That's not quite the case with Playboy, but it is close. The latest reports say that Hugh Hefner's empire is about to go under unless massive staff cuts are made.
This is, of course, really interesting from an economic standpoint. After all, things such as ''lad mags,'' liquor, and other ''sinful'' products are supposed to be recession-proof — people turn to them even more in bad times, or so the theory goes.
In fact, however, the SINdex — an index of companies that trade in liquor, cigarettes, and casinos — is underperforming the Dow Jones Industrial Average by about 7% this year. And, since the Dow dropped over 700 points on Monday, that's kind of hard to do.
For the legal world, meanwhile, Playboy's troubles are another disconcerting sign. If Hugh Hefner has to cut back on staff, and other signs of the ''high life'' are likewise going down, it's not hard to imagine that lawyers will have to give up some perks as well.
There's no word yet, though, on whether Playboy's competitors are also suffering financial difficulties. So, the lad mags are still there! Just not, maybe, for long.
