{"id":487,"date":"2003-06-24T19:43:55","date_gmt":"2003-06-24T19:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/groonk.net\/blog\/?p=487"},"modified":"2013-03-02T05:56:25","modified_gmt":"2013-03-02T11:56:25","slug":"the-playboy-economy-link","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.groonk.net\/blog\/2003\/06\/the-playboy-economy-link\/","title":{"rendered":"The Playboy Economy Link"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – “Boom or bust” may take on new meaning as researchers theorize a link between U.S. economic conditions and subtle changes in Playboy centerfold physiques.<\/a><\/p>\n

According to researchers, a comparison of the faces and figures of Playmates of the Year from 1960 to 2000 suggests men may prefer stronger-looking women in hard times, and softer, more vulnerable types when bull markets resume.<\/p>\n

“In short, we want someone to have fun with when times are good, and we want someone to take care of us — and themselves — when times are bad,” said psychology researcher Dr. Terry F. Pettijohn II, of Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Previous research has suggested that ideals of beauty and sexual attractiveness change between cultures and over time. A handful of studies have discerned a slight trend toward thinner bodies among both Playmates and Miss America contestants over the past few decades.<\/p>\n

Comparing models over the years, the researchers discovered that, in hard times, Playmates tended to be slightly older, heavier and taller, with larger waists and bigger waist-to-hip ratios. Smaller eyes — a feature linked to “stronger” faces — were also predominant.<\/p>\n

As an example, Anna Nicole Smith, the fullest-figured Playmate of the Year ever — graced Playboy’s pages in 1993, which Pettijohn called one of the “worst” years on record in terms of economic and social factors.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, during more affluent periods the average Playboy subscriber’s fancy appeared to turn to softer, more girlish types. Playmates of the Year during “good times” tended to be younger, shorter, thinner models, with smaller waists and bigger eyes.<\/p>\n

But since Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner has always chosen the Playmate of the Year, might trends in Playmate measurements simply reflect changes in ‘Hef’s personal tastes?<\/p>\n

Pettijohn is doubtful.<\/p>\n

“Playboy regularly asks for reader input on the issue, including submitting letters, mailing voting cards, calling a hotline, or voting online,” he said. “We assume that Mr. Hefner takes public opinion into consideration.”\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – “Boom or bust” may take on new meaning as researchers theorize a link between U.S. economic conditions and subtle changes in Playboy centerfold physiques. According to researchers, a comparison of the faces and figures of Playmates of the Year from 1960 to 2000 suggests men may prefer stronger-looking women in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[12],"class_list":["post-487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-sex"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.groonk.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.groonk.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.groonk.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groonk.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groonk.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.groonk.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18121,"href":"https:\/\/www.groonk.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487\/revisions\/18121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.groonk.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groonk.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groonk.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}