Playboy Virgin Mary, Bearing More than a Child

Just when you stop thinking about something, just as it loses pop culture and post-modern significance and relevance, it pops back into the world's waking state.

Playboy. Who woulda thunk?

LOS ANGELES, Dec 12 (Reuters) - A nude model resembling the Virgin Mary on the cover of the Mexican edition of Playboy magazine, published only days before a major Mexican festival dedicated to the mother of Jesus, prompted the company's U.S. headquarters on Friday to apologize.

The magazine, which hit newsstands on Dec. 1 as ceremonies began leading to Friday's pilgrimage to the Mexico City shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, showed a model wearing nothing but a white cloth over her head and breasts.

She is standing in front of a stained glass window with the cover line, "We Love You, Maria" in Spanish. The model's name is Maria Florencia Onori.

I have to say: Good show, Playboy! Marketing gold.

Here's probably how it played out:

Marketing Guy's Boss: But the Virgin Mary? In Mexico? Before the Guadalupe thing?
Marketing Guy: We will probably have to publicly apologize, but we will sell every copy we print, re-assert our relevance to an internet-porn-addicted public in both spirit and print, and offend the sensibilities of people who have never and will never buy our magazine. Except now, because it's naughty, they might.
Marketing Guy's Boss: We totally have to kiss now. Then raises for everyone!
Marketing Guy: Just remember that lotsa saliva is never sexy.

Good for you, Playboy!