Social media phenom Bretman Rock recently made history, being the first-ever openly gay personality to grace the cover of American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, Playboy.
The milestone received mixed reactions.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUftkUJP94r/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Some deem it a success for the LGBTQ community.
Others felt it was off-putting.
Bretman simply posted a witty retort.
"Da Baddest Bunny," he declared. "Posting to piss off more straight men, if you’re pissed Bc I turn you on then- say that geez."
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUn-qpulP1l/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Note that Playboy was also quick to call out naysayers via social media.
"Last week, we released our first-ever cover with an openly gay model, @bretmanrock. Since posting, we've received a lot of great comments, but far too many offensive ones as well," they wrote on Twitter.
According to them, they received the same denigration when they put Darine Stern, an African American woman, on the cover of the magazine in 1971, as when they featured transgender model Tula Cossey in 1991; and when they fought for abortion rights before Roe v. Wade and the cannabis law reform in the 1970s.
"Standing for freedom and equality is in the DNA of this brand. Today, Playboy is much more than a magazine. Our digital covers are creative snapshots that drive and reflect the current dialogue around pleasure, sexuality, equality and culture," they explained.
"If a gay man feels sexy in a bunny costume, an iconic symbol of sexiness, why shouldn’t he be able to wear it proudly?," they added. "Serving as a platform for representation and freedom of expression is and will always be what Playboy stands for."
https://twitter.com/Playboy/status/1445135336888176643
Bretman, who rose to fame with his unique sense of humor and wit, has over 8.83 million subscribers on YouTube, 4.4 million followers on Facebook, 17.8 million followers on Instagram, 5.7 million followers on Twitter, and 13.1 million followers on TikTok.
For the past years, he's been carving his own name in the business, harvesting different accolades one after another.
Recall that he was named MTV's 2021 Breakthrough Social Star, People's Choice Awards Beauty Influencer of the Year, and one of Time's 30 Most Influential Teens.