Playboy is defending its latest cover star after last week's reveal has caused outrage amongst the long-running magazine's fans.
Filipino YouTuber and beauty guru Bretman Rock is making history this month as the October 2021 cover star for Playboy's digital issue. While Rock is not the first male star to be pictured in the highly coveted spot, he is the first openly gay man to don the iconic bunny ears.
After announcing the issue last week, many fans and subscribers to the magazine took issue with Rock, telling the magazine that the late Playboy creator Hugh Hefner would be "rolling in his grave" at the magazine's latest attempts to be "woke."
"Hugh was in charge for 64 years and never put a man on the cover… but 4 years after he died, his woke daughter did and somehow Hef would’ve loved it?" questioned one unimpressed Playboy fan. Another claimed that they've canceled their subscription and will never return. "Amazing how such an iconic brand has been destroyed in just a few years, first clothing now men, totally unbelievable!" they wrote.
Rock, 23, has said the opportunity is something he can't quite believe. Speaking with the publication he said, "For Playboy to have a male on the cover is a huge deal for the LGBT community, for my brown people community and it’s all so surreal. A total 'is this even f***ing happening right now?' type of vibe. And I'm so pretty."
Well now, the magazine is defending their choice to give Rock the highly sought-after cover spot. In a lengthy Twitter thread posted Monday, the publication said they have received lots of supportive comments, but "far too many offensive ones as well."
"These are the same kind of comments Playboy received when we put Darine Stern, an African American woman, on the cover in 1971, when we featured transgender model Tula Cossey in 1991 and when we fought for abortion rights before Roe v. Wade and cannabis law reform in the 1970s," they wrote.
Playboy went on to say that standing for freedom and equality is the DNA of the brand. They wrote, "If a gay man feels sexy in a bunny costume, an iconic symbol of sexiness, why shouldn’t he be able to wear it proudly?"
While Playboy doubles down on their support to Rock, some commentators are finding amusement in the outrage from the magazine's fans. "I'm sorry I’m finding it so funny how the same people crying over Bretman Rock being on the cover of Playboy are the same people who call the LGBTQIA+ community too sensitive like bro just buy a different magazine this month you’ll be okay," wrote one critic.
Playboy says more Rock content will be coming soon.
