When Hugh Hefner passed away in 2017, he was regarded by many as a symbol of a bygone era of class and refinement.
It’s safe to say that very few people still see the Playboy founder in such a flattering light.
While it appears that his crimes were not quite as egregious, Hefner is now drawing comparisons to his longtime friend Bill Cosby.
Numerous women have come forward with tales of the mistreatment and abuse they suffered at Hefner’s hands, and it looks more and more as though the image that he conveyed of a sophisticated ladies’ man was nothing more than a carefully constructed facade.
Hefner’s third wife, Crystal, is among those who have spoken out about their traumatic experiences with the media tycoon.
For years after Hugh’s death, Crystal remained silent about her marriage.
But in recent weeks, emboldened by the women who shared their stories in a recent docuseries about Hefner, Crystal has decided to speak up out about the horrors she witnessed during her years living in the Playboy Mansion.
As a sign of her desire for a fresh start, Crystal recently deleted most of the content from her Instagram page and proudly declared that her account is now "100% SFW [safe for work]."
Over the weekend, she posted the above photo, along with a lengthy caption in which she described her latest project.
It seems that the 35-year-old will be releasing a memoir detailing her tumultuous marriage to Hugh.
“I was part of Hugh Hefner’s world for over a decade. By the time I left, it had been a third of my life," Crystal captioned the pic.
"I was with him through wild times, calm times, and all the times in between up until the day he passed away in September 2017. That day was very hard.
"I have lost a lot of people in my life and death is a difficult topic for me," she continued.
“I chose to be more private over the years because I’m an introvert at heart and while the mansion in some ways was a sanctuary in other ways I was exploited like never before.”
Crystal went on to say that after years of silence, she feels the need to speak out so that others might benefit from the knowledge she gained the hard way.
“I’m ready to tell my story. I’m ready to tell you what it was really like. How my personal path led me to Hef’s ‘Shangri la’ and what I wish every woman would know," she wrote.
"I will share how power, greed, narcissism, and a girl’s quest to feel loved, powerful, important and have a sense of belonging led her down a dangerous path.”
Crystal added that while she is still “trying to heal from what I went through,” she is now “ready to share the journey” in her upcoming memoir.
She revealed that she’s collaborating with a company called Idea Architect, which has previously helped numerous high-profile figures tell their life stories.
According to Crystal, the company previously collaborated with "Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, Bryan Stevenson, the Dalai Lama, you name it.”
She concluded by stating that part of her goal in working on this book was to gain closure on the most difficult chapter of her life.
“The story of my life, being part of Playboy and Hef’s world, and the last piece of the puzzle yet to be placed,” Crystal wrote.
We applaud Crystal for taking this difficult step and sharing her story with others.
The world is full of predators, and sharing experiences is one of the most potent ways of stripping them of their power.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoaalpKmsvLCwxqiqrKGgY7CwuY5rZ2tqX2V%2FcK%2FRsqqtmZxitaayzZ6pZqGdYr%2BmrcOyZK2nXamyrbiMrZ%2BeZaekv62wjKGmsGWVq7ateceunqFlmJqzr7HRZq5o