Playboy’s First Non-Nude Issue Has Landed. And It’s Still Pretty Steamy…

After vowing to never print pictures of naked ladies again, Playboy’s first ever ‘non-nude’ issue is out

After vowing to never print pictures of naked ladies again, Playboy’s first ever ‘non-nude’ issue is out – and despite some strategically placed bed sheets and barely there vest tops, there’s still a lot of nakedness to behold.

Released next week, the magazine’s cover is designed like a sexy Snapchat image, with model Sarah McDaniel popping some buttons and taking a seriously gorgeous selfie. We’re crushing on her two-colour eyes more than her bod, but whatever…

The cover is designed to ‘present a more intimate experience for the reader,’ says Playboy in a statement. ‘The idea was to look at me from a boyfriend’s perspective,’ adds Sarah.

Inside the mag, Dree Hemingway is the first non-nude ‘Playmate’ in the magazine’s 62 year history.

Playboy’s new no-nudity mantra was announced back in October, pledging that from its March 2016 issue forward, there would be no more fully naked women. Baby steps, people, baby steps.

Explaining why the magazine had decided to change its tack after so many years, Playboy chief executive Scott Flanders said that it wasn’t so much of a moral standpoint and a vow to stop objectifying women, as a commercial decision in an over-saturated market for sexy pictures. Sigh.

'You're now one click away from every sex act imaginable for free,’ he said. ‘And so it's just passé at this juncture.'

The magazine’s circulation had dropped by millions and, with the closure of other iconic ‘lads’ mags’, its brand of porn was looking outdated and tacky.

But has the redesign really accomplished anything for women? And will it save the lads’ mag from extinction? Tell us what you think of the new look Playboy on Twitter @MarieClaireUK.