Playboy’s Playmate of the Year: A Feminist Preaching Women’s Empowerment

Nina Daniele speaks out about female sexuality and acceptance in this #MeToo moment.

Nina Daniele on the cover of Playboy (Playboy)
Nina Daniele on the cover of Playboy (Playboy)

Bronx native Nina Daniele gave an empowered speech on Friday at Playboy’s Playmate of the Year Brunch, discussing everything from her aunt’s misconceptions about her profession—she “thinks I do porn and I let her [think that]”—to what it means in 2018 for a woman to be a professional nude model.

“People will say, “You just want attention! How does taking off your clothing empower women? What do you even stand for?” Daniele recounted.

“But taking your clothes off doesn’t imply empowerment. That’s too literal. It implies that I don’t care what you have to say about my body. It is just the shell of the person inside and I refuse to let what you or society say about me dim my light and taint my truth as a person, as a human, and as a woman,” Daniele said.

“Allowing me to show other girls and other women we are not the opinions of society; we are the opinions of ourselves, and we are beautiful because we say we are.”

The 26-year-old is the first playmate named since Hugh Hefner’s 2017 death, and Daniele told Fox News that she’s “extremely passionate” about the title. And she noted she appears in the first issue of the magazine with its new, updated motto: “Entertainment for all.”

“It’s given my place in the [Time’s Up and #MeToo] movements we’re experiencing as women. It allows me to voice my opinion and to have a foundation to stand on,” Daniele said. “I’m especially honored to be part of the issue that is ‘entertainment for all’ because it’s means we’re women supporting women. It’s not just entertainment for men anymore.”

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