My Part in Playboy's "A New Wave" Feature
in Behind the Scenes, Featured, Issues on 01/05/19
Without serving you a lengthy post about how much being part of this feature meant to me, I'll just say: This experience was not only a dream come true, but one that far exceeded any expectations I could've had. And I feel like a totally empowered badass after having done it.
My Instagram post below describes my lifelong relationship with Playboy and what motivated me to bring this concept to fruition. In short: four fellow female journalists and I posed nude and also wrote essays on free expression for Playboy's 65th Anniversary issue on free speech. It was a six-page spread in the issue (out in Jan. 2019) and debuted on Playboy.com that spring.
When I was 17, my high school friends surprised me with a birthday present I'll never forget: giant wall art of the Playboy logo for my room. (My parents loved that one, btw.) Because I was always one to openly talk and joke about sex (funny in and of itself since I was, and am, pretty prude), and being teenagers, we naturally all cracked up when I opened it. A gag gift, sure. But at the core of the sentiment was something so significant. Even then, I was fascinated by the Playboy legacy and how it liberated women, celebrating all they had to offer the world. 10 years later, I'm in @playboy's 65th Anniversary Issue dedicated to Freedom of Expression. You can find me in a six-page spread, in a feature I pitched. And I'm there with something to say. In "A New Wave," I'm joined by five other exceptional journalists. By posing AND writing essays on free speech, we're here to prove we won't be put in boxes, won't be silenced, and won't be given a go at life just to limit the women we can be. Despite my lifelong adoration of Playboy, I ironically used to put myself in a box. Since my career started taking off, I believed showing my body would undermine my work and craft as a journalist, storyteller, and self-made professional woman. It's the age old, invalid mindset that showcasing brains and beauty and body should be mutually exclusive. But no more. Not for me. Don't ever underestimate the intelligence of a woman who chooses to showcase her body. Throughout this experience, I've learned how glorious, rich, and fulfilling life can be when we tap into ALL aspects of who we are without holding back. I've never felt more powerful. I hope young women see these photos and feel inspired to also live to their potential and embrace their power in any and all forms they choose to. Because, by the way, when you see these photos, remember we're also women constantly helping shape the world you're in and the news you read. Playboy took a chance on me and this pitch to truly flip the script and get this message out there. It's a dream realized, and then some. To put it simply, an honor. #InternationalWomensDay 📸 @deanastacia LINK IN BIO
A post shared by Talk To Me with Taylor Ferber (@talktometaylor) on Mar 8, 2019 at 9:14am PST
You can check out our essays here.
Because I'd initially pitched the feature and helped spearhead its execution, I was featured in the issue's Playbill (alongside contributors like Stormy Daniels). Still so wild to think about.
Here are some more photos from the shoot, taken by the awesome and super talented Natasha Wilson. One of my favorites is this recreation of an iconic cover from the '60s:
So damn proud, and I hope it leaves you feeling inspired and enlightened.
never saw this coming.. 😂 @playboy
A post shared by Talk To Me with Taylor Ferber (@talktometaylor) on Mar 11, 2019 at 2:48pm PDT
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