MANILA, Philippines — After more than 60 years, Playboy Magazine agrees to finally stop publishing nude women, New York Times reports.
In an exclusive interview with the New York Times, founder Hugh Hefner and editor Cory Jones said they have both agreed to stop publishing nude photos in the magazine as part of the company's redesign that will be revealed next March.
They cited digital revolution as one of the factors that made them do the decision.
"Now every teenage boy has an Internet-connected phone instead. Pornographic magazines, even those as storied as Playboy, have lost their shock value, their commercial value and their cultural relevance," the article said.
The American edition of the magazine now operates at a loss. The Times reports that it currently has a circulation of around 800,000, compared to 5.6 million in 1975.
Recent reports also have mentioned that the 89-year-old Playboy kingpin is currently riding a financial storm, even being torn with the decision to sell the Playboy mansion.
Hefner launched the first edition of Playboy Magazine in 1953. The issue featured a nude centerfold of the famous sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe.
To breathe new life into the iconic magazine, the rebranding will focus on targeting the younger audience by publishing safe for work content such as topics about nightlife, lifestyle and celebrities.
Meanwhile, the magazine cleared that they will still be publishing provocative images, but with less skin and more clothes.