Classic Playgirl: Peter's Story

Ernie Langeberg (1974)

FH readers know that I love looking back at many men who appeared in the pages of Playgirl. I put the word out years ago that I was interested in interviewing and featuring men who appeared in the magazine, and have featured several over the years.  Recently I heard from a man named Peter who modeled for the magazine in it's first decade.  Peter had certainly not intended to take it all off for a magazine spread, but a certain University Psychology class assignment ended up turning into an offer to be in the magazine.

Peter didn't initially write me with the intention of sharing his story, or his images on the site. He reached out after Googling and searching for other Playgirl  models from the 1970's that he'd met and connected with back in the day. His search led him to an old piece on FH. It was a Playgirl focused piece in which I was looking for Playgirl models to interview.  After a little bit of arm twisting, Peter eventually supported my sharing his story.

I thought it was a interesting entry way into nude modeling, unique in that it that it stemmed from a University class discussion on the male nude in popular culture. The images I am including are sadly not of Peter but of four other models from around the time Peter posed during the magazine's early years.  Peter's current job position is one in where it probably best that his nude modeling days remain, as much as the Internet will allow, in the distant past.  The words however, in the remainder of this post were written by Peter.

Peter's Story

Many years back when Playgirl was not very old it became the subject of one of my classes while working on my Masters or PHD.  The subject turned to why the magazine was having a hard time starting up and building an audience. Two reasons were sighted by the class.

Tom Issacson (1977)

Women were not used to viewing naked men back then and were often embarrassed to talk about men's genitalia. Interestingly enough, seeing men in speedos was very common in those days. The curiosity was there, but to actually go to a store where someone may see them was out of the question.  The females in the class admitted that when they did get a copy it was from an all night market in the middle of the night. Another said the reason woman want the lights out during sex is because “that thing is ugly” so why buy pictures of it...

Second reason, the times. Girls were brought up with the idea that sex was done by married people - not single girls. There should be no discussion of anything to do with sex except behind closed doors. Since the newly exposed penis had to do with sex, it couldn’t be good to read the magazine.

As Women’s Lib took hold and females were now allowed to have more of an opinion and voice it, sex was coming out of the closet and they became more comfortable with looking at and discussing naked men. Our class concluded that the problem they had getting it off the ground was not the subject matter as much as the stigma that went with being a woman seen holding or buying it.

Greg Hamilton (1976)

The only real negative thing I really remember is the problems it created for the straight males. When women looked at pics of naked men that were definitely larger than average. Regular guys started feeling insecure and self conscious about their size.

You’d be surprised now to know how much discussion went into that magazine with psychology students.  The professor put a challenge to the guys in the class to audition and relay the experience.  They wanted an actual model to come to our class to discuss how he felt being “a piece of meat”.  I volunteered.

It was a very different experience and led my appearing in the magazine.  Playgirl heard about the class experiment and actually invited two of us to appear in the magazine. My girlfriend was mortified and broke up with me. The magazine followed suit with Hefner’s idea and had a “Playgirl” club? It was in Garden Grove CA (about 8 miles from Disneyland) and did pretty good until the novelty wore off.

I have been trying to locate friends from those days that I remember went to the Playgirl Club, but no success so far. I do remember doubling with another couple and the girls wanting to go. Being the curious and a then member of the Playboy Club, I was open to it. The other guy was dead set against it so never went.

David White (1976)

My ex packed  away the issue with my images so that our son wouldn’t find them and wonder why Daddy was in all his glory in a magazine. After our break up, when my son was in teens, I told him and showed him the shots. Turns out he wasn’t too surprised since he had seen a pic of me on stage at my friends house. It surprised him the Playgirl spread took place while I was still in college and the dancing years later.

Peter

PS Since the subject had come up I dug out a g-string and put it on again. If only the body was the same as when I first wore it!!