Pia Reyes

“I am an ethnic jumble,” says Pia Reyes. The exotic beauty wasn’t kidding. Miss Reyes was born in Manila, Philippines, where she was raised with her seven siblings in a Filipino, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese household. The large family eventually moved from the Philippines to Havertown, Pennsylvania, with hopes of a better life. The minute Pia moved to the U.S., she blossomed into the free-spirited person she is today. The tall beauty with the long black hair expressed her newfound freedom on the field as a teenager, and she still has the athletic body to prove it. “I played lacrosse, basketball and tennis. I was a jock— I never wore makeup until college,” explains Miss Reyes, who played on Penn State’s national lacrosse team. “My parents had their Filipino friends—my mom was always cooking this smelly fish, but I grew up like a white suburban kid.” Surprisingly, Pia never considered herself to be beautiful enough to model, but her self-perception changed when she sent her photos to Playboy on a whim, and was declared Miss November 1988. “I still don't believe it, but I guess a jock with the right makeup can look pretty good,” says our Playmate of the Month, her dark eyes sparkling. Playmate Pia has proven, through her modeling and acting, that makeup is that last thing she needs to showcase her beauty. The all-natural Asian-American has landed roles on The Young and the Restless, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and also in the movie On Deadly Ground with Steven Seagal. “If they want a blonde, they get a blonde. If they want an Oriental girl, here I am,” says Miss November 1988 on the roles made available for Asian beauties. Feisty Pia plans to take a stand against movie roles being primarily given to Caucasian actresses, and is determined to break out of the ‘Asian-only’ typecast. This stance also applies to her love life. “Some men want to sleep with me because I’m Oriental. They think I’ll be subservient,” says Pia. “Maybe women in Bangkok are that, but not me. Not all the time, anyway.” Miss Reyes’s beauty is more than her appearance—much, much more.