The Cult of Playboy

Sounds Like A Cult

Studio71

Comedy, Education, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

4 • 3.8K Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Playboy sold the world a fantasy of luxury and sexual liberation, but behind the velvet curtains, the reality was far more complex. This week, Amanda, Chelsea, and special guest Amy Rose Spiegel (@verymuchso) dive into the Playboy phenomenon…not just as a magazine, but as a carefully curated world built on power, control, and illusion. From the mystique of the Playboy Mansion and its exclusive parties to the troubling stories from former Playmates, we’re exploring how Hugh Hefner crafted an empire that blurred the line between empowerment and exploitation. Was Playboy truly a symbol of freedom, or just another gilded cage? And how does nostalgia shape the way we view its legacy today? Join us as we unravel the cult-like influence of Playboy and the contradictions that made it both iconic and insidious. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube! Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! Find exactly what you’re booking for on https://Booking.com, Booking.YEAH! Follow Don't Cross Kat on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Don't Cross Kat early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+. Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Start earning points on rent you’re already paying by going to https://joinbilt.com/CULT Please consider donating to those affected by the Los Angeles Fires. Some organizations that Team SLAC are donating to are: https://mutualaidla.org/ https://give.pasadenahumane.org/give/654134/#!/donation/checkout https://shorturl.at/SGW9w Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Guess what? The cult of Sounds Like a Cult is coming to the real world with a very exciting
0:10.0	live show on Monday, June 9th in Los Angeles at the L Ray Theater. This show is so much fun. It's called
0:17.4	The Big Magical Cult Show and it is like a live podcast on hallucinogens.
0:22.8	Join us to catch some of the voices that you hear week after week, but matched to their
0:28.1	IRL bodies. It's Wild, as we discuss a very spicy and very timely topic. With the help of some
0:36.0	live show elements that you just simply could not convey
0:39.0	in podcast form, including drag and burlesque performances, custom drinks and merch, a parisocial
0:46.1	PowerPoint, audience participation. There's also going to be a meet and greet and a book signing
0:51.3	for my second book cultish, which is finally coming out in paperback.
0:54.8	It is truly so much fun. So come get your cult on at the big magical cult show on June 9th
1:00.8	at the Elray Theater in Los Angeles. Artist presale starts on April 15th at 10 a.m. West
1:05.7	Coast time. Just use the password cult to buy your tickets. And then general on sale starts on Friday, April 18th.
1:12.0	You can find the ticket link at sounds like a cult.com,
1:14.8	or in the link in bio on our Instagram.
1:16.8	Snag your tickets before they sell out,
1:18.7	and we so hope you join our cult for a night.
1:32.4	The views expressed on this episode, as with all episodes of Sounds Like a Cult, are solely host opinions and quoted allegations.
1:34.7	The content here should not be taken as indisputable fact.
1:37.6	This podcast is for entertainment purposes only.
1:40.6	The idea was that any woman that you saw you could possess and would be a sexual foil for you in some way.
1:48.1	That changed sexual culture in this country immensely.
1:51.5	I could not put my finger on why Playboy was attractive and aspirational even to like our 12, 13 year old selves.
	...

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