First black Playboy playmate reveals naked truth on beauty standards

First black Playboy playmate reveals naked truth on beauty standards

In March 1965 Jennifer Jackson was the first African-American woman to be selected Playmate of the Month by _Playboy_ magazine during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. TheGrio had a chance to catch up with the recent retiree currently living in Renton, Washington and discuss how her _Playboy_ pictorial helped to change the standard of beauty in America. **What did it mean to be the first African-American woman to be a Playmate on March 1965? Did you consider yourself a role model at the time? Do you consider yourself a role model?** Quite frankly when I was asked by Pompeo Posar, a leading playmate photographer. He came to the club and asked if I could be a playmate. I didn't have to take test pictures. I told him no, my parents wouldn't want me. I was a bunny in the Chicago club, have a twin sister, who was a bunny for a short while. We were the twin bunnies at the Playboy club back in the good ole days. I told them no, I was 18 at the time and had an argument with my boyfriend and I said I will show him then I agreed to do it. I didn't think about being the first of anything until the picture came out. **What was the reaction to your cover? Did you receive any backlash, threats?** I got so much fan mail. There was someone at the magazine in Chicago who told me that I had more fan mail than any playmate -- not all positive, some negative since I was black. I looked kind of Hispanic. Most people knew I was black. I thought [Hugh] Hefner was very brave to do that. At the time lots of hostility with race relationships. Things were not equal in some states you couldn't go to hotels in the South being black and eat in certain restaurants in the North and South. That's when I realized this was a big issue. **WATCH EXCERPT OF CNBC'S HUGH HEFNER BIOGRAPHY** "Hefner was very brave":http://www.thegrio.com/entertainment/naked-truth-about-hefners-civil-rights-activism-exposed-in-new-film.php at that time in '65 when there were a lot of riots down South. Hefner told me -- I was at his mansion in Chicago that 's before he moved it to Los Angeles -- he said in order to be Playmate of the Year the person would have to go on speaking engagements around the country and he was afraid for me security wise -- his reason for not making me Playmate of the Year -- I thought it was kind of lame, but at least he did it. I received fan mail from all over South Africa and Germany, men asking me me to marry them -- white guys. The thing is I was making a difference. **You were a college student?** I finally got my bachelor's in counseling and worked as a social worker for twenty years in the state of Washington. I am one of the few playmates that have a college degree. I didn't' know that until I went back to the reunion. After that I moved to New York and pursued a modeling career with Eileen Ford [agency]. Most work was done through other agencies, one was a black agency. Madison Avenue was just realizing they needed black models. In '65 through the 80s it was a revolution with people of color they started using us. I was the first model to do an ad for COOL cigarettes, not proud of it. First African-American woman to do Clairol "Does she or doesn't she" ads. The first African-American woman to appear in Avon. I did a lot of work for [John H.] Johnson's _Ebony_ magazine. They chose me to be their premier model for a fashion tour. They took a picture of me in front of Lincoln Center, I felt better being recognized by my own people. See more from "CNBC Titans: Hugh Hefner":http://www.cnbc.com/id/39654426/