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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not what it used to be..., June 22, 2008
I was thinking about purchasing a subscription to Penthouse magazine because my fiance didn't object to the idea. Penthouse was the first "dirty" magazine I purchased when I turned 18 back in 2002. I was very pleased with the content, mostly pictorially, when compared to the much tamer fair of the Playboys I had hidden in a box in my room.
By the time I entered college, I had six issues of Penthouse. I had also discovered that 90% of the internet (which I hadn't had access to until I went to college) was comprised of pornographic websites, and that you could get a lot of the content for free (especially just women showing their private parts). I gave three of the issues to a friend (who's girlfriend blocked porn on his computer) and still have three somewhere in a box.
Enough with the back story. Today, I purchased the July 2008 issue of Penthouse. Much to my chagrin, pictorially it is equivalent to the Playboys of the mid-to-late nineties. All you get is a little exposure of feminine private parts (as compared to Playboy now, where you get breasts and perhaps the top part of a well-trimmed and air brushed bush). Yes, some shots are spread eagle, but not with the true intent of that position. In the older issues I had, before Guccione sold the magazine in 2005, you got spreading, toying, masturbation, waterworks, and even some penetration (I can do without the latter...just looking for the women).
Even semi-tasteful smut was dying in the late nineties, mostly due to the efforts of censorship groups. This killed the market for Penthouse by eliminating its presence on military base exchange stores and other stores around the country. It forced Guccione to eventually file for bankruptcy and sell Penthouse in 2005. The $8 newsstand price didn't help the magazine sales and still doesn't.
On the cover of Penthouse today, you'll see a small Support Our Troops ribbon. I have no problem with that. I support the troops. I have friends involved in the Iraq Conflict. I chose to be an engineer instead of following them over there.
It's not about keeping the image of the magazine anymore. It's all about sales and marketing (competing with Playboy for the softcore market). For that reason, I say that Penthouse has sold out. I'll still enjoy the Penthouse magazines I have that are dated before 2005, but I won't purchase any new issues or get a subscription (even at $2.50/issue, it's not worth it).
Penthouse used to be midcore. Playboy was softcore. Hustler was hardcore. Now, Penthouse is softcore, Playboy is fluffcore, and Larry Flynt still won't budge to political pressure because he's not a sellout, so Hustler is still hardcore with a decent price tag.
The only thing that has remained unchanged are the articles targeted to the 18-30 crowd, but even Playboy is catching up on that front. The 30-50 crowd just isn't buying the fluffcore magazines anymore. They're buying high-priced hookers instead. If you're in it for the targeted articles (in which case, consider buying a magazine where articles are the focus instead), then go ahead and get it. It'll make more sense to you than Playboy. You could always just go to G4TV.com or EGM to find out what you "need" to know about popular culture.
Penthouse still uses relatively unknown Porn Stars. You can find better photos of them for free on the internet. This month it is Carli Banks, Shawna Lenee, Sonny Leone, and revisits from other previous Penthouse pets in mock lesbian scenarios where nothing happens.
So, that's more than my two cents...it's my waste of $8. I'm glad it wasn't $30.
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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Penthouse, August 28, 2007
I have always enjoyed this magazine and have been looking for a way to get a subscription. Amazon helped me to do just that. The product is wonderful in that it is discreet when delivered as well as the magazine itself is a great read.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pets, March 12, 2008
This Publication has been around since 1965.Its first Pet was Bambi Lyn Davies,Subscription Manager Elect. There have been a few changes of ownership since it was started by Bob Guccione.The company even had a go at starting a Gentlemen's Club in London.There are even some DVDs around of some of the Pets from the 70s & 80s.Not quite in the same class as Playboy,but for anyone who likes well endowed young ladies,and a good read,try this.However who reads the articles,when there are photos of girls wearing nothing but a smile.......
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