Only Say Good Things
Surviving Playboy and finding myself
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- 149,00 kr
Publisher Description
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
'A fascinating demythologising of the Playboy brand and Hefner himself' - Pandora Sykes
'A raw, honest unveiling of the misogyny and darkness of the Playboy Mansion. . . I almost feel compelled to send a copy to every young woman who still believes the legacy of Playboy holds some glamour or promise' - Ellie Flynn
One of Stylist’s 'best non-fiction for 2024'
One of the Independent’s 2024 'must-reads'
One of The Sunday Times 'most exciting memoirs' for 2024
'I was 21 years old when I found myself on the front stoop of the Playboy Mansion. I want to tell the real story of my time there - the good and the bad, the dark and the light.'
In 2008 the Playboy mansion became Crystal Harris's sanctuary - a shimmering vestige of opportunity. Within months she had ascended its hierarchy to become Hugh Hefner's top girlfriend. But her new home came at a cost. Forced to follow strict rules that governed everything from her appearance to behaviour, she began to lose her identity. By the time she married Hef in 2012, the mansion had become her prison.
Having made a promise to Only Say Good Things, for years Crystal suppressed the truth of what really happened behind the mansion's closed doors. Now, in this raw and honest memoir, she's finally ready to expose it all.
Laying bare the devastating impact that a culture of relentless objectification and misogyny had on her health, Crystal's extraordinary story carries powerful lessons that are relevant to us all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This juicy debut memoir from Hugh Hefner's widow provides an intimate account of her decade-long stint inside the Playboy Mansion. Adrift during her senior year at San Diego State University in 2008, Crystal was encouraged by a friend to send a photo to Playboy during one of the magazine's open calls. She was swiftly invited to a Halloween party at the mansion, where Hefner picked her out of a lineup to join him in his private quarters; the next day, he invited her to move into the mansion full-time. Crystal enthusiastically accepted, and, over the next five years as one of Hefner's "girls," she unsuccessfully attempted to establish an emotional connection with the much older man, who occasionally exhibited tender feelings toward her but mostly treated her with coldness and cruelty. After Crystal left the mansion briefly to date Jordan McGraw, the son of TV personality Dr. Phil, Hefner proposed to her. She accepted, feeling that he "needed her." Married in 2012, the two remained together until Hefner's death in 2017. Crystal writes at length about the mansion's chilling atmosphere: Hefner kept keys to every door, and insisted Crystal and his rotating roster of other girlfriends maintain their hair and weight (at one point, he taps Crystal's hip and tells her it's "time to tone"). The mogul, who comes across as narcissistic and obsessed with his legacy, insisted that his close contacts "only say good things" about him—when Crystal doesn't, it lands as liberating rather than petty. This tell-all is surprisingly empowering.
