Playboy representatives spent the past four days in Tempe recruiting for their first non-nude poster, which will feature at least two ASU women.
From noon to 6 p.m. Friday through Monday, the Hilton North Pointe in Phoenix was filled with women from all over the Valley who were looking to be one of the seven to walk away with a place on the poster and a year-long contract with the international company.
The promotion is called “Wet ‘n’ Wild” and the women chosen will be the official “Bikini Team.”
Recruiter Steve Laur said this assignment is a great opportunity for women who desire a career in modeling.
“This will provide tons of personal experience and put these girls right in the spotlight,” Laur said.
Natalie Muller, an ASU undeclared sophomore, said she wants some of that attention, especially from the modeling industry.
“Working for Playboy would be a great opportunity,” she said. “It would be good to add to my profile and if I were to do any adult modeling, it would be for Playboy because it is the most classy.”
She added that she did not feel the auditions were degrading.
“This is a choice that I made and it is tasteful work,” she said. “People who know me know my limits and this is just work.”
Along with the one-year contract that entails tours with the boat and national coverage, the women chosen will receive royalties from the poster. This is the first time Playboy has offered royalties for their employees.
The college edition of Playboy has nothing to do with the poster, and women who do not attend college are also on the poster.
“We did try pretty hard to get college girls, but we couldn’t get the word out as well as we had hoped,” Laur said.
Because the student turnout was so low, Laur hopes to make it back to the Valley some time next month to hire more women.
For Muller, the fact that this is not a nude poster makes a big difference.
“Starting out posing with a swimsuit is what I want to do because I want to be respected,” she said. “I would only do a nude if it was guaranteed to be in Playboy, otherwise I wouldn’t know where the pictures could end up.”
Reach Sandy Almendarez at salmend@imap2.asu.edu.
