LOS ANGELES — Playboy has named its first-ever trans Playmate in the magazine's 64-year history, Ines Rau, who will appear in the upcoming November issue, which also pays tribute to the recently departed Hugh Hefner.
“I always knew from within, when I was a little kid in my room in the ghetto, that a beautiful destiny was waiting for me,” she said in a Playboy interview. “I don’t know how to explain it. A little voice was telling me, ‘You’ll see. Patience.’ ”
Rau, who first posed for the iconic publication in its May 2014 issue, also told Playboy, "When I was doing this shoot, I was thinking of all those hard days in my childhood. And 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," she expressed. "It’s like getting a giant bouquet of roses."
The French-born model started dancing for mega DJs in Ibiza at age 18, has appeared in Vogue Italia and starred in a Balmain campaign. She has recently signed a book deal and has aspirations to become an action star, given her passion for martial arts.
Rau was photographed fully nude by Ryan McGinley and will appear in a spread called "Evolution," which will also feature a story about society's shifting attitudes towards non-binary gender identities.
Back in 1991, Caroline "Tula" Cossey — who was in a James Bond flick — became the first trans woman to pose for Playboy.
To read the Playboy interview announcing Rau as the next Playmate in its entirety, click here.
