LOS ANGELES – Crystal Hefner, widow of the late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, is set to release her memoir titled “Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself” on Tuesday. In her tell-all book, Crystal reveals the challenges she faced as Hefner’s wife and sheds light on the strict rules his girlfriends had to follow.
According to Crystal, Hefner would frequently criticize her natural brown hair when it became dark at the roots, signaling her to dye it back to blond. This process often left her with scalp blisters from the bleach. She believed that conforming to idealized beauty standards was necessary to be seen as beautiful in Hef’s eyes.
The memoir not only touches on Crystal’s personal experiences but also delves into the restrictive lifestyle of the infamous Playboy Mansion. Hefner would provide each of his girlfriends with an allowance, handed out in pristine, crisp bills. The women were expected to maintain perfect appearances, including having neutral-colored nails and blond hair, regardless of their natural hair color. Additionally, Hefner enforced a curfew and discouraged his partners from mingling with the staff or dating outside of their relationship.
Crystal is not the only former girlfriend of Hefner to speak out about the strict rules. Another former lover, Izabella St. James, shared her experiences in the A&E docuseries “Secrets of Playboy.” St. James revealed that the women were not allowed to wear red lipstick, and Hefner provided them with a weekly $1,000 allowance for clothing. They were also required to sign NDAs upon entering the mansion.
Holly Madison, another former Playmate, echoed these sentiments in a podcast episode. Madison claimed that Hefner did not permit his partners to date other men and that they were not allowed to have their own apartments at the mansion.
Crystal’s memoir provides a heartfelt and candid look into her life as Hugh Hefner’s wife and the strict rules of the Playboy Mansion. It offers readers an inside perspective on the demands and expectations placed on Hefner’s girlfriends. “Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself” promises to be a revealing and compelling read for those curious about the realities of life at the Playboy Mansion.