How to ‘Survive’ Playboy and Find Yourself: A Short Report from Crystal Hefner's Book Presentation

Model Svitlana Volnova has said thanks to every girl who loves herself and doesn't need a Hugh Hefner.

Publisher BOOKCHEF presented the book by Crystal Hefner, the last wife of Playboy magazine's editor-in-chief, Hugh Hefner, titled 'Only Say Good Things: How I Survived Playboy and Found Myself.' The event took place March 14 at the Oskar movie theater in the Gulliver mall.

The book is Crystal's memoir, in which she recounts her experience living at the Playboy Mansion, her relationship with Hugh Hefner, and her path to self-discovery. The author shared the hidden rules and restrictions of the glamorous world she lived in, along with how she managed to find her own voice and reevaluate her life.

The evening's host was Max Leonov, winner of the show Dancing with the Stars. Speakers included Vlad Ivanenko, editor-in-chief of Playboy Ukraine magazine, Tetiana Bryk, winner of the show Super Top Model Ukrainian Style, Iryna Tatarenko, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire Ukraine magazine, Iryna Mylychenko, communications specialist at publisher BOOKCHEF, and journalist Alina Dorotiuk.

Dim lighting, comfortable sofas, and tables with water and sparkling wine created a fairly relaxed yet elegant atmosphere. The speakers' area was positioned at the center of the room, so guests could follow the discussion from any corner of the venue.

The presentation was opened by Svitlana Volnova, a model and TV host invited as a guest.

Svitlana has apologized for speaking Ukrainian, explaining that the organizers had suggested it would be better to speak Russian, but that she insisted on using her own Ukrainian, she began.

The model read a few of her favorite quotes from the book and summed up her remarks by saying thanks to every girl who's confident in herself and doesn't need a Hugh Hefner.

The first main topic the speakers discussed was the significant age gap. The book's protagonist was 60 years younger than Hugh Hefner.

Alina Dorotiuk has said she doesn't believe in love built on such a large gap in life experience, recalling her own relationship with a man 14 years older, which she describes as the only relationship she's had with that kind of age gap, adding that it really does mean different generations, different opinions, and disagreements, since you simply grow up on different literature and end up with different perspectives.

The discussion also had its share of disagreement. Alina, without having read the book, argued that Crystal had built her story around sex with a successful man.

Tetiana Bryk has responded to the journalist by saying she thinks Alina may have misunderstood what the book is actually about, adding that she genuinely feels sorry for the young woman, and that while she agrees both people in a relationship should be conscious and healthy, Crystal wasn't in that position at the time she met Hugh Hefner, she said in response to the journalist.

Tetiana also compared her own modeling career to Crystal's life.

She has described going to a casting and hearing 'no' anywhere from one to fifteen times a day, saying that naturally, you start second-guessing yourself, and that modeling really can, at times, feel like survival, adding that while Crystal's circumstances were somewhat different, the competitive pressure of it all weighs on you just as heavily.

The book presentation became more than just an introduction to Crystal Hefner's memoir — it also served as a platform for an open discussion about women in show business, their competition, power, and self-discovery. Crystal's story served as a reminder of how important it is to find your own voice and build your life on your own terms.