Transgender model Vittoria Schisano is making waves for becoming the first transgender woman to grace the Italian edition of Playboy’s cover.

Playboy Italy - repubblica.it

"If you can dream it, you can do it," reads a caption on Schisano's Instagram account accompanying a photo from the shoot.

Schisano, an Italian actress who transitioned five years ago,told the Italian language magazine La Repubblica that the photo marked a meaningful achievement and a milestone in her personal journey.

"Being on the cover today, after having been able to realize the dream of becoming physically a woman, takes on a double meaning for me. It's [doesn't take] a scalpel to make you a woman, you are first in your soul," Schisano said.



While the model's cover marks the first time the magazine's Italian edition features a transgender model, it is not a first for the brand. Caroline Cossey, a Transgender English model who was also a Bond girl, appeared on the U.S. edition's cover in 1981 and 1991.

The past few months have been a time of major change for Playboy. The magazine shocked its readership (whoever that is) when it announced in October of last year that its print magazine would no longer feature nude photos. The first copies of the American version of Playboy's post-nudity era will hit newsstands this weekend.

However, the Italian edition will still feature naked women, XBiz.com noted, like Schisano.