# Ines Rau
**Ines Rau** (Ines-Loan Rau, born 1990) is a French model of Algerian descent who became the first openly transgender Playmate in the history of *Playboy* magazine, appearing as the centerfold of the November/December 2017 issue[1](https://as.com/us/tikitakas/el-estilo-de-vida-de-ines-rau-la-supuesta-novia-transgenero-de-mbappe-n/) • [2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/10/21/ines-rau-named-playboys-first-transgender-playmate/). She has since worked with fashion houses including Saint Laurent, Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, and L'Oréal Paris, and has also worked as an actress, author, and DJ[3](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ines-rau).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990; French, of Algerian descent[1](https://as.com/us/tikitakas/el-estilo-de-vida-de-ines-rau-la-supuesta-novia-transgenero-de-mbappe-n/) |
| Playboy firsts | Nude feature in the May 2014 "Evolution" issue; first openly transgender Playmate and centerfold in the magazine's 64-year history, November/December 2017[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/10/21/ines-rau-named-playboys-first-transgender-playmate/) • [4](https://i-d.co/article/trans-is-not-a-trend-says-model-ines-rau/) |
| Selection | Chosen as Playmate by Hugh Hefner a few months before his death in September 2017 at age 91[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/10/21/ines-rau-named-playboys-first-transgender-playmate/) • [5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=danbpnvMcSA) |
| Fashion work | Saint Laurent, Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, L'Oréal Paris, Balmain campaign, American and Italian *Vogue*[3](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ines-rau) • [6](https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/playboy-welcomes-first-transgender-playmate/) |
| Writing and acting | Autobiography *Femme* (2018); the series *Vernon Subutex* with Romain Duris on Canal+ (2019)[7](https://www.mixtemagazine.com/article/ines-rau-becoming-empowered-is-in-fact-about-regaining-ones-sovereignty/) |
| Agencies | IMG Paris, IMG Milano, Modelwerk (Hamburg); height 178 cm[8](https://imgmodels.com/directory/paris/ines-rau/) |
| Social media | About 1.3 million Instagram followers[9](https://models.com/models/ines-rau) |
## Early life and transition
Rau has said that she knew from early childhood that she wanted to be a girl. In an interview with i-D she described starting hormonal treatment at 16 and undergoing gender reassignment surgery with the support of her parents and siblings[4](https://i-d.co/article/trans-is-not-a-trend-says-model-ines-rau/). Her own account to the Philippine Daily Inquirer differs: she said she had sex reassignment surgery at age 19, not 16 as she stated was written elsewhere, and that she revealed her trans identity publicly at 24[10](https://entertainment.inquirer.net/314353/first-openly-transgender-playmate-wants-to-be-an-actress). The two published ages therefore stand as an unresolved discrepancy between interviews given by Rau herself. She grew up between Paris, where her favorite neighborhoods are Pigalle and [Montmartre](https://www.edgepedia.org/montmartre), and later New York, where she began her modeling career[11](https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/ines-rau-paris) • [12](https://unsaid.com/library/ines-rau).
## Playboy and the 2014 breakthrough
Rau first posed nude for *Playboy* in 2013, for the magazine's Art Issue, in a feature in which she represented the letter E for Evolution[4](https://i-d.co/article/trans-is-not-a-trend-says-model-ines-rau/). The feature appeared in the May 2014 issue under the title "Evolution," a survey of what *Playboy* described as humanity's halting shift toward acceptance of gender identities beyond the male-female binary[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/10/21/ines-rau-named-playboys-first-transgender-playmate/) • [13](https://www.eonline.com/news/888112/meet-ines-rau-playboy-s-first-transgender-playmate).
The spread drew the attention of the Marilyn Agency, which signed her on the spot, and Rau has described it as the moment she came out to the fashion industry[4](https://i-d.co/article/trans-is-not-a-trend-says-model-ines-rau/) • [14](https://www.mic.com/articles/185395/model-ines-rau-makes-playboy-history-as-first-ever-out-transgender-playmate). She was not the first transgender woman to appear in the magazine: Caroline "Tula" Cossey, who had appeared as an extra in the [James Bond](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-bond) film *For Your Eyes Only*, was featured in a 1981 issue and again in 1991 after being outed, but neither appearance made her a Playmate[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/10/21/ines-rau-named-playboys-first-transgender-playmate/).
