When it came to nudes, Playboy changed and stayed the same

Think what you think about Hugh Hefner and his magazine but know one thing is certain: The only arbiter of the It factor for all those women who made the centerfolds was Hef himself.

"I was at times reprimanded for shaking things up too much," recalled photographer Josh Ryan, who rose from test shooter to senior contributor over nearly 10 years after landing what he considered a dream contract in 2006.

This combination photo of images released by Playboy, shows top row from left, Marilyn Monroe on the cover of the December 1953 issue, Janet Pilgrim on July 1955, Donna Michelle on May 1964 and Turid Lundberg on June 1965. Bottom row from left, Barbi Benton on the July 1969 issue, Anna Nicole Smith on June 1993, Jenny McCarthy on January 2005 and Pamela Anderson on the January/February 2016 issue. (Playboy via AP)

His Playboy stint ended in late-2015, when Playboy decided to do the unspeakable, perhaps bending to cultural shifts, banning nudity altogether for about a year.

Magazine researcher Samir Husni at the University of Mississippi described Hefner's influence on Playboy's photo style that generally endured through the decades this way:

"When all the other men's magazines or sex magazines toward the beginning of the '80s and the end of the '80s became so pornographic and left nothing to the imagination in photography, Playboy stood its ground and kept that erotic aspect in the imagery. That's one thing I credit to Hugh Hefner."

FILE - In this May 14, 1999 file photo, Playboy founder and editor in chief Hugh Hefner receives kisses from Playboy playmates during the 52nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. Hefner has died at age 91. The magazine released a statement saying Hefner died at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes on Wednesday night, Sept. 27, 2017, surrounded by family. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours, File)

FILE - In this April 5, 2007 file photo, Hugh Hefner poses for a photo at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Playboy magazine founder and sexual revolution symbol Hefner has died at age 91. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Compared to Penthouse or Hustler, Husni said, or "all the other magazines competing with Playboy when the cable television era came in and then the internet," Playboy resisted going hardcore and Hefner attempted to echo the artistic elements of portraiture that have existed for thousands of years.

Ryan agreed, though as an insider he participated in a subtle evolution.

"The photography definitely evolved, probably around 2012 in my time there," he said. "It became more simplified, less set up, less lighting with not more than one or two lights, more like editorial type shots."

This image released by Playboy shows Marilyn Monroe on the cover of their December 1953 issue. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner died Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017 at age 91. (Playboy via AP)

Ryan said with the advent of social media, girl-next-door types went away and instead, Instagram and Twitter stars became centerfolds.

"We were always looking for the It factor but Hef signed off on every single pictorial. We came up with a theme, we did a test shoot, he'd make notes on what he liked and didn't like ... It was a balance of Hef and a more modern set of art directors and editors."

That balance, as Hefner grew older, sometimes included a dose of trickery.

FILE - In this Sept. 5, 1969, file photo, Hugh Hefner, publisher and owner of Playboy Magazine, and his girlfriend Barbara Benton, 19-year-old coed turned actress, are surrounded by Bunny Girls at the Playboy Club in London. Playboy magazine founder and sexual revolution symbol Hefner has died at age 91. (AP Photo/FIle)

"Probably about three years ago now, I found a girl on Instagram with a shaved head, We had never had anyone with a shaved head. She was a model in New York. She wanted to do it. I brought her to the editors and most of the editors said, 'No way, Hef will never go for it.' I finally got her out to L.A. for a test. She grew her hair out just a little bit and Hef ended up loving it. Ultimately, she became a very popular Playmate," Ryan said, referring to Britt Linn, Miss March 2014.

An early Playboy influence was Alberto Vargas, creator of classic World War II-era pinup girls. His illustrations graced Esquire and then Playboy under a handshake arrangement with Hefner, said Theron Kabrich, co-founder of the San Francisco Art Exchange, which sells works by Vargas.

FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2010 file photo, waitresses pose inside the Playboy Club at the Sands Casino in Macau. Playboy had millions of readers at its peak in the 1970s and a wide-ranging influence on sexual mores and popular culture. Today the magazine is a bit part in the Playboy empire, which is reaping the rewards of its famous bunny logo. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

The Vargas woman, he said, was a girl next door, as were many in Playboy, especially early Playboy. The Vargas woman was shown, always, looking straight into the lens, if there had been one. Hefner stuck to that tradition.

