Ida Ljungqvist

Say hello or hej, or hujambo to global citizen Ida Ljungqvist, our Miss March 2008 and Playmate of the Year 2009. Shes half Tanzanian and half Swedish, with brown hair and eyes, full lips and a full figure. She was discovered in a boutique on Rodeo Drive by another Playmate of the Year, Sara Jean Underwood. She used to shop in my store, says Ida. She thought I was Playmate material. Sara came in unannounced with the Girls Next Door, and on camera, they offered her the chance to pose for Playboy. I never thought I would be a model, let alone a Playmate, she says, but its a great opportunity, and a platform to raise awareness of world issues. Shes our 50th Anniversary Playmate of the Year, and most notably, the first to devote her title to charity.Ida was born in Tanzania, and thanks to her fathers job with UNICEF, shes lived all over the world Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia and South Africa, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines, England, France, Sweden and Denmark, and now in Los Angeles, California. My first language is English, but I speak Swedish and Swahili, says Ida. She has a degree in fashion design and marketing, and would like to return to school for more advanced courses in economics. For now, Im going to focus on my career as a model, she says, but eventually, I think Id like to be a fashion designer in New York City. Id like to work behind the scenes in the fashion industry. With a head for business and a body for pleasure, theres one thing for sure Ida makes a difference in the world.