WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MIX NORWAY AND BRAZIL?
et's talk about intelligent design. What happens when you put together a former model from Brazil with a strapping sea merchant from Scandinavia? You might expect something extraordinary.
In this case, you get Monica Hansen, a former Miss Norway and cover model. At five-foot-11 and with blockbuster dimensions, she's a certifiable superbreed. "My mom was actually Miss Rio and a famous samba dancer," Monica says, her English honeyed with a slight Nordic lilt. "People see photos and ask if it's Brigitte Bardot. I say, 'No, that's just my mom.'"
Monica grew up on an island outside of Oslo where the Norwegian royal family spends the summer. She was modeling by the age of 14, and a few years
later she captured the title of Miss Norway. "My family is an exotic mix, and I don't look like a standard Norwegian," she says. "I'm skinny but also curvy, and although I'm blonde, I tan really well."
The tanning part worked nicely for her when she moved to Miami at the age of 18. But the change of culture took some adjustment since Scandinavia is more permissive than Miami. "Nudity is not a big deal in Norway," Monica says. "From our teens on, we go topless on the beach, so even the boys don't really take notice. You can go to the mall naked and not get arrested. Topless bathing is accepted in Miami, but I got a lot more attention on the beach there than I was used to."
The modeling world noticed too, and she was soon signed to a major agency, jetting around the world and appearing on the covers of such magazines as Maxim and FHM. Monica now lives alone in Los Angeles, sharing a house with two African tortoises—which can eventually weigh up to 150 pounds. She has yet to name them. "I can't tell if they're boys or girls yet, so I kind of have to wait," she says with a laugh.
"I was born in the year of the horse, and I'm a total free spirit," she says. "I grew up riding horses, and I've always dreamed of riding nude and bareback on a beach." We like the way you think, Monica. Despite her years of modeling, she had never been photographed completely naked before this playboy shoot.
Monica loves animals, but she prefers the company of humans. "I talk a lot," she admits, "which you can probably tell. Thank God you don't know Norwegian or you'd never get in a word!"
Her easygoing nature has a natural upside. "In high heels I'm six-two and tower over a lot of men, so I can seem intimidating. But I'm a total goofball, and I can hang with anyone. People quickly feel comfortable around me, and that intimidation factor is soon gone."
In addition to modeling, she's designing clothes, acting and painting. "I'm artistic, and I'm looking for an artistic guy," she says. "We're all drawn to people similar to ourselves, and I like men who are a little mysterious, maybe a little bit odd—more of a Johnny Depp than an all-star Tom Cruise." Makes sense.
As for the next step, Monica says, "I'm still on an inner search. Artists are more lost than most people, and I'm always galloping to where the grass is greener." She laughs merrily. "I'm a forever-galloping horse."
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