Bambi, Unfiltered: Self-Expression, Playboy, and the Art of Being Nude Bambi’s [@bam0915] career in nude modeling began with a recognition of something missing for women in Japan. Her career started very young as a gravure model, where she was made to act in pre-conceived roles to fulfill the sexual fantasies of the consumer. Growing up, she would thumb through Playboy magazines, which is when she first felt a gap in the perception of the female nude between the West and Japan. In the West, the female nude body was seen more as a symbol of power, while in Japan, it was seen as something to hide. Such differences were exacerbated when she went to New York and saw how sex shops and conversations around sex were normalized, in comparison to Japan. Feeling restricted in her ability to express herself and recognizing the conservatism that blankets over the female body, she shifted her career to nude modeling to be the change she wanted to see in her own country. In this career shift, she feels that she truly became Watanabe Bambi– a woman that she idolized and looked up to for her expressiveness in her body and being a symbol of female prowess. To her, the next step only felt natural: being on the Playboy cover. She began auditioning when she was 27, and the opportunity finally came 2 years later when she was chosen to be on the cover for Playboy Croatia and Australia. In the 72-year history of Playboy, this marked her as the first Japanese Playmate to ever be on their cover. But most importantly, it marked a vital step in her goal– showing Japanese women that their body is a marker of power. She continues her journey of normalizing topics of sex, nudity, and self-pleasure in Japan by making her own pleasure goods brand, Elan Ease, her own magazine, Venus Scope [@venusscope], and starting her own gender-free underwear brand, Bushy Park [@bushypark_tokyo]. Through her pursuits, she has created a community and spaces in Japan centered around openness and freedom in self-expression. sabukaru x Bambi editorial— coming soon. Videos/text: @kiki_hayash1 edit: @doyinelcare Stylist: @kiukei_ Hair: @_hrttnk Makeup: @mokawadamakeup Special Thanks: @vibebarwildone
