Centerfold

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This photo of Marilyn Monroe, purchased by Hugh Hefner from a local calendar printer, was the centerfold in the first issue of Playboy in 1953.

The centerfold of a magazine refers to a picture printed on a single sheet of paper and inserted in the middle of the publication. Another term for the centerfold of a magazine would be a center spread. Since magazines are usually stapled together along the spine, the centerfold does not have any gutter cutting through the image. Centerfolds are also frequently much larger than the publication and then folded to fit. Usually centerfold refers to nude or semi-nude pictures and pornography. In certain subcultures, Centerfold can also mean something ripped.

The magazine Playboy has popularized the use of the term centerfold^{[citation needed]}, or alternatively, gatefold girl, to refer to a person. In this case, centerfold means the model posing in the centerfold picture, in Playboy called the Playmate. The success of the first issue of Playboy has been attributed in large part to its centerfold: a nude of Marilyn Monroe.^[1]

The magazine Playgirl also features centerfolds, but in their case the centerfolds, sometimes referred to as "Man of the Month", are photos of nude men. In spite of their similarities, these two magazines are owned by two separate enterprises.

Marilyn Monroe was actually referred to as the "Sweetheart of the Month" for her December 1953 appearance. She was the only "Sweetheart of the Month" ever called by Playboy, the magazine there after used "Playmate of the Month" for its centerfold models.^{[citation needed]}