Playboy's November/December issue is making history. After the death of the magazine's founder, Hugh Hefner, they rightfully made him the first man to cover the magazines cover in tribute to his life and all he did for the publication. Now as another history-making move, the latest cover of the magazine features its first-ever transgender woman - French model Ines Rau.
Playboy shares the milestone news on Instagram where Ines poses in a matching all-white bra and underwear, accompanied by socks and sneakers. The caption reads, "Meet your November 2017 Playmate, @supa_ines. "Nudity shouldn’t be taboo. Nudity means a lot to me, since I went through a transition to get where I want to be. Nudity is a celebration of the human being without all the excess. It’s not about sexuality but the beauty of the human body, whether male or female."
Ines explains to Playboy that during her shoot she was thinking back to hard times she endured in her childhood. "...Now everything happening gives me so much joy and happiness. I thought, ‘Am I really going to be a Playmate—me?’ It’s the most beautiful compliment I’ve ever received. It’s like getting a giant bouquet of roses," she says, via People.
Ines, who has been a model for some time and has walked a number of runways, is familiar with Playboy from the time she posed for the magazine in its May 2014 "A-Z" issue in a spread titled “Evolution.' The idea was to get readers to understand humanity's shift in accepting gender identities.
Looking back on her modelling experience with the magazine, Ines says the spread was a turning point for her. “It’s how I celebrated my coming out, actually,” she says. “I took that chance, and then I signed with an agency.”