FORMER MISS World Rosanna Davison has made history by being the first Irish woman to feature on the cover of Playboy magazine.
The Irish model and daughter of singer Chris de Burgh appears topless on the cover of German Playboy’s October issue, which was published yesterday.
Davison is rumoured to have received a six-figure sum for the shoot, which took place in January on a beach in Mauritius.
“I thought long and hard about my decision,” Davison said yesterday on the phone from New York. “I was assured I would have full control over every aspect of the shoot, from the styling to the location, to what I wanted to be retouched and what I didn’t want to be changed.
“I didn’t think I was in a position where I could be exploited. And I just thought, God, I’m 28 – well, I was 27 at the time – and I’m not getting any younger. What’s the point in doing things that are predictable all of the time?”
Davison, who has a sociology degree from UCD, is aware of the feminist view of Playboy as a misogynistic publication, but said women were at the forefront of her mind when she agreed to do it.
“I felt a responsibility towards other women and I did wonder whether it was the right thing to do . . . I felt like it was more of a celebration of a woman’s body – it’s nothing to be embarrassed about, nothing to hide.”
Asked what de Burgh made of his daughter’s latest shoot, she said: “I don’t know . . . I mean, I’m sure he’s seen them. He was very supportive, but I haven’t sat down with the magazine and asked which are his favourites.”