Maybe you wouldn’t imagine a collaboration between Playboy and Disney would ever exist, but you’d be on the wrong side of history. This pairing actually took place in 2010, on the occasion of Tron: Legacy’s release. In a pictorial, the two legendary universes blended together for a dance between the futuristic light suits of Tron and the sexy babes of Playboy. What’s interesting, though, is that this idea had actually been on the table nearly 30 years before, upon the release of the original Tron in 1982.
The original Tron, released 43 years ago this week, took place in a digital universe never before seen on the silver screen. It was so foreign, however, that Disney’s marketing and public relations teams actually didn’t know how to market it yet. According to Moving Innovation: A History of Computer Animation by animator and animation historian Tom Sito, Playboy came along and presented the potential partnership first. The pitch included a “photo spread called ‘The Girls of Tron,’ featuring nude Playboy models with their naughty parts discreetly covered by circuit boards,” Sito wrote. But Disney was by no means at a place where they would accept such an offer from the magazine, whose reputation at the time even barred it from being sold at 7-Eleven convenience stores (Did Playboy do a “Women of 7-Eleven” spread in response? Yes. Yes, they did.) A few years earlier, the magazine had also encountered obscenity charges. The offer was rejected.
The trailer for the original Tron, released in 1982. www.youtube.com
Once the arrival of Tron: Legacy was imminent in 2010, however, Disney had changed its mind. Playboy had also changed a lot since then. As Entertainment Weekly quipped, “The magazine was essentially family entertainment compared to the tidal wave of online smut, so a peek-a-boo pictorial of half-naked cybergals didn't seem so risqué.” The Playboy pictorial, “Game On,” featured models Irina Voronina and Sasckya Porto in various light-suit style ensembles (or lack of ensembles) next to or on the franchise’s famed lightcycles, photographed by Jared Ryder. You can see some of the images here and watch a behind the scenes video of the shoot here, though neither are currently live on the Playboy site.
The trailer for Tron: Legacy, released in 2010. Disney, www.youtube.com
Upon its release, Tron: Legacy quickly became beloved for its bold visuals, which also inspired the Playboy shoot. Incidentally, Tron: Legacy was directed by Joseph Kosinski, who himself has a design and architecture background. The goal was to build on the visual successes of the original Tron, but of course with a modern twist; it had to keep the visual motifs, but expand upon them in a way that would be just as stunning in 2010. Tron: Legacy’s visuals also drew from lauded designers, architects, and artists of the past. This included not just the work of Tron’s original artist Syd Mead (who also designed Blade Runner), but “the clean, stark, geometrical lines of modern architecture pioneers Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Louis Kahn,” according to Fast Company.
With this visually stunning scene from Tron: Legacy; it's easy to see where Playboy got its inspiration. www.youtube.com
And even as the first Tron film celebrates an anniversary, there’s another one on the horizon: the next Tron film, Tron: Ares, is scheduled for an October 10, 2025 release. If the series’ past designs are any indication, we’re in for another visual feast.
Tron: Ares arrives on October 10, 2025. Disney, www.youtube.com
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21 products that are gaslighting us into thinking they’re essential when they’re not
Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.
Recently, our sister-site Upworthy asked their Facebook audience the question: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.
Here are 21 products, services, and systems people called out for pretending to be essential—when they might actually be optional, overpriced, or flat-out invented.
1. Whole body deodorant
"Take a shower," said Shannon H.
“How did we ever manage all those years without it!! 😂😵💫” added Karen R.
Others noted it may help people with medical conditions—but for the average person, it's definitely a marketing creation.
2. Health insurance
It topped the list. Erica L. explained: “My doctor prescribes, the pharmacist issues meds, nurses care for people, surgeons do surgery—Health Insurance stands between health care and patients and says no, exclusively on whether they think it’s financially effective to treat you.”
Important note: Health insurance can provide life-saving access for many—but what people are frustrated by here is the profit-first system, not care itself.
3. The wedding industry
Multiple people slammed the high cost of modern weddings.
