 7 May 1949) is ''Playboy'' magazine's January 1972 Playmate of the Month. She was the magazine's first full-frontal nude centerfold. She also became 1973's Playmate of the Year – the only Briton to hold that title. Her orig ...

. Both went on to become Playmate of the Year, respectively 1972 and 1973. When ''

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 ...

'' was launched in 1974, it outdid both ''Playboy'' and ''Penthouse'' in explicitness by showing more graphic photos of the female sex organs. Eventually, the two magazines moved their content in opposite directions. ''Playboy'' positioned itself as the less explicit softcore alternative to be "read for the articles". ''Penthouse'' gravitated towards raunchier images, ultimately arriving at

hardcore pornography Hardcore pornography, or hardcore porn, is pornography that features detailed depictions of sexual organs or sexual acts such as vaginal, anal or oral intercourse, fingering, anilingus, ejaculation, and fetish play. The term is in contrast wi ...

and photographs of women

urinating Urination, also known as micturition, is the release of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, voiding, uresis, ...

, in the mid-1990s. Under new ownership since 2004, ''Penthouse'' began to steer toward a more softcore direction as well.

References

{{Reflist

History

References

Further reading