Earlier this month, it was announced that Vendela Lindblom would be the January 2019 Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine, according to a report from the Daily Mail. The 23-year-old model will be the first woman rocking a completely shaved head to be featured in the popular magazine.

While chatting with the Blast, the Swedish model said she decided to shave her head about five years ago and she said she actually feels sexier without the hair. She said the decision came out from a desire to set herself apart from other people. She went on to say she was simply tired of looking like everyone else.

She told the site she feels more liberated and “one hundred percent sexier” without hair.

“I feel more empowered without the hair. Before, I used to be so obsessed with my hair. If I had a bad hair day, it could almost ruin my whole day. Now I don’t even have to think about it,” she explained.

In her Playboy profile, she talks about the experience of being labeled by others because of her hair.

“People often paint a picture of me way before they even meet me. They think that I am a certain way because of my shaved head and tough look. In reality, I’m extremely shy,” she confessed.

The model also took to Instagram to share a completely nude (but censored) behind-the-scenes photo from her shoot with the magazine, which can be seen by clicking this link or visiting Vendela’s profile, above. Photographer Josh Ryan also shared some photos from the shoot.

Vendela’s Playboy shoot took place in what appears to be a boxing gym. In many of the photos, the model can be seen wearing different pieces of boxing gear, including boxer shorts and gloves. In her profile, she revealed that she absolutely loves boxing in real life and has managed to create solid workout routines with her trainer despite being “uncoordinated.”

The model said she landed her gig with Playboy with “a certain confidence in front of the camera.” But landing modeling gigs hasn’t always been easy for Vendela. She opened up about how her look has cause setbacks in her career; she said she has lost several jobs to models with long hair. However, she doesn’t allow the rejection to keep her down.

“I understand that my look isn’t for everyone,” she said. “It’s important to stay positive, focus on your goal and power through. You’ll get your ‘yes’ when the time is right.”

Some may recognize Vendela from the popular video game Battlefield 1, where she posed as the model for the game’s first female multiplayer character.