Playboy has long been a groundbreaking magazine, doing things—and showing things—other brands wouldn't dare. Even now, the pioneering company continues to push the envelope and up their game. And that's clear with the newest Playboy cover star, who's making history in those iconic bunny ears, effectively bridging classic Playboy with today's culture. To see the history-making photo and meet the model who's changing the game, read on!
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Bretman Rock is the first openly gay male cover star on Playboy.
PlayboyBretman Rock has just made history as the first openly gay male star on the cover of Playboy. In the photos posted on the company's website, Rock sports the classic bunny ears and a corset, like many Playboy stars have worn before him. (Playboy, which was founded in 1953, transitioned to be exclusively digital last year, so Rock's cover—seen here—is online only.)
If you don't know his name, Rock is a 23-year-old Filipino beauty guru and social media influencer based in Hawaii. He became popular on YouTube and Vine after one of his makeup tutorials went viral back in 2015. He now has more than 17 million followers on Instagram, where he shares updates on his life, along with his makeup and fashion.
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Rock said the cover is a "huge deal for the LGBT community."
Getty Images/Taylor Hill/FilmMagicIn a recent Instagram post, Playboy shared comments from Rock on his historic cover. "Just for Playboy to have a male on the cover is a huge deal for the LGBT community, for my brown people community, it’s surreal," he said. According to NBC Out, Rock is only the third man to appear on a Playboy cover, following founder Hugh Hefner and recent digital cover star and rapper Bad Bunny.
On Instagram, Rock added that the moment felt like a dream, and he was very happy with the photos. "A total 'is this even f****** happening right now?' type of vibe. And I’m so pretty," wrote Rock.
Playboy has received backlash for the cover, but is standing by Rock.
Kathy Hutchins / ShutterstockOn Oct. 4, after receiving some unkind comments about Rock's cover, Playboy spoke out in a Twitter thread. The media company noted that since posting the cover photo of Rock, it "received a lot of great comments, but far too many offensive ones as well." In a second tweet, Playboy noted that the comments mirrored those the magazine got when they featured "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."
Playboy continued: "Standing for freedom and equality is in the DNA of this brand. Today, Playboy is much more than a magazine. Our digital covers are creative snapshots that drive and reflect the current dialogue around pleasure, sexuality, equality, and culture." The media company added that "serving as a platform for representation and freedom of expression is and will always be what Playboy stands for."
The magazine's Twitter account concluded: "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?"
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Playboy has made history a couple of times over the past year with its cover models.
Playboy Germany/hhasselhoff/InstagramAs those tweets show, it's clear Playboy is not afraid of breaking down boundaries. Earlier this year, David Hasselhoff's daughter Hayley Hasselhoff made history on Playboy Germany's May 2021 issue as the first-ever curve model on a European cover of Playboy. And last November, Victoria Volkova became the first transgender woman to appear on the cover of Playboy Mexico.
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