I don’t know if this is applicable to your situation, but reddit/raisedbynarcissists is really helping me through. I always felt super alone until I read hundreds of stories like mine, although not specifically involving being bullied by images of naked women!

Same. I grew up thinking it was normal to see Playboy and Penthouse all over the house. As an adult, my therapist so very kindly let me know that that was one of many fucked up things about my childhood.

My dad had Playboy AND Penthouse. He kept the Penthouse under the bed. 4 year old me still found them and years later, I realized how fucked up it was. Now I really kind hate my dad.

Holy shit. I thought I was the only one. My dad was a total asshole, left his Playboys out in the open. And Penthouses under the bed (the worst). I have recently discussed this in therapy as well. Anyway, I literally only commented here to say that.

The reason prostitution and brothels are illegal is not because of “morals”, but because they take advantage of men’s biological inclinations and economically and socially empower women OVER men.

I would certainly never say anyone is all good or bad, as if life was a comic book. But, as a historian myself, I think the way the story is told can be damaging. Hef was lauded as a champion of sexual liberation and women’s rights at the time, and even now we see those same points being repeated.

:( Thanks! I can’t even imagine a normal childhood/family.

Oh, I know! Because who wouldn’t want to see pictures of naked chicks, right? If a nine year old girl doesn’t appreciate it she’s probably just jealous. And yeah, that was totally the full extent of the narcissistic abuse I put up with for 15 years. Thanks for putting it all in perspective for me!

Jesus... I hope you know you deserved much better. It wasn’t about you, it was about his fucked up head.

Gloria Steinem once told him that women read Playboy and felt the way Jews did reading Mein Kampf.

My dad was courteous and hid his Penthouses in my closet. I’m not sure why he didn’t use his closet.

I think we found the Lost Trump Sister No One Talks About.

I’m not ignoring history. Shitty people can occasionally do good things. It doesn’t mean they deserve to be revered as a person.

I worked up at the mansion once. Not everyone is allowed into that hallowed bedroom of his... once when I got a glimpse inside he had a whole wall of old, dusty stuffed toys. Every single one a girl/friend had ever given him

“believe” and “rationalize” are different things and my mind he “rationalized”. I work in male-dominated nonsense and I am pretty much done accepting “I didn’t realize”... “Guys don’t MEAN what they do”. It’s 2017...by now it’s simple rationalization.

I have read Holly’s book.

“...in his mind, men treated women kindly, pampered them, and paid for them to look beautiful...”

Lol. Spent a lifetime objectifying women, but look at this tweet his social media manager sent one time.

this. thank you.

He may not have called them bitches, but he sure as hell didn’t respect them. I will never understand the Hefner apologists - it is no coincidence that Cosby and Hefner were best buddies and at least one of the Cosby rapes happened at the Playboy Mansion.