Playboy lifestyle
A playboy is a modern version of a public Casanova — a man of means with ample time for leisure, who demonstratively appreciates bon vivant (the pleasures of the world).
The term has also been applied to a flashy womanizer, such as a player, pappagallo, or Don Juan.
Development
"The Original Playboys relied upon a perfect storm of pleasurable circumstances: The world was at peace; airplanes began flying internationally; their parents were members of the 1920s café society and raised progressive, well-mannered, fashion-forward children; they possessed unparalleled wealth, there was no Internet – as a result, they will forever remain an inimitable breed of elite, professional pleasure seekers, the likes of which the world will never see again."[1]
Initially the term was used in the eighteenth century for boys who performed in the theatre,[2] and later it appears in the 1828 Oxford Dictionary to characterize a person with money who is out to enjoy himself.[3] By the end of the nineteenth century it also implied the connotations of "gambler" and "musician".[4] By 1907, in J. M. Synge’s comedy The Playboy of the Western World, the term had acquired the notion of a womanizer. According to Shawn Levy, the term reached its full meaning in the interwar years and early post WWII years. Postwar intercontinental travel allowed playboys to meet at international nightclubs and famous "playgrounds" such as the Riviera or Palm Beach where they were trailed by papparazzi (immortalized in Fellini's La Dolce Vita) who supplied the tabloids with material to be fed to an eager audience. Their sexual conquests are rich, beautiful, and famous. In 1953, Hugh Hefner caught the wave and created the Playboy magazine.[5]
Famous playboys
Porfirio Rubirosa who died in a car crash in 1965 epitomizes the essence of a playboy.[3][1] Having been called both the "ultimate" and "last" playboy, the Dominican diplomat claimed to have no time to work being busy charming and impressing the ladies, getting married (briefly and in sequence) to the two richest women in the world, drinking and gambling with his buddies, playing polo, racing cars, and flying his airplane from party to party. He was linked to other famous playboys of his day, Aly Khan,[1] "Baby" Francisco Pignatari,[1] and later, Gunther Sachs,[1] his acolyte, who termed himself a homo ludens.[3]
Some people claim that Leeds United striker, Billy Paynter lives the life of a Playboy.
Other people who adopted the playboy lifestyle included Howard Hughes,[1] Imran Khan,[6], Errol Flynn,[1] Conrad “Nicky” Hilton, Fernando Lamas, Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg,[7][3] Gianni Agnelli,[1] Silvio Berlusconi, John F. Kennedy,[1] Alessandro "Dado" Ruspoli[1] Jorge Guinle [1], Dragi Arsov [1] and Carlos de Beistegui.[1]
Charlie Harper, Charlie Sheen's character in Two and a Half Men, and Tony Stark from the Iron Man franchise also embody the playboy lifestyle.
Decline
With feminism, mass tourism, and an expanding "culture of leisure", the role of the playboy has declined.[3] Of the few who became known as playboys in recent decades, Dodi Fayed stood out when he fell in love with Diana, Princess of Wales.[8]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "The 12 Original Playboys of the Jetset Sixties". Kempt.com. UrbanDaddy. August 17, 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
- ^ Levy S., p. 117
- ^ a b c d e Schultz, Ole (February 13, 2003). "Riviera-Nichtstuer - Geschichte der Playboys" (in German). Deutschlandradio Kultur. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
- ^ Levy S., p.117
- ^ Levy S., p. 118
- ^ "Pakistan's Imran Khan: playboy to PM?". Reuters. November 18, 2011.
- ^ Levy S., p.121
- ^ Peretti, Jaques (January 11, 2009). "Death of a Playboy". London: The Guardian. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
References
Levy, Shawn Anthony (2005), The Last Playboy: The High Life of Porfirio Rubirosa, New York City, New York: Fourth Estate, ISBN 978-0-00-717059-3.