Amputee model Marsha Elle has recalled seeing her Playboy pictorial for the first time.
The April 2020 Playmate was born with a condition known as a proximal femoral focal deficiency, which affected the growth of her right leg. This resulted in it being amputated and her receiving her first prosthetic leg at the age of just five years old.
However, she eventually found her calling in the modeling world, receiving a call from Jameela Jamil earlier this year to become the iconic magazine's April 2020 Playmate.
Now, Elle calls herself a "bionic model" and opened up to Fox News about why her pictorial left her speechless and how her confidence has skyrocketed over the years.
This model with a facial birthmark is encouraging others to embrace the skin they're in:Elle explained that Jameela asked her to model for playboy and because they had developed a friendship in the months before, she trusted the actress and was confident that she'd be able to get across her message in the pictorial.
Elle said: "We ended up meeting in Miami and the relationship just blossomed from there. Five months later, she said, 'I'm editing Playboy and I would love to have you be a part of this. No pressure. Just think about it.' I said yes because I felt so confident in her. She understood my position and the message I want to present."
Discussing Jameela's reaction to the photos, she said that the actress couldn't wait to see them and that when she saw them herself, "it was surreal".
She said: "I got chills. It shook me to my core. I kept saying to myself, 'This is really me.' I knew I had this confidence but to see it portrayed was remarkable. When you're shooting, there are so many moving elements so a picture really does tell a thousand words. I think ours said maybe five to 10,000 words. The outcome was wonderful. My family is very proud of them."
Elle said that she's proud of the platform Playboy has given her as an amputee and hopes that it will inspire others to embrace what makes them different.
She said: "I'm proud to share my story and feeling that I don't have to hide behind baggy clothes. I really felt like I ostracized myself from the world until I went to [amputee] camp early on and met other people like me. I think that really empowered me over the years. I didn't feel alone. I hope that when people look at me, they can say to themselves, She overcame her insecurities and now look how far she has gone. I can do the same, too.'"
She explained that her confidence came from her early modeling shoots which helped to build the body positivity that she was already working on at this time.
"I started [modeling] at 17, 18 years old. I had this strong belief that my photos would show the confidence that I'm building. And then the photos started going viral. I never thought this would have ever been positive, but my confidence led me to believe in myself… No one desires to be disabled… But that doesn't take away from your sexuality or sensuality."
Elle's Playboy pictorial was so well received that it was even shared by Jada Pinkett Smith on Instagram.
Reacting to her support, Elle said: "It's so heartwarming. When you're in an industry like this, sometimes you put so much of yourself into the work that you honestly don't expect anyone else to notice… So when she noticed it, that meant something. It was so encouraging."
Elle said that while there have been times where she hasn't been so confident, she'd give the following advice to her younger self:
"Don't give up. Ever. Don't stop creating. Even in your darkest, darkest days, find ways to be creative and discover the things that bring out the best of you. Don't look back at your setbacks and don't take anything personally."
