Bunnies and a Centerfold
Because of the nature of the magazine, there will always be beautiful women betwen the covers of Playboy. The Playmate of the Month and centerfold are iconic sections of the magazine. In 1964, Miss August China Lee became the first Asian American Playmate of the Month, and in 1965, Miss March Jennifer Jackson made history as the first African-American Playmate of the Month. Jackson worked as a Bunny, along with her twin sister, in the Baltimore Playboy Club. Another Bunny from the Baltimore Club made history five years later. Gina Byrams won the honor of being named International Bunny of the Year in 1970. This African-American Playmate earned the title in the very first year that the competition was held. In showing that African-American women were just as beautiful, and could compete with, their white counterparts, Playboy was allowing all African-Americans to see themselves in this way. Black Power was about self-discovery and coming to the conclusion that the African-American people are much more than what white America had said that they could be. Changing how one felt about themselves and creating a positive self-worth was the first step toward Black consciousness.
