Penthouse Magazine Publisher Passes Away, His Kinky Legacy Lives On … Online

By Jason G. on October 23, 2010.

Former Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione once admitted to a newspaper reporter that the rise of pornographic Web sites had a lot to do with the downfall of his publishing empire.

Print Magazines are Dying While Online Magazines Grow

“The future has definitely migrated to electronic media,” Guccione told the New York Times in 2002.

Eight years later, it’s clear the man was right. No one wants to feel embarrassed standing in line at the gas station for the latest issue of Penthouse when beautiful women are just a few clicks away, from the privacy of your own home.

Guccione lost his battle with lung cancer Oct. 20. While he will always be remembered as one of the titans of pornographic print in the 20th century, it can be argued Guccione may also have played a small role in the emergence of one of today’s hottest online commodities: the webcam girl.

The Penthouse Produced "Mainstream" Movie "Caligula" Outraged Many

The year was 1965. Bob Guccione had a loan for about $1,000 and an idea: that Hugh Hefner guy was doing it all wrong.

While Playboy catered to the upper class with pinup models, Guccione’s wanted a magazine for the rest of America. The result left little to the imagination. Penthouse was the first magazine to feature full frontal nudity, the first to show a woman’s delicate sexual organ up close and personal.

Voyeurism Can Be Very HOT!

Clergyman and mothers were outraged. Guccione made billions and kept raising the ante with photos that he shot himself.

As Penthouse continued to carve out its niche, one other clear difference between Guccione and Hefner’s publications came to light.  While Playboy had its models looking directly into the camera, Guccione encouraged his models to look off camera, to pretend like he wasn’t even there. The resulting photos made it appear as if the reader was spying on the model, sneaking a peek as she went about her daily chores around the house. The scandalous nature of these shots caused more controversy, which of course just made Guccione more money.

“We followed the philosophy of voyeurism,” Guccione said in 2004. “To see her as if she doesn’t know she’s being seen.”

The Internet may have changed the pretty girl business but that same philosophy can be applied to numerous sites across the Internet today — including this one.

A More Playful Style of Voyeurism?

Ever logged on to watch the SoCalGlamourGirls prepare dinner in their underwear in the “Bitchin’ Kitchen?” Have you ever purchased credits for a private peek into the bedroom of Tessie Tarrentino or Devin Marie? 45 years after Penthouse first peeled back the curtain, it turns out that men still enjoy catching a glimpse of a beautiful coed’s private life.

Bob Guccione didn’t invent voyeurism, but any fan of a webcam girl can appreciate the work he put into breaking down a cultural taboo.

It’s okay to watch.

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