Hustler+Magazine

Wade Blumenshine Hustler Magazine



History In 1973 a twenty year old Kentucky man named Larry Flynt and his brother move to Ohio to run a go-go club in downtown Cincinnati. The club called Hustler did a good business but Flynt was not content and saw an opportunity to do even better. Flynt began to publish a weekly newsletter for the club. This newsletter called Hustler would evolve into one of the leading pornography magazine in the United States. Flynt’s newsletter featured full nude photos of woman that worked at the club. Flynt surprised by the massive popularity of the newsletter quickly turned the simple newsletter into a complete magazine. What began as a newsletter aimed at attracting new customers had become a full-fledged pornographic magazine. In the beginning sales were week because Playboy had such a grip on the market. Hustler however led by Flynt began to carve out its own niche in the market. Controversy generated from the publishing of naked photos of first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis helped put Hustler on the map(Flynt, 2007). Hustler also helped separate itself from the rest of the competition by establishing itself as the most explicit of all pornographic magazines. As opposed to the modesty of Playboy, Hustler featured explicit views of the female genitalia, sex toys, penetration, and group sex. Hustler which reached its peak circulation of 3 million would be defined by fleeting success and controversy. Larry Flynt and Hustler became the focus of the anti-pornography/first amendment battle starting with Miller v. California in 1973. However with the rise in internet pornography and the decline of the magazine business, Hustler is down to just 500,000 copies in circulation. Controversy Hustler Magazine and its owner Larry Flynt have been the subject of many controversies. The publicity and exposure generated from controversy was one of the reasons Hustler was able to succeed. Many of these controversies tested the limits of the free speech, public decency, and traditional values. One of Hustler Magazines greatest gift to society was its ability to test the limits of topics that were often not addressed in mainstream society. Instead of letting the controversy ruin Hustler, Larry Flynt embraced it and used it as a tool to sell more magazines. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis photo controversy-In 1971, Onassis was secretly photographed by paparazzi while she was sunbathing. The photos landed in the hands of Larry Flynt, who printed them in the August 1975 issue of //Hustler// magazine. Larry Flynt purchased them for his //Hustler// magazine in 1975. Flynt ran five full-color shots in the August issue, and despite Flynt’s decision to print several million more copies than normal, the issue quickly sold out. He later called buying the pictures “the best investment I ever made.”(Trex,2009). The publicity generated by this controversy and the smart decision by Flynt to print more copies led to the explosion of Hustler Magazine. This explosion was exactly what Hustler Magazine need to survive and to get on the same level as rival magazine Playboy(D’na, 2011) Legal Battles- Hustler Magazine and its owner Larry Flynt have been the subject of many legal battles. These battles have largely revolved around freedom of speech and the regulation of pornography. In 1998 Hustler Magazine ran a parody ad of fundamentalist Protestant minister Jerry Falwell. The fake ad made claim that Falwell had intercourse with his mother in an outhouse(Flynt, 2007). Falwell sued Hustler Magazine and the battle made its way to the United States Supreme Court. The supreme court rules 8-0 in favor of Hustler magazine, the court stated that the First Amendment free-speech guarantee prohibits awarding damages to public people to compensate for deep emotional damage put upon them(Flynt, 2007). Hustler Magazine’s victory in this landmark case was not just a victory for free speech; it was ground zero for the battle between conservative America and the sexual revolution. Hustler Content- Pornographic magazines had been around before the introduction of Hustler, but it was Hustler that introduced hard-core pornography to the newsstand. In 1974 Hustler published the first photos of wide open female genitalia. These photos called pink shots would become some of the most popular content in Hustler. This easily accessible hardcore pornography shook the foundation of mainstream America. Hustler Humor- Hustler Magazine is not just a pornographic magazine; it also features articles, cartoons, and other humorous writings. This humor has been the subject of its own controversies. Hustler in line with its crude attitude often features humor that is low brown and purposely offensive. Themes that commonly arise in the crude cartoons are abortion, incest, gang rape, and pedophilia. Owner Larry Flynt issued this famous quote when asked about the controversy surronding the humour in the magazine and the offensiveness of the cartoons “We don't want to be Playboy. The humor that you see in Hustler is the kind of humor that's discussed around the office water cooler, or among hardhats. It's brash, crude, iconoclastic. But that's our intention. We're appealing to a particular market -- if you find that market offensive, you shouldn't buy the magazine(Calvert, 2001).”

Hustler Magazine Legacy Hustler Magazine which started out a small handout designed to entice new customers grew into mainstream pornographic magazine. The first shockingly graphic pornographic magazine to go into mass circulation in the United States. Breaking many of the taboo’s that existed in mainstream culture and testing the boundaries of decency. Hustler helped usher in the era of sexual freedom and made it more acceptable to talk about issues related to sex. Topics that were only either only discussed behind closed door or not talked about at all were commonly featured in Hustler. The controversy generated by the magazine and its content helped define the first amendment and introduced mainstream America to hardcore pornography(Ross, 2008). The legal campaigns led by Flynt and Hustler challenged America’s interpretation of the First Amendment and set precedent that led to the explosion in online pornography and sex in mainstream culture.

References Calvert, Clay. "Larry Flynt Uncensored: A Dialogue With the Most Controversial Figure in First Amendment Jurisprudence." //CommLaw Conspectus// 9.159 (2001). Print. D'na, Dan. "Sex-The Final Frontier." //Cheers Magazine Online//. 2008. Web. 2011. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: -0.5in;">Larry, Flynt. "The Porn King and the Preacher." //Los Angeles Times// 20 May 2007. Print. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: -0.5in;">Ross, Kenneth. //An Unseemly Man:My Life as a Pornograpger, Pundit, and Social Outcase//. Phoenix: Phoenix, 2008. Print. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: -0.5in;">Trex, Ethan. "Things You Did Not Know about Jackie O." //Mental_Floss//. Glam Publishing, 2 Oct. 2009. Web. 7