Crystal Hefner, 35, the model and TV personality, recently discussed changing her mindset about her "Playboy years" in an Instagram post.
The widow of Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy, stated that "certain photos" and "dressing scantily clad" helped her grow her followings fast. However, "modesty is what empowers" her now as she feels more "authentic" and "vulnerable."
She claimed that she now has a sense of belonging to herself, as she wrote:
"I removed everything fake from my body and deleted all my old photos. I am more authentic, vulnerable, and feel that I belong more to myself. I am mine."
Crystal Hefner, formerly known as Crystal Harris, opened up about how she suffered internally while making others happy.
"Over five years, my account has shifted from not always safe for work posts to my REAL safe for work life. The real me. I was living for other people before, to make others happy, suffering internally in the process."
Hefner, whose number of followers kept dropping during her transition, spoke about her now rising fan following, stating:
"Now I truly feel I have an army of supporters that care and see an actual soul behind the lens. For that I thank you."
At the end of the post, she wrote a heartfelt message for her followers, inspiring them to stay true to themselves at all points.
"I hope all of you can stay true to yourself and to what feels right for you as well, because there’s a certain power you get from that you can’t find anywhere else. I love you."
What is the net worth of Crystal Hefner?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Crystal Hefner has a net worth of $5 million. During the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, 70% of the stock of the Playboy brand that Hugh Hefner owned was worth $399 million.
At the time of his death, Hugh Hefner had sold 50% of his stock (35% of the total) due to diminishing print sales. Hence, the millionaire's fortune was not as much as people anticipated.
According to The Sun, Crystal Hefner was entitled to a substantial payout of $7 million cash, as she was still married to Hugh. Crystal also inherited a $5 million Hollywood Hills house which Hugh left in a trust for her to live in after his death (since he had sold his iconic Playboy Mansion for $100 million).
The rest of his $45 million was evenly distributed among his four children (Christie, David, Marson, and Cooper Hefner), a university, and several charities.
The career graph of Crystal Hefner, who began modeling while studying at San Diego State University, shot upwards when she met her future husband and the chief creative officer of Playboy. She first appeared as "Co-Ed of the Week" in an October 2008 issue of the magazine. In December 2009, she became the Playmate of the Month (PMOM).
Crystal became engaged to Hugh Hefner in 2010 and made headlines after running away from Hugh's mansion in June 2011, five days before their wedding was supposed to take place. The couple finally married in December 2012.
Crystal Hefner faced a lot of criticism and was called a "dumb gold-digger," which haunts her. She lost her husband to sepsis brought on by an E. coli infection in September 2017. Hugh was 91 at that time.
Nevertheless, her trauma has not gotten in the way of finding love again, as she is currently dating American actor and TV personality Ryan Malaty, 32. She remains vice president of the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation.