New mom Brook Power is a new mom, and she’s Playboy’s 2017 Playmate of the Year. (Photo: David Bellemere)

Playboy has crowned its 2017 Playmate of the Year — and here’s why you should care: Brook Power is not only the first Native American model to snag the title, she’s also a new mom.

Power, who is based in Oahu, Hawaii, gave birth only five months ago to son Ozzie with partner Zac Taylor, also a model. On the cover, Power poses topless in a tropical setting with a carefully positioned parrot, and in one interior shot, she leans against rocks in a waterfall, topless and wearing sheer, gold embroidered pants.

On Instagram, one fan called the cover “Iconic, revolutionary, stunning!” and another wrote, “Hell yeah, babes with babies.”

The new mom clearly had no reservations stripping down postpartum. “When you’re modeling, you’re constantly getting undressed and changing in front of everyone,” she told Playboy in the new issue, which hits stands on April 25. “I also trusted the aesthetic that I knew the photographer would capture. I think you and I both knew this wasn’t going to be something we would ever regret. It’s something we’re proud of doing.”

Brook Power, a new mom, landed the cover of Playboy. (Photo: David Bellemere)

During the past few years, Playboy has undergone a radical evolution — in January 2013, supermodel Kate Moss graced the cover of the 60th anniversary issue, a move that was hailed as both tasteful and off-brand. At 39, Moss was considerably older than the 18 to 26 age range of the average Playboy model, and she was endlessly accused of promoting eating disorders in the 1990s.

And in October 2015, the magazine announced for the first time in history, that it would no longer feature nudity. “The political and sexual climate of 1953, the year Hugh Hefner introduced Playboy to the world, bears almost no resemblance to today,” Playboy Enterprises CEO Scott Flanders told PR News Wire. The new mission statement also coincided with a magazine redesign: The lighting was artistic, the styling upscale, and the models’ classically come-hither sexuality was subtler. The publication did, however, bring nudity back a year later.

Story continues

However, featuring a new mom — who, at least on the surface, may not quite resemble the average woman — is possibly its most progressive move yet. While we’re seeing more diversity in mainstream fashion, thanks to plus-size models such as Ashley Graham and Charli Howard, it’s still refreshing to see a new aesthetic in men’s magazines, which have historically promoted a stereotypical type of sexuality. Another example is Sports Illustrated, which recently featured new mom Chrissy Teigen posing in a bikini shortly after giving birth to daughter Luna.

Power did not return Yahoo Beauty’s request for comment, but she couldn’t contain her excitement, writing on Instagram, “So cool to be Playmate of the Year the same year I had a baby. Very empowering as a woman!”

Thanks @playboy ! So cool to be Playmate of the year the same year i had a baby ????????very empowering as a woman! Love you @davidbellemere and @tarawilliams_ and @missjobaker for helpin a sister look flyyy ????#pmoy2017 A post shared by Brook Power (@brookpower) on Apr 18, 2017 at 4:40pm PDT

Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty.

