Fawna MacLaren

During a trip to France, Fawna MacLaren’s life was forever changed when Elle magazine approached her on the street. Fawna couldn’t fathom why Elle believed she was model material, a diamond in the rough. She wasn’t popular at her high school, Beverly Hills High, and was often insulted for being too tall and having wild, curly hair. Often referred to as a “bean-pole wallflower”, the five foot, ten inch Miss MacLaren was shocked to see that her Elle photographs wound up on the cover of the Parisian magazine. “I looked at the cover and thought, ‘that girl's pretty’, and then I thought, ‘wait a minute, that girl's me!’” says Fawna. The pretty Santa Monica girl’s modeling career skyrocketed from the minute her face was plastered on Elle’s cover. Voluptuous Fawna has since worked in Morocco, Senegal, Italy and Martinique. However, becoming an international model doesn’t hold a candle to the prestige of being crowned Playboy’s 35th Anniversary Playmate, according to the Playmate herself. “Posing for these pictures, I tried very hard to be pretty. This is such an honor—I tried to do justice to it. Being in front of the camera was a thrill. I thought, ‘this is my moment’,” says Miss January 1989. “When I saw my face on the cover of Elle, I guess then I thought, I must look okay. But, I never really felt sexy before this. And let me tell you, sexy—that's truly a great feeling.” Our Miss January 1989 isn’t the only person who was ecstatic about becoming our 35th Anniversary Playmate and winner of a $35,000 cash prize. Actress Brigette Nielsen, from such films as Beverly Hills Cop II and Rocky IV, is one of our Playmate’s best friends—and also, her personal clothing store. “She treats me like a sister—and this is a big plus—I get to borrow her clothes,” laughs Fawna. “I'm going to spend some of my $35,000 on Rodeo Drive. I owe Brigitte a few outfits. But, most of it will go straight to the bank.” Nothing is sexier than a Playmate with a good head on her shoulders.