## Playmate of the Month, 2017
In October 2017 *Playboy* announced that Rau would be the Playmate of the Month for its November/December 2017 issue, the first transgender woman to hold the title and appear as the centerfold in the magazine's 64-year history[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/10/21/ines-rau-named-playboys-first-transgender-playmate/) • [5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=danbpnvMcSA). The issue was also a tribute to founder [Hugh Hefner](https://www.edgepedia.org/hugh-hefner), who had died the previous month at 91, and appears on the cover; Hefner had personally chosen Rau as a Playmate a few months before his death[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/10/21/ines-rau-named-playboys-first-transgender-playmate/) • [6](https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/playboy-welcomes-first-transgender-playmate/).
The magazine's executive chairman, [Cooper Hefner](https://www.edgepedia.org/cooper-hefner), told *The New York Times* that Rau was selected because she is "lovely" and has "a remarkable personality," adding "We're at a moment where gender roles are evolving"[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/playboy-welcomes-first-transgender-playmate/). Rau told the magazine that coming out as transgender had been liberating: "It's a salvation to speak the truth about yourself, whether it's your gender, sexuality, whatever"[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/10/21/ines-rau-named-playboys-first-transgender-playmate/). She has described the announcement as generating worldwide press coverage from *The New York Times* and *The Washington Post* to outlets in Tokyo, Africa, Europe, and Australia, and has said she is the last Playmate chosen by Hugh Hefner[3](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ines-rau).
## Modeling career
Rau began modeling in New York, where she was scouted; she has said she was studying at the [Actors Studio](https://www.edgepedia.org/actors-studio) when modeling work found her, though acting was her original ambition[3](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ines-rau). Early credits included campaigns for Alexis Bittar and Barneys, a Barneys shoot by [Bruce Weber](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruce-weber-photographer) alongside 16 other trans creatives, and a runway walk for Nicole Miller[4](https://i-d.co/article/trans-is-not-a-trend-says-model-ines-rau/). She has since appeared in American *Vogue*, Italian *Vogue*, and a Balmain campaign, and photographed by Willy Vanderperre among others[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/playboy-welcomes-first-transgender-playmate/) • [15](https://www.vogue.com/article/ines-rau-transgender-visibility-in-fashion). Her agency roster as of 2025 lists IMG Paris, IMG Milano, and Modelwerk in Hamburg[8](https://imgmodels.com/directory/paris/ines-rau/).
**Recent work.** In 2022 she appeared in the L'Oréal Paris Infaillible make-up campaign with singer Yseult and model Luma Grothe, walked the amfAR Cannes gala show organized by Carine Roitfeld, and opened the Lecourt Mansion show at Paris Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2022-2023, whose creative director Nix Lecourt Mansion is herself a transgender designer[7](https://www.mixtemagazine.com/article/ines-rau-becoming-empowered-is-in-fact-about-regaining-ones-sovereignty/). Other recorded credits include the L'Oréal Paris runway shows of 2021 and 2022, a GCDS spring/summer 2023 show, and a March 2025 Vogue France editorial[9](https://models.com/models/ines-rau). In a 2016 *Vogue* interview she identified commercial work and a beauty contract as the barriers still closed to trans models, noting that trans models appeared in provocative luxury editorials but not in ads for H&M or Zara[15](https://www.vogue.com/article/ines-rau-transgender-visibility-in-fashion).
