Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual abuse, coercion, exploitation, child sexualization, and other potentially distressing experiences. Listener discretion is advised.

Crystal Harris, author, advocate, and widow of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, spent nearly a decade inside the Playboy Mansion.

What was life inside the Playboy Mansion actually like? How did an environment marketed as glamorous and empowering affect the women living within it? And what happens to intimate images when the people depicted no longer have control over where—or how—they're used?

In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, Crystal joins us to discuss entering the Playboy world at 21, the control and abuse she says she experienced inside the Mansion, the sexualization of young women and girls, similarities she sees between Playboy and platforms like OnlyFans, and her ongoing fight to protect private images in Hugh Hefner's archives from being digitized. She also shares how her understanding of consent has evolved, her concerns about AI and image ownership, and what healing has looked like as she's worked to reclaim her identity and voice.

Episode Resources:

• Article: “Secrets of Playboy” Docuseries Exposes Decades of Alleged Exploitation and Abuse by Hugh Hefner
• Victim Resources
• Crystal's Instagram: crystalmharris

What does sexual assault prevention actually look like—and are we starting the conversation early enough?

In this bonus episode of Consider Before Consuming, Elisabeth and Jordan discuss recent cases involving college students at Cornell University and the University of Florida, and the broader problem of sexual violence on college campuses. How can pornography and peer culture shape ideas about sex, consent, and rejection? And what everyday actions can help prevent harm before an assault ever occurs?

They explore these questions and practical “micro-preventions” that can help create a safer, healthier culture.

Episode Resources:

• Article: Does Porn Fuel Rape Culture and Sexual Assault on College Campuses?
• FTND College Presentations

Freddie Woodward is an Olympian and former Team Great Britain diver who began viewing pornography as a young teenager. Despite the extraordinary discipline it took to reach the 2016 Olympic Games, Freddie found himself unable to simply use that same discipline to quit porn.

Can you be addicted to porn and not realize it? Why is it so hard to quit porn? How does porn affect motivation, relationships, and mental health? What actually helps someone stop watching porn for good?

In this episode, Freddie shares how his porn use became a daily habit, how it escalated into other online sexual behaviors, and what happened when intimate content of him was leaked online in 2017. He also reflects on using porn to cope with difficult emotions, life after the Olympics, years of unsuccessful attempts to quit, and the tools that ultimately helped him change. Today, Freddie says he's more proud of quitting porn than becoming an Olympian.

This episode is sponsored by Relay, a secure peer-support app that connects you with a small group of people who understand what you’re going through and help you stay accountable on your journey to quit porn. CBC listeners can try Relay free for 7 days by signing up at http://ftnd.org/joinrelay.