A raw and unflinching look at the objectification and misogyny of the Playboy mansion, a woman’s stolen young adulthood and her journey to self-acceptance, and a rare look inside Hugh Hefner’s final days.
At just twenty-one years old, Crystal Harris’ life changed forever when she attended a party at the notorious Playboy mansion. Picked out of the crowd by Hugh Hefner, she became one of his infamous “girlfriends,” attending glamorous Hollywood parties and traveling the world. Yet this seemingly alluring lifestyle had a dark side. Hef controlled his girlfriends with strict rules regarding everything from their hair and makeup to their curfews, and Crystal was forced to compete with other women for her spot in the highly hierarchal system. Living at the mansion, she felt more like a fixture than a resident.
She quickly rose to the top, but being Hef’s number one girlfriend came at the cost of Crystal’s …
A raw and unflinching look at the objectification and misogyny of the Playboy mansion, a woman’s stolen young adulthood and her journey to self-acceptance, and a rare look inside Hugh Hefner’s final days.
At just twenty-one years old, Crystal Harris’ life changed forever when she attended a party at the notorious Playboy mansion. Picked out of the crowd by Hugh Hefner, she became one of his infamous “girlfriends,” attending glamorous Hollywood parties and traveling the world. Yet this seemingly alluring lifestyle had a dark side. Hef controlled his girlfriends with strict rules regarding everything from their hair and makeup to their curfews, and Crystal was forced to compete with other women for her spot in the highly hierarchal system. Living at the mansion, she felt more like a fixture than a resident.
She quickly rose to the top, but being Hef’s number one girlfriend came at the cost of Crystal’s identity outside her role in the Playboy universe. Her fate seemed sealed when Hef surprised her with a marriage proposal she could not imagine refusing. But as Crystal Hefner, she grew increasingly restless to understand who she truly was away from what she saw as Playboy’s toxic culture.
In ONLY SAY GOOD THINGS, Crystal offers a vulnerable and clear-eyed look at how her experience with Hugh Hefner catalyzed her transformative journey from someone who prized external validation over all else to a person who finally recognizes her true worth. This candid memoir provides a fascinating look behind the scenes at a powerful cultural icon and brand, and an equally empowering perspective on hard-won lessons about who we allow to determine our value.
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started reading this book. I had no idea who the author was and as a child of the internet age Hef is little more than a caricature to me.
Having now read ths book, I have to say it was better written than I was expecting. Not because of who the author is, but because of the subject. It almost didnt have to be well written to sell a lot due to the subject, but I enjoyed the writing. However, Crystal does represent herself at times as savvy enough to play the game so well she became mrs Hefner, but at other times as to be so naive its not credible. Overall a decent biography and sadly a window into what the world will condone a powerful man doing.
This was basically what I expected, and a lot of details were given away on the podcast that made me decide to read it.
Crystal was vulnerable and lacked a strong male presence in her life. Hugh is a narcissist who lacked human connection and took advantage of vulnerable girls. Hugh lived what a teenage boy considered a fantasy but was ultimately pretty empty. None of that was a surprise, but it was interesting to hear the details. Crystal seems like a pretty good, ordinary person, but I would have liked to have heard some of the stories from other perspectives.
The writing was nothing special, but it was tight and logically arranged.