## Writing, acting, and music
Rau published her autobiography, *Femme*, in 2018, recounting her transition and life as a trans woman; she has said she wrote part of it at the Café Beaubourg next to the [Centre Pompidou](https://www.edgepedia.org/centre-pompidou)[7](https://www.mixtemagazine.com/article/ines-rau-becoming-empowered-is-in-fact-about-regaining-ones-sovereignty/) • [11](https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/ines-rau-paris). She then appeared in the series *Vernon Subutex* with [Romain Duris](https://www.edgepedia.org/romain-duris) on Canal+ in 2019[7](https://www.mixtemagazine.com/article/ines-rau-becoming-empowered-is-in-fact-about-regaining-ones-sovereignty/), and has also appeared in *Emily in Paris*[3](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ines-rau). In music she performs as a DJ, drawing on house and electronic music, with sets at [Burning Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/burning-man) and at Pacha in Ibiza[3](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ines-rau).
## Activism
Rau describes herself as a champion of diversity, inclusivity, and indigenous rights, and more recently as a "human empowerment advocate"[11](https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/ines-rau-paris) • [7](https://www.mixtemagazine.com/article/ines-rau-becoming-empowered-is-in-fact-about-regaining-ones-sovereignty/). She spoke about her life as a trans model in a documentary broadcast on the French channel TF1's news program Sept à Huit in 2016, and has said she wanted her feature-length documentary project to add levity rather than sadness to trans representation[11](https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/ines-rau-paris) • [15](https://www.vogue.com/article/ines-rau-transgender-visibility-in-fashion). On 13 June 2020 she took part in the anti-racist and anti-police-violence march "Truth and Justice for Adama" on the Place de la République in Paris, carrying a "Black Trans Lives Matter" sign and chanting to the crowd through a megaphone[7](https://www.mixtemagazine.com/article/ines-rau-becoming-empowered-is-in-fact-about-regaining-ones-sovereignty/).
## References
1. [El estilo de vida de Ines Rau, la supuesta novia transgénero de Mbappé, AS Tikitakas](https://as.com/us/tikitakas/el-estilo-de-vida-de-ines-rau-la-supuesta-novia-transgenero-de-mbappe-n/)
2. [Ines Rau is Playboy's first transgender Playmate, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/10/21/ines-rau-named-playboys-first-transgender-playmate/)
3. [In conversation with Ines Rau, Numéro Netherlands](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ines-rau)
4. [Trans is not a trend, says model Ines Rau, i-D](https://i-d.co/article/trans-is-not-a-trend-says-model-ines-rau/)
5. [Playboy's first transgender 'playmate' hopes to 'pave way for all women', The Star via YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=danbpnvMcSA)
6. [Playboy Welcomes First Transgender Playmate, CBS News Baltimore](https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/playboy-welcomes-first-transgender-playmate/)
7. [Inès Rau: "Becoming empowered is in fact about regaining one's sovereignty", Mixte Magazine](https://www.mixtemagazine.com/article/ines-rau-becoming-empowered-is-in-fact-about-regaining-ones-sovereignty/)
8. [Ines Rau, IMG Models directory](https://imgmodels.com/directory/paris/ines-rau/)
9. [Ines Rau, Model Profile, Models.com](https://models.com/models/ines-rau)
10. [First openly transgender Playmate wants to be an actress, Philippine Daily Inquirer](https://entertainment.inquirer.net/314353/first-openly-transgender-playmate-wants-to-be-an-actress)
11. [Model and activist Inès Rau shares her Paris address book with Vogue, British Vogue](https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/ines-rau-paris)
12. [Ines Rau finds her balance between punk, goddess and phoenix, Unsaid](https://unsaid.com/library/ines-rau)
13. [Meet Ines Rau, Playboy's first transgender Playmate, E! Online](https://www.eonline.com/news/888112/meet-ines-rau-playboy-s-first-transgender-playmate)
14. [Model Ines Rau makes 'Playboy' history as first-ever out transgender Playmate, Mic](https://www.mic.com/articles/185395/model-ines-rau-makes-playboy-history-as-first-ever-out-transgender-playmate)
15. [Ines Rau is speaking out, breaking boundaries, and lifting the veil on the life of trans models, Vogue](https://www.vogue.com/article/ines-rau-transgender-visibility-in-fashion)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Clothing, textiles, and domestic crafts › Fashion and commercial models › Glamour and pin-up models*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license