Ines Rau Makes History as ‘Playboy’s’ First-ever Transgender Playmate
The French model and newly announced November playmate, will be a centerfold in the upcoming issue of the iconic magazine, the first to publish since Hugh Hefner's death.
Ines Rau Makes History as ‘Playboy’s’ First-ever Transgender Playmate
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Derek Ketttela
Playboy is making history with the recent announcement that it will feature French model Ines Rau as its first-ever transgender playmate.Rau, who actually posed nude in the May 2014 Playboy spread “Evolution,” will have both a centerfold and pictorial in the November/December issue, the first to be published since the magazine’s founder, Hugh Hefner, passed away.In the press release for the upcoming issue, Rau (who has graced numerous runways, fashion campaigns, and the pages of Vogue Italia) made a statement about celebrating the acceptance of gender identites beyond the male-female binary: “I lived a long time without saying I was transgender,” she said. “Then I was like, ‘You know, you should just be who you are.’ It’s a salvation to speak the truth about yourself, whether it’s your gender, sexuality, whatever. The people who reject you aren’t worth it. It’s not about being loved by others; it’s about loving yourself.”In celebration of the upcoming November/December issue, here are a few stunning shots of the inspirational new Playboy playmate.
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Derek Kettela
Although Rau will be the first transgenderplaymate, she is not the first transgender person to appear in Playboy. In 1991, Caroline “Tula” Cossey (who was also a Bond Girl) was featured in a pictorial for the magazine.
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Instagram @supa_ines
In an interview with The New York Times, Cooper Hefner (Playboy’s chief creative officer) said, “It’s the right thing to do. We’re at a moment where gender roles are evolving.”Check out the full post on Instagram here.
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GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / Getty
Rau, who is 26 years old, was born in Paris and has a French-North African background.
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Instagram @supa_ines
In a press release for the upcoming issue, Rau talked about how the November/December centerfold shoot came full circle for her: “When I was doing this shoot, I was thinking of all those hard days in my childhood,” she says. “And now everything happening gives me so much joy and happiness.”Check out the full post on Instagram here.
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Instagram @supa_ines
And with nearly 250,000 followers on Instagram, it’s a pretty safe bet that Rau will be a mainstay in the fashion world for quite some time. Check out the full post on Instagram here.
Rau, who actually posed nude in the May 2014 Playboy spread “Evolution,” will have both a centerfold and pictorial in the November/December issue, the first to be published since the magazine’s founder, Hugh Hefner, passed away.
In the press release for the upcoming issue, Rau (who has graced numerous runways, fashion campaigns, and the pages of Vogue Italia) made a statement about celebrating the acceptance of gender identites beyond the male-female binary: “I lived a long time without saying I was transgender,” she said. “Then I was like, ‘You know, you should just be who you are.’ It’s a salvation to speak the truth about yourself, whether it’s your gender, sexuality, whatever. The people who reject you aren’t worth it. It’s not about being loved by others; it’s about loving yourself.”
Although Rau will be the first transgenderplaymate, she is not the first transgender person to appear in Playboy. In 1991, Caroline “Tula” Cossey (who was also a Bond Girl) was featured in a pictorial for the magazine.
In an interview with The New York Times, Cooper Hefner (Playboy’s chief creative officer) said, “It’s the right thing to do. We’re at a moment where gender roles are evolving.”
Rau, who is 26 years old, was born in Paris and has a French-North African background.
In a press release for the upcoming issue, Rau talked about how the November/December centerfold shoot came full circle for her: “When I was doing this shoot, I was thinking of all those hard days in my childhood,” she says. “And now everything happening gives me so much joy and happiness.”
