I was very influenced by the musicals and romantic comedies of the 1930s. I admired Gene Harlow and such, which probably explains why, since the end of my marriage, I’ve dated nothing but a succession of blondes.

Hefner links his adult romantic preferences to the popular culture that shaped his imagination in youth: the glossy escapism of 1930s Hollywood musicals and romantic comedies. By citing Jean Harlow—an iconic platinum-blonde star—he frames his attraction to “blondes” as an aesthetic imprint rather than a purely personal quirk, suggesting that desire can be learned through media archetypes. The self-deprecating, confessional tone (“probably explains why…”) also works as a kind of myth-making: it turns a pattern in his post-marriage dating life into a coherent narrative about influence, fantasy, and the enduring power of celebrity images to structure private tastes.