Echoing Hugh Hefner's sentiment—"Once a Playmate always a Playmate"—the featured women share reminiscences of their time as bunnies, making Playboy sound more like a sorority than a gentleman's club. "I had a Playmate running team. I had ten girls on the team and we'd run marathons, all around the country, raising money for charities," Charlotte Kemp, December Playmate 1982, says in the accompanying Playboy article.
What's stunning about the images is their body-positive, sex-positive, age-positive message. Both the vintage covers and their contemporary recreations feature buxom beauties posing seductively, but the aged versions are arguably even more gorgeous than the originals.As Reneé Tenison, Playmate of the Year 1990 and November 1989 Playmate, points out, Playboy does have a decent reputation for showcasing diverse representations of beauty. "When I did Playboy, there was a little bit of controversy because I was the first African-American Playmate of the Year, and some women were saying I was being objectified," Tenison says. "But I said, 'Well, if you're pro-choice, shouldn't I have the right to choose what I want to do?' If I want to pose nude, I should be able to pose nude!"Scroll through the original photos and their updates below:
Reneé Tenison, Playmate of the Year 1990, November 1989 Playmate
ORIGINAL REPORTING ON EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS IN YOUR INBOX.
By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.