Playboy tycoon Hugh Hefner was known for his bevy of young, blonde 'girlfriends' who lived with him at the infamous Playboy Mansion. But despite the allure of star-studded parties and an in-house chef, these women were subject to stringent rules.
Among them, restrictions on makeup, hair length, and most notably, they were reportedly not allowed to spend Christmas with their families. Former girlfriend Holly Madison shed light on this during the Girls Next Level podcast.
She described how Christmas was a significant event within the mansion as it marked the passage of time in their "groundhog day" existence. When MTV filmed a special Christmas episode of the Girls Next Door reality show, it was one of the few times she felt genuinely excited on camera.
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However, despite her enthusiasm for the festive season, Holly was never permitted to spend the day with her family. She added: "I know a lot of the girls who were girlfriends back in the 'seven girlfriends era' really resented that.
"They wanted to be home on Christmas – you could ask to go the day before if you were close by, or maybe do like a quick visit before or after but you were expected to be there on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day."
Holly moved into the mansion at 22 and for the following seven years, found herself under Hefner's strict control. Hefner, who was 54 years older, controlled her finances, set a tight schedule with curfews, and only allowed her to work within the Playboy enterprise, reports the Mirror.
After parting ways with Hefner, she was succeeded by Crystal Harris, one of the rare "girlfriends" to become his wife. She shared a festive video from the Mansion, highlighting opulent decorations that included a grand tree decked out with "35 boxes of LED lights", and a special vintage bauble featuring Marilyn Monroe – the original Playboy centrefold.
Although Hefner never met Monroe, he idolised her deeply, having bought her nude pictures for just $500 to kickstart Playboy. Shelling out $72,000 in 1992 for a burial plot adjacent to Monroe's, Hefner said: "I will be laid to rest in a vault next to hers. It has a completion notion to it.
"I will be spending the rest of my eternity with Marilyn. I'm a believer in things symbolic. Spending eternity next to Marilyn is too sweet to pass up."
English (US) ·