Being a Playmate is certainly not something I grew up thinking about. How could a flat-chested tomboy even imagine a career with Playboy? It was with a sense of awe that I suddenly developed a figure, complete with breasts, and rather large ones at that. When I read about the Playboy 2000 Playmate Search Bus coming to town, I was at a crossroads with the direction of my education and payment of student loans, so I decided to give it a try. That is, until my mother and I drove up to the bus and saw all these beautiful blonde girls lined up. I thought, Maybe my breasts aren't as big as they should be, maybe I'm not blonde enough or tall enough or confident enough!

But my mother was ready for my objections. "You've come this far," she told me, "so you obviously wanted to do it in the first place. Why back out now? You'll regret it for the rest of your life. Get out of the car now or I'll drag you out." She wouldn't have, of course, but her words gave me that added incentive to overcome my fears, to do something gutsy.

I left the Playboy bus feeling so confident about myself. The Playboy crew was wonderful, and every Playboy staff member I've worked with since has reinforced that feeling. I really can't say enough good things about the Playboy staff. It makes it so much easier to be working with people who are positive and so supportive. And, of course, it made it much easier to take my clothes off.

Photo by Richard Fegley