VIDEO : Hugh Hefner Argued That Playboy Wasn't Sexist

Since Hugh Hefner published the first issue of Playboy Magazine in 1953, critics condemned it for objectifying women. Hefner, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 91, was a polarizing celebrity throughout his life. In an interview with NPR in 2003, the mogul argued that Playboy was not sexist, and instead served as a showcase for beauty. He also admitted to Vanity Fair in 2010 that he did consider women "objects." He was married to three women and had countless Playboy Playmates girlfriends who lived at his mansion. Holly Madison, Hefner's main girlfriend for many years, alleged in her 2015 memoir that Hefner had strict rules for his girlfriends and subjected them to sex rituals. He reportedly told Gloria Steinem in 1970 that feminism was "foolishness."