What part of Europe are you talking about?

[Steve Sloca]

Brian Wallace wrote:
"So, you see, while I respect all of your opinions,
stating that the European versions of Playboy are
more explicit is something I don't agree with.
The American edition is probably more explicit than
any of the European ones.  At least WESTERN Europe.
I bet you some of the Eastern European ones or the
Brazilian edition really push the envelope."

You are right with respect to the German edition, which remains at the
level of the US edition as far as explicitness is concerned.  The
French edition has gone through many different owners/styles in recent
years.  Some issues just copy the American content, while others have
original content, which is more explicit than that in the US edition.
See the pictorial on French porn star Clara Morgane (later Penthouse's
Miss May 2002) in the March or April 2002 issue, for example.  The
Spanish edition until this year used the US PM pictures, but without
the airbrushing in the pubic area that the US edition used, and with
some different pictures from the same shoot.  About half of the
Italian editions feature US PM's but without airbrushing on spread-
leg photos, while the rest of the Italian PM's are original and
similarly explicit. The Eastern European editions also use American
PM's half the time (and when not in the CF, they are in feature
pictorials), but there the spread-leg shots show everything (except in
Russia, where not even pubic hair may be shown).  Similarly, the
Dutch, Brazilian and even Taiwan as of late show unedited spread-leg
photos, both of US Playmates and their own models.  If I had time, I
could go through a picture-by-picture comparison to show the
differences in the same photos as published abroad and in the US
edition.  I had a reason to do this a few years ago; and I remember
that the Jodi Patterson PMOY spread and the Lauren Hill PM layout were
good candidates for such comparisons.  If someone is looking for a
particularly "rogue" photo of a favorite PM from a foreign edition,
they can e-mail me privately and I'll look it up. None of these
foreign editions go in for the "pink" or "spread" shot; and I am not
suggesting that the US Playboy should carry such photos either.  To
me, they look so unnatural and "forced" as to be un-erotic.  Women
don't normally go around spreading their labia while sunbathing,
relaxing in bed, etc. in real life, so "spread" shots are something
she would do only because she was told to--which suggests to me the
same "objectivization" of women that the feminists decry.  But I don't
see any reason why the Playmate needs to keep her legs crossed either.
The trimmed, partially or even fully shaved pubic region is definitely
an erotic vision; and the US edition's prudishness in trying to cover
up these visions is a "cop-out" which is "dated" as far as younger
readers are concerned.  It doesn't gain it any favor among the New
Puritans or the feminists either, since they see any form of nudity as
an evil.  As Playboy TV, video sales and the internet has already told
it, what the readers/viewers of today want is a lot more erotic
material, including spread leg, girl/girl and fetish photographs, even
some "toy" usage and solo masturbation simulations.  Such erotica can
be presented in an elegant, even lush and romantic manner, befitting
Playboy's history of fine glamour photography.  Michael Ninn's new
video, "Temptation," starring Playmates Victoria Zdrok and Linn
Thomas, is a very good example of the kind of erotic presentation that
is up to the Playboy standard in every respect--and above the Playboy
standard in its erotic impact and appeal to men (and women too!).