The grim secrets behind the Playboy Mansion

Best bizarre to realize that times change so drastically. That is of course a cliché saying, but when it comes to the Playboy Mansion, it is completely true. Until 2017, Hugh Hefner lived there (until his death) and if you now think about how things were going there... Let's just say I'm very glad that is no longer the case.

Because to be very honest: the Playboy Mansion used to have quite an image. The coolest parties were held there, you had that pool with ‘the grotto’, only beautiful half-naked women, and of course Hugh Hefner at the helm, who was adored by all those women. At least, that's what we got to hear. But behind the scenes, things were very different. Read and shudder: the most grim secrets behind the Playboy Mansion.

1. The playmates who lived there had to ask Hefner for permission if they wanted a different color on their walls. He also determined the interior, including the color palette.

2. All his ‘girlfriends’ also had to be exactly how Hefner wanted them. If you gained some weight, you were forced to lose it as quickly as possible.

3. During the first time Madison Holly, a former resident of the Playboy Mansion, was invited to Hefner's bedroom, she saw a group of girls standing around a masturbating Hefner.

4. By the way, there is a difference between the ‘girlfriends’ and the ‘playmates’. The ‘girlfriends’ actually lived in the Playboy Mansion and there were often between two and twelve women. One of them was designated as ‘girlfriend number one’ and had to sleep in Hefner's room.

5. The ‘girlfriends’ were required to attend all parties, as well as all movie nights. Falling asleep during the movie, just like talking during the movie, was not allowed.

6. Every Friday, the ‘girlfriends’ had to go to Hefner's bedroom to collect their weekly thousand dollars allowance. That was also the moment when he could comment on the ladies, for example if they did not participate enough in the ‘parties’ in his bedroom.

7. Did you miss a mandatory event? Then you wouldn't receive any allowance that week.

8. Not that you could easily leave, mind you: all ‘girlfriends’ had to be home by nine o'clock every night and you were not allowed to invite anyone.

9. Posting on social media was not allowed freely, and especially no photos that made it look like you had been drinking. The Playboy Mansion and life there also had to be portrayed very positively. If you didn't do that, you had to come in for a talk and received an email with a warning.

10. If you were girlfriend number one, it once meant that you were the first to have to give him oral pleasure and then have sex with him. That was the safest; no condoms or STD tests were involved.

11. At one point, Hefner had to resort to Viagra and a ‘party’ in his bedroom was a ritual where each girl had to sit on him for two minutes while the others cheered them on.

12. The Playboy Mansion was dirty. As in: intensely filthy. Dog poop on the carpets, old mattresses, stains everywhere... Yuck.

Let's end with a less grim fact: the Playboy Mansion was the only private house in Los Angeles with a permit for fireworks, all year round.