Today, scanned copies of the Playboy Italia October 1976 issue circulate online, often sought after for their "forbidden" nature. However, it is crucial to view these images with the full weight of historical context. They are not just "vintage hot"; they are documents of a time when the protection of children in the creative industries was woefully inadequate.
The centerpiece of the October 1976 issue was a spread titled "Classe del 1965." The title referred to the birth year of its subjects, making them only eleven years old at the time the photographs were published. Among the young girls featured, Eva Ionesco became the face of the controversy.
"Classe del 1965" translates to "Born in 1965." On the glossy pages of the October 1976 issue, that description referred to , then just 11 years old. (She would turn 11 in July 1965, making her 11 at the time of publication).
In 2011, she directed the film "My Little Princess," a fictionalized account based on her relationship with her mother. The film explores the complex and damaging dynamics of a childhood spent as a photographic subject for an adult's artistic vision.
Despite the circumstances of her youth, Eva Ionesco established a career in the arts as both an actress and a film director. She has used her platform to process her past and advocate for the protection of children in creative industries.
Let us describe the spread as it appears in the archival record (the issue, now a collector’s item, trades hands for hundreds of euros).
Eva lies on a chaise lounge, wearing only sheer stockings. Her arms are crossed over her chest in a gesture that reads simultaneously as modesty and invitation. The background is a wallpapered boudoir, cluttered with Victorian bric-a-brac. The caption, translated from Italian: “Eva. Eleven years old. She has already learned that a gaze can be a weapon.”
