Playgirl Magazine Has Unexpected Rebirth in 2020

Two years in the making, with a Chloë Sevigny cover

Patrick McMullan Archives
NEW YORK CITY, NY - APRIL 14: (L-R) ?, Playgirl editor-in-chief Skye Parrott and Heidi Bivens attend ISABEL MARANT NYC Store Opening Dinner at Kenmare.
CLINT SPAULDING/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Everything old is new again, and even with the pandemic looming large in 2020, there have been no shortages of relaunched and rebooted titles making their way into the world this year. One relaunch that may not have been all that anticipated is that of Playgirl Magazine, which is set to hit shelves this year with a high-profile relaunch that’s been years in the making.

The Observer has details on the relaunch, which is being headed by former Dossier editor Skye Parrott. In the article, Parrott offers a candid view of the magazine’s history. “Everything they did in Playboy, they did in Playgirl,” she said. “It was interesting for a couple of years, then it was sold and resold, and it became what I thought of as a gay porn magazine.”

The magazine’s new slogan, “We’ll take it from here,” suggests one way the new edition will differ from that which came before. The same is true of the list of writers taking part in the issue, including Alicia Garza, T Cole Rachel and Carvell Wallace. The cover features a pregnant Chloë Sevigny, with photographer Mario Sorrenti behind the camera. It’s a powerhouse lineup, to be sure.

According to Creative Review‘s article on the relaunch, the plan is for the publication to be an annual one. Or, as The Observer phrases it, the new Playgirl is “best seen as a creative enterprise, hopefully to be repeated, headed by Parrott and executed over two years with the backing of neophyte publisher Jack Lindley Kuhns.”

Readers will soon be able to decide for themselves what to make of this new iteration; the new Playgirl will be on shelves this week.

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