Gillian Chan

November 2019 Playmate, Gillian Chan will spark mindfulness. A beautiful model and intellectual, Gillian recently graduated with a degree in psychology and has a strong passion for changing the way we see and understand mental health. “I come from a multi-ethnic family. My father is half Chinese and half Canadian, and my mother is Jamaican. But like most families with similar backgrounds, open discussions about emotions and wellness weren’t common,” explains this San Francisco native. “That’s why my goal is to increase access to mental health services through a series of holistic wellness retreats directed towards people of color." Gillian is featured in this year’s pleasure issue, and for her, self-care and mental health go hand in hand with this theme. “Simply put, pleasure means peace of mind,” she says. “It exists in moments when I feel supported, loved or in communion with nature. In recent years, I have realized that practicing self-care is key.” As for her career, Gillian interestingly found modeling. “When I moved back to New York, I stumbled upon an Instagram profile of a girl I thought looked similar to me,” she begins. After finding her agency and submitting a photo, Gillian was booking soon after. “They got back to me within a week. I was shocked. I never thought I’d be a model,” she says. Now thoroughly enjoying her line of work, she is proud to pose nude. “I’ve seen how Playboy has changed over the years, and I want to be a part of that change,” she says. “For me, posing nude feels like a form of artistic expression — here are the curves of my body, here’s how a body looks, and it’s normal. Why is it such a big deal?” Want to learn more about the beautiful Gillian? Check out her gallery, right here on Playboy Plus!