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Playboy’s “dark side” is exposed by Hugh Hefner’s widow, Crystal Hefner.
In her new memoir, “Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself,” the “Girls Next Door” alumnus is said to offer a “raw and unflinching look at the objectification and misogyny of the Playboy mansion.”
“He ruled his girlfriends’ lives with strict rules about everything from their appearance to curfew,” reads a description of the book.
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Crystal Hefner talks about the “toxic Playboy culture” in her new memoir. (Jerod Harris/Getty Images I Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)
Crystal started dating Hefner when she was 21 years old.
The couple got engaged in 2010, when she was 25 and the Playboy founder was 85. They called it quits just days before their wedding in 2011, but later reconciled. Crystal and Hefner married in 2012 and remained together until his death in 2017.
According to a preview of the book, due for release in January 2024, Crystal’s “fate seemed sealed when Hef surprised her with a proposal, one she couldn’t imagine turning down”.
Hugh Hefner and Crystal Hefner, then Crystal Harris, got engaged in 2010. (Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic)
Before she became his No. 1 girl, she was “forced to compete with other women” in what she called the “highly hierarchical system.”
Hefner chose her from a crowd at a party at the Playboy mansion, and soon after, she became one of his “girlfriends.” Crystal, who traveled the world and attended many Hollywood parties with Hefner, noted that “there was a dark side to the lifestyle that once seemed so appealing”.
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She wanted to understand who she was outside of the “toxic culture of Playboy”, which “corroded her self-esteem” and was full of outsiders criticizing her relationship.
Representatives for Crystal, 37, and Playboy did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Crystal Hefner attended many glamorous Hollywood parties while with Hugh Hefner. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Playboy I Denise Truscello/WireImage)
Crystal told the Daily Mail that her relationship with Hefner was “complicated.”
“It was one where no matter how I was treated, I always felt I had to protect him, which is why I haven’t shared my story until now,” she told the outlet.
The reality TV star added that the book is “a testament to the power of time, coming to terms with everything I’ve been through and embracing my truth.”
Crystal Hefner and Hugh Hefner attend Playboy’s 2013 Playmate Of The Year luncheon. Crystal said her relationship with Hefner was “complicated.” (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Playboy)
Crystal sang a slightly different tune in 2018, shortly after Hefner’s death at age 91, when she told Fox News Digital that she was thankful for her marriage to the late business mogul.
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“He taught me love. He taught me kindness. He gave me life. He really did,” she explained. “He opened up my mind, my world, to all these opportunities and experiences I never would have had in my life.”
Hugh Hefner and “The Girls Next Door” – Karissa Shannon, Kristina Shannon and Crystal Harris – in 2009. (Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)
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She also revealed how she handled the mixed opinions of the public about their marriage as there was a 60 year age difference.
“The reality is I feel so lucky to have been in a relationship where I was so loved and so cared for and respected. I really appreciate that.”
Cassie Maynard is a senior entertainment editor for Fox News Digital.
