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French model Ines Rau will be the first transgender playmate to be featured in the first issue since the death of founder Hugh Hefner.

• Oct 20, 2017

AceShowbiz - Playboy is making a new history. For the first time in 64 years, the magazine will introduce its first openly transgender Playmate in the November issue. The model, Ines Rau, will appear as the magazine centerfold. The magazine shared the news on its Instagram account on October 18, saying, "Meet your November 2017 Playmate. @supa_lines."

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." 📷 by @derekkettela

Sebuah kiriman dibagikan oleh Playboy (@playboy) pada Okt 18, 2017 pada 2:38 PDT

Top executive Cooper Hefner stated that selecting Ines was the right thing to do. "It's the right thing to do. We're at a moment where gender roles are evolving. This is really a moment for us to take a step back and say that so much of what the brand stood for in the early years is very much still alive in culture," he said.

Even though this is not the first time Ines appears in the magazine, she revealed that she cried tears of joy after knowing that she would be the new Playmate. "It was a compliment like I've never had," she said. "I've had a lot of beautiful compliments from gentlemen before, but this one really made me feel very special, beautiful and feminine. I was speechless."

It was also revealed that Ines' feature would include an interview about her journey and struggle being a transgender. "I lived a long time without saying I was transgender. I dated a lot and almost forgot. I was scared of never finding a boyfriend and being seen as weird," she told Playboy. "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 other. It's about loving yourself."

She added, "The advice I have for girls is to chill. Don't pressure yourself. Embrace yourself and be proud of who you are with your imperfections. It's all in the mind, you know?"

Ines will be featured in the November/December 2017 issue, which also pays tribute to late founder Hugh Hefner on its cover.