JoElla B. put it plainly: “We spend too much time and money planning one day, and not enough thought on how to blend two lives in a mutually beneficial one.”
Others called out expensive dresses, venues, and pressure to perform for social media.
4. Bottled water
Carole D. said: “Water in plastic bottles! Get a cup!”
While bottled water has value in emergencies, it’s often just filtered tap water—sold for profit in plastic.
5. Baby product overload
“Most baby products,” wrote Kelli O. “They really aren’t as needy and complicated as companies want us to think.”
6. Fabric softener
“It’s bad for clothes, bad for the Earth, bad for the wallet, and totally unnecessary,” said Gail H.
Some experts agree—many softeners contain chemicals that can reduce fabric lifespan and irritate skin.
7. Smart appliances
“Adding ‘phone controls’ to every appliance instead of making them last as long as they used to,” wrote Sherry S.
When your fridge needs a software update, something’s gone off the rails.
8. Makeup and anti-aging products
“Anything anti-aging,” said Melissa T., “Please just let me age into the gargoyle I was meant to become.”
Others questioned products designed to “fix” eyelashes, eyebrows, pores, and graying hair.
April S. added, “Products that women are convinced they MUST have in order to be ‘beautiful’ and therefore ‘loved.’”
9. Cosmetic surgery
Ron P. called out the industry as a whole. And while body autonomy matters, many commenters questioned whether insecurities are being commodified and sold back to us.
10. Ticketmaster and “convenience fees”
“Let’s go back to waiting in line at a record store,” wrote Nicole C.
Zaida B. added: “Convenience fee for online purchases—then charging $10 more at the actual event.”
11. Engagement rings
James P. didn’t mince words: “Engagement rings.”
The diamond industry has long been criticized for manufactured scarcity and marketing-fueled necessity.
12. Lawn chemicals and services
“Plant native grasses and you don’t have the pests or need for constant watering,” wrote Jamie B.
Environmental groups have raised similar concerns over runoff and unnecessary pesticide use.
13. AI and generative tech
“This stuff squeezes the lifeblood and individuality out of the human experience,” said Teresa L.
Saskia D. and others echoed skepticism about its necessity, even as many of us are being pushed to use it.
14. Funeral services
Amy W. shared: “My parents both have already paid to have themselves cremated and are very adamant that they do not want anything big done for them. In their words, ‘I won’t care, I’m dead.’”
Of course, some families find comfort in tradition—but the cost and pressure can feel overwhelming and predatory.
15. Rinse and repeat
Amy D. nailed it: “It’s just to sell more. Not even sure you need it at all.”
16. Credit Card Surcharges
Shawn S. took aim at the extra fees popping up at checkout: “That is the cost of doing business and shouldn’t be the burden of the purchaser.”
Many questioned why customers are increasingly being asked to pay extra simply for the convenience of using a card.
17. Constant phone upgrades
“Apple are notorious for releasing the same shit every year,” said Steph S.
Diana H. added, “Needing to upgrade our phones so frequently.”
Built-in obsolescence and marketing cycles drive most of the demand.
18. Vitamins and supplements
“If I took every supplement they say I NEED I wouldn’t need food. Nor could I afford it,” said Tausha L.
19. Fake pockets on women’s pants
Jessica W. said, “I have to buy men’s pants for work because women’s pants would just get torn up too fast!”
Form over function, and then they charge more for it.
20. Disposable everything
“The ‘convenience’ of disposable everything,” said Rick R.
It’s killing the planet—and draining wallets.
21. Tipping
“I’m sick of supplementing for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage,” wrote Susan V.
Tipping culture has evolved into something far removed from its original intent, and for many, it now feels like a burden shifted onto the customer.
The bigger picture
People aren’t saying all these things should vanish tomorrow. But when we start seeing convenience sold as necessity, and insecurity turned into billion-dollar markets, it's worth asking: who benefits from all of this?
And more importantly—who pays?
This article originally appeared earlier this year.