PORTUGAL – Playboy will no longer be in Portugal after a controversial cover was published!
Playboy has been cultivated into a global brand through years of careful planning. The magazine prides itself on being a worldwide brand. Playboy has pushed the envelope on occasion, but a recent move by its Portuguese arm may have pushed the envelope too far.
The July edition of Playboy in Portugal features a cover with a topless tattooed model being help by Jesus Christ. Inside, it includes more spreads of Jesus surrounded by nude women.
The photos were supposed to be a tribute to “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ,” a novel written by Jose Saramago about Christ’s life. Playboy headquarters did not agree with the direction of the issue, calling the shoot “shocking.”
“We did not see or approve the cover and pictorial in the July issue of Playboy Portugal,” Theresa Hennessy, vice president of public relations at Playboy, told the UK’s Daily Mail.
“It is a shocking breach of our standards and we would have not allowed it to be published if we had seen it in advance,” she added.
Playboy intends to sever relations with Frestacom-Lisbon Media Publishing, the Portuguese subsidiary responsible for that shoot.
“We are in the process of terminating our agreement with the Portuguese publisher,” Hennessey told the paper.
Who would Jesus do?