FILE – In this Oct. 27, 2017 file photo, actress Rose McGowan, left, waves after being introduced by Tarana Burke, right, founder of the #MeToo movement, at the inaugural Women’s Convention in Detroit. In the year after the downfall of Harvey Weinstein and the rise of #MeToo awareness, women in Hollywood are still processing and evaluating what, if anything, has fundamentally changed in their business _ from the nature of scripts to basic opportunity. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Life here on Earth, post-participation trophy, is a might different in areas where you might not expect a change.

Hence comes the end of a beloved institution: Playboy’s hall of the Playmates of the Year.

The gentlemen’s magazine has announced it’ll no longer pick one girl as the annual winner.

A few Playmates who previously snagged the honor:

Shannon Tweed (wife of Gene Simmons)
Anna Nicol Smith
Jenny McCarthy
Victoria Silvstedt
Karen McDougal

For sixty years, the world’s been treated to one yearly champ, but no more.

As told to Page Six by a rep, a softer, gentler Bunny is eschewing the selection in favor of “a more inclusive celebration.”

Here’s more:

“The point of this change was to not exclude anyone and instead of honoring one Playmate they’re honoring all 12 diverse Playmates of the year for each of their unique contributions to the brand. They had an exceptional group of impressive diverse women join the Playboy family as Playmates for 2019.”

The rep celebrated the ladies’ accomplishments:

“These women are accomplished advocates and admirable personalities in their own right. We wanted to raise the group up as a whole and felt that there was a need to commemorate each of them one more time.”

As is evident in the quotes, though the magazine won’t hurt anyone’s feelings at the end of the year, they’ll continue to brutally pummel the egos of girls on a monthly basis by choosing one victor every 30 days or so.

It’s a bit sad — actors and musicians will no longer be able to claim they married a Playmate of the Year. But oh well. #Progress.

And progress has been necessary: In an era of online everythingness, Playboy’s appeared to struggle.

In 2016, the mag declared it would no longer show nudity.

SHOCKER: That didn’t work out.

"Today we’re taking our identity back and reclaiming who we are." https://t.co/16fZiyW335 pic.twitter.com/QXzNlQg8hC

— NYT Business (@nytimesbusiness) February 14, 2017

The return of bare nooks and crannies may not have been music to feminists’ ears:

File under: COURAGEOUS MEN! "Today we're taking our identity back and reclaiming who we are.” https://t.co/vihs4nzQ0M

— Nina Renata Aron (@black_metallic) February 13, 2017

when it comes to naked ladies, men have been silenced TOO LONG

— 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕝 (@carvellwallace) February 13, 2017

hear, hear! time to take your power back. it's Hef's son Cooper leading the charge, he looks like a really solid dude :/

— Nina Renata Aron (@black_metallic) February 13, 2017

But perhaps this tune was sweet as a sonnet:

Ines Rau named Playboy’s first transgender Playmate https://t.co/lKCDUhIY4N

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 21, 2017

In September 2019, Shane Michael Singh — a gay 31-year-old — took over at Playboy as executive director, and he wanted to steer the magazine into a newer, hipper, #MeToo-friendlier, sexually diverse direction.

Here’s what Shane told KCRW:

“Playboy Magazine built a culture of objectifying women that doesn’t fly in the #MeToo era. Now the magazine is embracing diverse models and photographers, more LGBTQ representation, and political themes.”

…

“We want to create a culture where everyone is free to pursue pleasure. … To say we were only appealing to men was very limiting from an editorial and creative perspective. Especially because we have decades and decades of readership across demographics.”

…

“It starts with creating with intention. … We acknowledge parts of our legacy that others find problematic, while also saying, ‘What are the best parts of our legacy? What else have we been on the right side of history about?’ LGBTQ rights has been one of those. That’s how we have been leaning into that space a little more.”

As per Shane’s LinkedIn page, he’s no longer with the Rabbit.

Who knows where the magazine will go from here, but for those concerned up ’til now, rest easy: Playboy will no longer tell girls (or guys?) which one of them looked better naked at the end of the year; in the name of inclusivity, they’ll only do that at the close of each month.

And the world breathes a sigh of relief.

Feel better?

#MeToo.

-ALEX

See 3 more pieces from me:

At Playboy, #TimesUp: The Woke Rabbit’s New Man in Charge is a Gay Millennial

Playboy Model Arrested for Blasphemous Naked Crucifixion Photo Shoot in Front of Vatican

Victoria’s Secret Grants Your Wish: Its New Underwear Angel is a Man

Find all my RedState work here.

And please follow Alex Parker on Twitter and Facebook.

Thank you for reading! Please sound off in the Comments section below.