Only Say Good Things

''I was 21 years old when I found myself on the front stoop of the Playboy Mansion; its ornate front door feeling like a route to success. I want to tell the real story of my time there - the good and the bad, the dark and the light. The story I wish I had heard when I was a young woman, trying to find my way in the world. Before I showed up at a party, allowed myself to stay, and made the decisions that would shape my life.'' For 10 years Crystal Hefner lived at the Playboy mansion, sacrificing her body and agency to satisfy the desires of its owner, Hugh Hefner. Having obtained the status, love and acceptance she''d been taught to crave when she became the 86-year-old''s wife at just 26, she thought she''d finally ''made it''. Instead, she felt lost. Now, 6 years after Hefner''s death, Crystal is ready to unpack the events that led her to the mansion and ultimately prevented her departure. In this gripping memoir, she reveals the shocking realities of a life lived at the centre of 2000''s pop culture, where glamour and objectification went hand in hand. In doing so, she explores why it is that so many women choose to fit themselves into a mould that has been designed by men to shrink them.

Autorentext
Crystal Hefner spent 10 years inside the Playboy mansion, a place that was both her sanctuary and prison. Following Hugh Hefner's death in 2017, she was left searching for home, belonging, and a sense of self; she now dedicates herself to sharing what she has learned about body image, objectification and beauty standards in the hopes of reaching other young women.

Klappentext

*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.