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The newly-crowned Playboy Girl Lee Pani (20), winner of the first-ever domestic Playboy model contest, says she went to sleep one night and woke up the next morning to find herself a star. Lee won the contest put on by the U.S. men's magazine together with its Korean partner Spice TV at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.
The name ¡°Playboy¡± with its promise of bared flesh had something to do with it, but the day after the contest ¡°Lee Pani¡± became the no. 1 query at Korea's portal sites, and no fewer than 10 fan clubs with more than 1,000 members have already sprung up.
¡°When we first gathered, it seemed to me like I was going to win,¡± she recalls. ¡°But on the day of the competition, some competitors who didn¡¯t look like much suddenly did really well, so by the time the winner was called, I really wasn't expecting anything.¡±
With fantastic curves -- 174 cm tall and weighing 49 kg with measurements of 34-23-36 -- she was clearly top among the 17 women who made it to the final. Her hottest asset is a waistline that would make even Lee Hyo-lee jealous. Personally Lee is proud of her formidable chest and hips, which make her quite literally stand out from the crowd. But she also won the singing competition with her rendition of the Whitney Houston classic ¡°I Will Always Love You.¡±
Though confidence is her strong point, it must be hard to ignore the prejudice against Playboy models. ¡°The first thing we think of when we hear the word 'Playboy' is nude women. But there is something more to that in being a Playboy model: pride. Famous actresses like Sharon Stone and Kim Basinger started out as Playboy models,¡± she rehearses. ¡°What makes me even prouder is that I¡¯ve been picked as the Asian representative to promote the World Cup.¡±
Playboy held an international competition for models to take part in the ¡°Playboy World Team Photo Shoot¡± coinciding with the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, and Lee will be the face and body of Asia in an album shot at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles toward the middle of the month.
Lee insists she has had no cosmetic surgery and doesn¡¯t want to. ¡°I want to do many things, but I¡¯ll focus on living up to my title for the time being,¡± she adds. ¡°Later if I have a chance, I want to show another side of me.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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