Playboy's “Safe for Work” Website Probably Isn't

Do you refer to women's breasts as bongos?  Do you do so at work? If so, you're in the target audience for Playboy's newest web site, thesmokingjacket.com.  The publisher claims it's a website you can surf from your desk.

"We were missing a golden opportunity to reach guys when they're online the most: when they're sitting at their desk, not working, sending e-mails to their friends," said Jimmy Jellinek, Playboy's editorial director.

Hef himself appears on the site in a video (in a smoking jacket, natch) and says "next to the mansion, [the Smoking Jacket] is the best place to hang out on the planet ".

The website has no nudity, and the word "Playboy" is absent -- so filters won't block it.  However, its content doesn't appear to be that HR friendly.  There are articles about MILFs, which in most workplaces are an acronym that is not generally considered politically correct.  There's another article discussing singer Katy Perry's "California Gurls" music video predicting "Katy's melons will explode like a tit-pinata".

So, good luck reading that at work. In fact, reading THIS at work may already have you in trouble. 

Playboy has struggled lately to stay relevant in the Internet age. Its magazine is nowhere near as sexually explicit as most pictures on the web, and most naughty pictures online are free.   In fact, magazines of all sorts are struggling. Playboy has created an iPhone/iPad app (which is strange considering Apple's restrictions).  Its even thought of reducing the number of issues - meaning while there would be a Miss March, there might not be a Miss April.

Scott McGrew is a longtime Playboy reader -- far longer than his parents probably suspect.  He's also proud to say he's been to a party at the Playboy Mansion as a guest of Hugh Hefner.  He spent most of the time at the mansion calling old friends and saying "guess where I am."

Contact Us