Jennifer Krum First Amputee Playboy Centerfold

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Jennifer Krum First Amputee Playboy Centerfold

James Joyner | Monday, January 17, 2005

Model becomes first amputee Playboy centrefold (WebIndia – ANI)

It can well prove to a small step for Playboy, but a giant leap for mankind. According to New York Daily News, the 25-year-old amputee model Jennifer Krum feels she will send a strong message to all the girls like her when she reveals all for a playboy.com pictorial tomorrow, during a photo shoot in Chicago.

Krum, who lost her left hand and forearm in a car accident when she was four – was discovered by the magazine after she won Howard Stern’s “Miss Amputee 2004″ contest last week. “If I was an able-bodied, all-of-my-limbs girl, I don’t know if I’d do it…I’m doing it mainly because I want to send the message to people who are amputees, or have issues with confidence or don’t find themselves attractive or sexy – that you can be attractive or sexy, even if you’re an amputee,” she said.

“They heard the broadcast and called Howard after they saw my pictures online. It says a lot about Playboy,” she added. “They’re sending a huge, positive message. They’re saying they don’t mind. It’s a completely awesome thing around for everyone involved.” Yesterday, Playboy.com’s editor in chief, John D. Thomas, told Lowdown: “She’s a very attractive woman. We would not be taking the pictures if she weren’t.

Interesting. Is Playboy making a progressive statement here or merely exploiting Krum’s misfortune? Of course, given that it’s Playboy, one could argue that the mere fact it’s willing to exploit Krum is itself progressive.

Via GoogleNews. Oddly, I was unable to find the story at the Daily News. I was able to find an earlier report at Forbes:

Winner of Howard Stern’s ‘Miss Amputee 2004′ Beauty Contest Bares All for Playboy.com (Dec. 9, 2004)

Jennifer Krum, the winner of The Howard Stern Show’s first-ever “Miss Amputee” beauty contest, has posed for a nude pictorial featured exclusively on Playboy.com. The sexy 25-year-old amputee model went to Chicago last month to shoot her nude pictorial at the company’s headquarters. She is the first amputee to pose for Playboy.

Krum, who lost her left hand and forearm in a car accident when she was four, feels she will send a strong message to all women with physical disabilities by posing for the Playboy.com pictorial. “Even if you are ‘disabled,’ you can be beautiful, sexy and attractive,” Jennifer told Playboy.com. “Playboy is the epitome of attractiveness, sexiness and beauty, and to be able to pose for Playboy sends a huge message.” Krum is prepared to address any controversy that may arise from people who think she should not have posed: “Who cares about these little things?” says Krum. “Some people might be negative, but if you have goals and dreams, go for them regardless of who says they’re impossible.”

Certainly, it’s her call to make. She appears to have started her own website (reasonably safe-for-work), although it may be a fanboy creation.

About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.

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