Politics and the New 'Penthouse'

CHATSWORTH, Calif.—Penthouse magazine has quietly undergone a revolution under the leadership of its new publisher, Kelly Holland—and the mainstream press is starting to take notice. For instance, just last week, The Huffington Post published an article by Dr. Sandra LaMorgese sporting the eye-catching title, "Penthouse Wants You To Reclaim Your Vagina." In the article, LaMorgese traces Holland's history, from growing up as the child of a single working mom, to her early work experience as a broadcaster for a Christian network, to getting into acting and becoming a mainstream documentarian to, finally, in her mid-30s, beginning to shoot videos for Vivid. "It was not until she was age 35 that Holland (now a Baby Boomer) first entered the ‘adult’ world," LaMorgese wrote, "but the minute she did, she felt for the first time ever that she had come home. She loved the freedom, the passion, and the uninhibited expression. She found it inspiring, and she saw opportunities for positive empowerment in every project." In fact, being in porn made Holland even more of a feminist, and since she finally acquired the entirety of Penthouse Global Media earlier this year, that activism has been reflected in much of Penthouse's content, even as its covers seem intent on attracting attention through tabloid-style headlines. For example, in the September edition, "The We Have Issues Issue," now on newsstands, readers will undoubtedly be intrigued by the headline, "Moscow On The Potomac: The Mole On Putin's Ass Looks A Lot Like Donald." Readers will only find the first part of that headline on the magazine's contents page, though, and it directs to an investigative article actually titled "Rogue To The White House," a dissection of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, present and past. For instance, we're guessing few remember that Trump had thrown his hat briefly into the presidential ring in 2012, before dropping out and supporting Mitt Romney, but writer Marty Barrett unearthed that memory—and several others. There's also a long section on former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, noting that in 1991, Manafort earned millions as a publicist for representatives of quasi-democratic countries like Angola, Nigeria and the Philippines, all of which were seeking foreign aid from the U.S.. And of course, Manafort just resigned his most recent position after it came out that he'd made millions helping to support Russia's/Vladimir Putin's claim to Crimea, a part of the Ukraine which Russia attempted to annex. One of the points of the Penthouse piece is, with Manafort's close Russian ties, not to mention Trump's own admiration for Putin, what does that say for American security interests if Trump becomes president? The other main political piece in the issue is titled, "Make You Great Again!," about how Washington and Hollywood have combined their "skills" during the current presidential campaign to sell the electorate on "identity politics." "What 2016 is teaching us, has taught us, is that this election is not about identifying with a particular group and voting as that group mandates," stated author Steve Faber, "[R]ather it is about identifying with the one interest group you'll never leave and didn't ask to join. You. The self." Anyone who's followed the campaigns of Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders can easily make that connection. But, of course, Penthouse Global Media isn't just about the magazine, as evidenced by a short YouTube video the company created after Trump defended his wife Melania's nude appearance in GQ magazine in the early '90s. "A cover story on my wife, who was a tremendously successful and elegant model," the video begins. "And she was on the cover of GQ Magazine—I think it was GQ, right? Now, GQ Magazine is not exactly Penthouse..." The rest of the amusing and revealing 41-second offering can be found here—and we can't help but suspect that Penthouse may play a not-insubstantial role in the upcoming election.