Gteetings! Now, to start off, I am not American and I don’t have much familiarity with playboy as a magazine or a company, the only reason I know of playboy is from movies and tv shows.
I have always thought that playboy was a chauvinistic magazine that objectified women and was owned by a not so nice man. So when I went to their site I was a little surpriced to find articles like this: The Manosphere Isn’t Even Having Fun or Losers Who Wear Smart Glasses Are Filming Women Without Consent
Can someone explain to me if I’ve been wrong about playboy or if they are actually progressive?
Porn magazines have a long history of progressive and more alternative articles mostly closer to their founding in the 60s/70s. A lot related to sex liberation and queer rights but lots of other ideas that were fit for mainstream. They would be more progressive than feminist meaning feminism is included but not the focus.
As for porn being feminist this is a controversial idea but there’s people who say it is. Mostly how it relates to women having sexuality and sexual agency about their bodies and pleasure. I would not call playboy a feminist porn studio like I would for Erika Lust which would be a better example.