Playmate Carolina Ballesteros is Miss October 2020. Originally hailing from Spain, Ballesteros interjected her Spanish roots into her Playboy photoshoot with some flamenco vibes. But, she also had the opportunity to marry that with her dark, gothic aesthetic—which yielded a very unique and edgy result.
How She Started
Playboy: Tell us about your origin story with Playboy. How did you get started, and how did you get the connection to become a Playmate?
Carolina Ballesteros: So, it all started during the pandemic. When we were all indoors and not able to go anywhere, my partner and I started to do photoshoots for fun—just to keep for ourselves. But, after one of those photoshoots, he was like “what? This is actually really good. We should probably send it to Playboy. Maybe they want to use it somewhere.” And, it all became something so much bigger than we expected.
I never thought that I would become a Playmate. I just initially thought, “if we can get a story in some magazine, that would be great.” And of course, we both have great admiration for Playboy. The brand is not only really sexy, but it’s empowering. So, we sent the images and got an email a couple days later—which was unexpectedly super fast. The email basically said, “we love this story and we love what you guys did. But, we actually want Carolina to become a Playmate.” At first, I thought somebody hacked the email or something. I was like, “are you sure these are actually people who work for Playboy because this sounds like the type of shit that never happens.” But, it was obviously real! And now, I am the October 2020 Playmate.
Her Photoshoot Experience
Playboy: Please tell us about your shoot experience. What was it like?
Carolina Ballesteros: First of all, I want to start saying that this photoshoot was the most special photoshoot that I have ever done in my life. It was the first time in my life that I actually had a say in what I wanted to do as a model. The photographer Brian Ziff and I pulled the story together ourselves—we created a mood board. My family and I are from the South of Spain, so I wanted to bring my Spanish roots into the shoot with some flamenco vibes. I wanted to mix it up with my aesthetic, which is kind of of dark and gothic, so I wanted everything mixed together. And, that’s what we accomplished.
Playboy: How long was the photoshoot and where did it take place?
Carolina Ballesteros: The photoshoot happened in two days and we shot in Los Angeles. We did the first portion in one very long day for 15 hours. It was in the middle of August and it was 120 degrees, so it was super hot. We were all constantly sweating. And even though we shot for so many hours, we didn’t have time to finish all of the things that we wanted to do. So, Brian and I did a second, separate day on our own and it was amazing. I chose all of the outfits.
it was so exhausting, but so exciting at the same time. It was the first time that I didn’t feel like I’m wearing a costume. As a model, most times it’s like that you don’t feel like you’re yourself because they dress you up the way that they want you to look. But, for my Playboy shoot, I was one hundred percent myself and that was really, really special.
The Issue Release
Playboy: What was it like for you when your issue came out? How did social media, your family, and friends react?
Carolina Ballesteros: It was amazing. I don’t have anything negative to say about it. I was just really excited for it to finally come out because I had to keep the secret for so long. I didn’t want to tell too many people because it’s happened a few times in my life when something really good is supposed to happen and it never happens.
But, when it came out, I got a bunch of new followers and the response was amazing. A lot of people were praising the photos that we took because they’re sexy and empowering, but are also very classy as well. People loved that, and they also loved aesthetic. I think we did something very unique and I was so proud. I cannot believe that it was something that we created—I felt like I was presenting myself to the world as myself, which was rewarding. I’m not used to being able to present myself as my true self.
Playboy: Why is that?
Carolina Ballesteros: Well, I’m not used to allowing myself to really be myself and be received well. Ever since I was a kid, I always have problems socializing and making friends. I was a weirdo. So, it’s so refreshing to allow myself to be a weirdo and have people tell me that I’m so cool.
The Playboy Family
Playboy: Did you find some good friends through being a Playmate and meeting other Playmate sisters?
Carolina Ballesteros: Yeah, I actually get along with many of them. I had the pleasure to meet and hang with some of the other Playmates—especially the ones from my year. But, I’ve also met some Playmates from years before and we’ve become a very nice group of friends. We’re always really happy to see each other. It’s a really great community and it feels like a family, which is really special.
Her Career as a Makeup Artist
Playboy: Outside of being a Playmate and a model, what are your passions?
Carolina Ballesteros: I was just a model for a long, long time—for most of my life. However, recently in the last four years, I’ve transitioned into doing makeup professionally. I still do modeling stuff from time to time and love to do collaborations with Playboy, but I mostly do makeup. I only do modeling gigs that feel good to me. I love what I do.
I work a lot with musicians. I recently did the makeup for Linkin Park’s new singer Emily Armstrong. She’s amazing. I did her makeup for the last few gigs that they did. I also do fashion makeup and editorials. I was privileged to do makeup for the models at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Madrid last month. You know, edgy stuff.
Being a Playmate
Playboy: What does being a Playmate mean to you?
Carolina Ballesteros: You’re probably going to get this same answer from many girls—I was raised with Playboy. I was raised looking at the magazines and at photos of Playmates at parties in the Playboy mansion. After always seeing all of those beautiful girl, I wanted to be one of them. So, for me—again, going back to being the weirdo—I was like, “I cannot believe that I’m one of them.”
Playboy, to me, means empowering women. It means giving the space to just embrace yourself, your sexuality, and to not be afraid to express yourself. It teaches us that there is nothing wrong with being smart, hot, and wanting everything. I’s just really nice to be part of all of that.