Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth

PLAYMATE

Miss March shows her modern spirit and classic appeal in this romantic and revealing pictorial

The ultimate girl next door is a term often thrown around but seldom personified. Miss March Elizabeth Elam, however, is a rare breed, an unlikely amalgam of warmth, grit and obvious beauty. Born in Dallas and raised in Norman, Oklahoma, Elizabeth has a classic life story. Growing up, she spent summers on her grandparents’ farm, barrel racing and singing the national anthem at rodeos, and there was never a glimmer of doubt she would trade her milk-fed upbringing for more provocative pursuits. After being scouted at a local music festival, she moved to Miami and then Europe for several months. “I said, ‘Okay, I’ll model if it’s good money and gets me out of Oklahoma.’ I knew the world was so much bigger,” she says.

Nowtemporarily settled in Los Angeles, the full-time model and progressive thinker isn’t jaded; she’s no wide-eyed ingenue either. She’s also unabashedly low-maintenance. “There are some people who can’t leave the house without taking a shower and getting fully ready to go to Target. I’m like, ‘Why?’ ” Needless to say, if you’re trying to take her out, don’t suggest anything too swanky. “I’m not into the club scene. I love shitty

dive bars. Those are my spots.” When it comes to flirting, she’s into subtle seduction. “The fun part is catching someone’s eye across the room, then wondering if they’re still looking at you, so you keep looking over,” she says shyly. “Build up a little tension beforehand, accidentally brush them as you walk by, that type of thing.”

An unflinching point of view is also paramount. “Now more than ever, it’s important not to be complacent or apathetic,” she says with fervor. “If you feel a certain way, voice it. We don’t really have the luxury not to anymore. It’s easy to be apathetic. But Martin Luther King Jr. said it best: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ It’s true.” Elizabeth doesn’t subscribe to double standards—and she’s down with a guy who’s in touch with his feelings. “I think anybody who believes in equality is a feminist. There are so many sides to being a woman, and a lot of the time you feel that if you pick one, you can’t be another. It applies to guys too. A guy doesn’t have to be only a strong provider who doesn’t show emotions. You can cry and still be ‘manly.’ And as a woman, you can be smart and naked at the same time.” Well said.

DATA SHEET

AGE: 25 BIRTHPLACE: Dallas, Texas CURRENT CITY: Los Angeles, California

MY TAKE ON NUDITY

It’s never been a big deal to me. Everyone, unless you’re a nevernude, is naked every single day. It’s normal. It’s natural. What’s scarier is sharing who you are with somebody. That’s rarerthan being naked in everyday life.

WORK YOUR NERVES

Owning your nervousness can be flattering. Don’t try to be cool. Don’t try to hide that nervousness. If a girl wants to look down on you for it, why are you talking to her? Don’t fake it.

WHAT MAKES ME FEEL SEXY

Feeling secure makes me feel sexy. I feel sexy post-shower or in a T-shirt and underwear on the couch, watching Netflix. It’s an inner feeling. It’s all about being confident and comfortable—that’s when you’re sexiest.

IF YOU WANT TO BUY ME A DRINK

As far as wine goes, I’m a red wine girl, for sure. Cabernet all the way. For some reason, rum straight is the easiest liquor for me to drink. And whiskey and apple juice is my favorite mixed drink. If you haven’t had it, add a splash of apple juice to your glass of whiskey. It just tastes like whiskey but without the burn, and it’s so good.

MY FAVORITE FOODS

I like the worst, most basic allAmerican foods, like pizza, french fries, chicken wings, nachos, pasta and potatoes in any form you can cookthem. I love cooking. I have my grandmother’s mashed potato recipe, which is the bomb. I also do a hamburger steak with eggs and bread crumbs. It’s basically a huge meatball patty, and it’s delicious.

MY PERFECT DAY

I love beach days. I’ll go to the beach around 11 a.m.—no need to wake up too early—come home, chill, do the whole getting-ready ritual. Then I’ll meet up with friends at a bar. You know those nights that start out as nothing and then you end up staying out till four in the morning? Those are the best.

EQUAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST

Equality has always been important to me. I’m the only person in my family who’s not very conservative. In politics, a lot of the time people are afraid to admit they were wrong, so they latch on even more tightly to their beliefs. The more wrong they feel, the tighter they grip. But how privileged do you have to be to feel that human rights and equality aren’t at the forefront when deciding who you’ll vote for?