Ida Ljungqvist: Hugh Hefner's First African Playmate of the Year
By
Karu F. Daniels
on May 5th 2009 6:06PM
Many puns can come into play with the news of Playboy magazine czar Hugh Hefner selecting a naturally born African woman as his latest "Playmate of the Year," but we will refrain.On May 2, Tanzanian-born Ida Ljungqvist was named the 2009 Playmate of the Year at Las Vegas's famed Palms Hotel & Casino. Our pals over at HipHollywood.comwas there to catch all the happenings as it went down. Along with the title of 50th Playmate of the Year, the 27-year-old (who was previously know as Miss March 2008) was given $100,000 in prize money, a new Mazda6 car, and a bigPlayboy magazine bottle of Patron.
"I come from a fantastic family. If someone asked you to take your clothes off, what would you do?" Ljungqvist told reporters about baring her all. "My mother didn't speak to me for a month.Hefner, 83, called the former BeBe boutique staffer "truly unique." The aspiring actress added, "as for being naked, I'm done with that," but we'll see about that.The bicentennial Playmate of the Year celebration was the first time the ceremony was not held at the Playboy Mansion.
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher (1788-1860)