"Hef grew up with that imagery," Kabrich said. "He had a great fondness for Alberto's imagery. He did a special piece on Alberto's work in 1957 just because he wanted to praise Alberto and his legacy. After that, there was so much enthusiasm about seeing Alberto in print again that by 1960 he provided a painting a month for Playboy."

New York art gallery owner Steven Kasher had a peek into the It-factor mind of Hefner when it came to how each spread was finalized.

"About 10 years ago I was shown the Playboy archives in their headquarters in Chicago," he said. "They were thinking of digitizing and selling their archival materials. I was shown the original marked-up centerfolds and told that Hef personally oversaw the retouching of each one.

FILE - In this April 10, 1980, file photo, Chairman of the Board, Playboy Enterprises Inc., Hugh Hefner, center, receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Honorary Mayor of Hollywood, Monty Hall, right, holds the rope attached to the new star with Hefner. Former "Let's Make a Deal" host Hall has died after a long illness at age 96. His daughter Sharon Hall says he died Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/ File)

"He had made marks indicating this rump should be smaller, that loin tighter, that breast bigger, etcetera. It reminded me of those diagrams of cuts of meat. I proposed a show of those marked-up centerfolds to the International Center of Photography, to critique the full commodification of the flesh, in a sexy way. They loved the idea. But it wasn't exactly on their front burner."

It never happened.

So exactly how did society's attitudes impact Hef's It-factor eye? Not so much, Husni surmises.

"The imagery almost stayed the same. Maybe every now and then you'd see some pubic hair or something showing in the picture but it was never widespread like Penthouse was doing or Hustler was doing," he said. "We have this Puritan society that will attack you for having a nude picture but at the same time we are the largest producers of pornography. I still don't think there's a future for Playboy. Unless they can give the 20-something generation something they can't find anywhere else, it's not going to work."

FILE - In this March 1970 file photo, Hugh Hefner, left, and girlfriend Barbi Benton, center, are served by Playboy Club Bunny Cheri upon their arrival at La Guardia aboard the Big Bunny, Heffner's jet, in New York. (AP Photo, File)

Because, Husni concluded of Hefner's influence: "He was the audience. Playboy is really for an audience of one and now that one is gone."

The opening match of the Premier League between Liverpool and Bournemouth briefly stopped on Friday after Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused by a spectator inside Anfield.

In the 28th minute with the score at 0-0, referee Anthony Taylor talked to Semenyo, who is Black, while Liverpool was preparing to take a corner.

Taylor then ran over to the sideline and spoke to both coaches, Liverpool's Arne Slot and Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola. After also talking to the captains, play resumed about two minutes later.

Semenyo's complaint was the reason for the stoppage, the Premier League confirmed to the Associated Press.

Bournemouth players consoled Semenyo, who played the full game and scored both of his team’s goals in a 4-2 loss.

Iraola said the person who abused Semenyo was identified.

“It's a shame because a really great game of football, the first game of the season with everyone watching, and we have to be talking about this thing still today,” Iraola said.

“We should be past this stage but there’s still people who don't behave correctly. It's a shame because every step you collectively do forward, these things lose a lot of power.”

Bournemouth captain Adam Smith said he was “in shock” and full of admiration for Semenyo, a 25-year-old Ghana international.

“I don't know how Ant’s played on, to be honest, and come up with those goals,” Smith said. “It's totally unacceptable and I just feel sorry for Ant. He’s a little bit down, obviously.”

Smith said he asked Taylor to remove the person who abused Semenyo from the stadium immediately.

“But he said we have to go through a process, and that the police will go and sort it,” Smith said. “And to be fair, the Liverpool players were supportive toward Antoine and the rest of the team. I think it was handled in the right way.”

An anti-discrimination message was read out to the crowd inside Anfield after the halftime whistle.

The Premier League said it will investigate the incident and “offer our full support to the player and both clubs.”

“Racism has no place in our game, or anywhere in society,” the competition said.

“We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”

The Football Association said it was “very concerned about the allegation of discrimination from an area of the crowd."

“Incidents of this nature have no place in our game,” the FA added, “and we will work closely with the match officials, the clubs and the relevant authorities to establish the facts and ensure the appropriate action is taken.”

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Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo, centre left, celebrates with Bournemouth's Adam Smith after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo celebrates scoring their side's second goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo, left, and Liverpool's Milos Kerkez in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield, Liverpool, England, Friday Aug. 15, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Liverpool's manager Arne Slot, centre, talks to the referee during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)