Cara Delevingne is making her Playboy cover debut in what may be her most provocative photo shoot since she rose to fame nearly 15 years ago.
The 33-year-old British model and actor appears on the cover wearing a black latex corset with a cigarette in her mouth, holding a lit match in one hand while partially covering her exposed body with the other.
The issue is expected to reach newsstands at the end of the month.
For Delevingne, the cover represents not only a personal career milestone but also a moment of LGBTQ representation. She is the first openly lesbian woman to appear on the cover of Playboy’s print edition. Singer Kehlani previously appeared on a digital cover in 2021.
In an interview with the magazine, Delevingne said the decision to pose partially nude felt empowering because she was able to approach the shoot on her own terms.
“Of course, Playboy is an institution aimed mostly at a heterosexual audience,” she said. “That is why it felt very defiant and rebellious to do it, especially with such an incredible women-led creative team, many of whom are queer. It felt very fun and different.”
The shoot was photographed by Zoey Grossman and styled by Lana Jay Lackey.
Delevingne said she had posed nude in the past for fashion projects and film roles, but those experiences had not always left her feeling in control.
“I have been nude before, both for fashion shoots and in movies,” she said. “But there was always something uncomfortable about doing it for someone else. It was my choice and I agreed to it, of course, but it never made me feel empowered.”
She said her relationship with her body and sexuality has changed significantly.
“I have never felt more comfortable with my body and my sexuality,” she said. “I feel like I am at my peak as a woman and as a person.”
Cara Delevingne at Balmain’s Spring-Summer 2026 show
(Photo: Pierre Mouton/Getty Images for Balmain)
Delevingne first emerged as a major fashion figure in 2009, becoming known for her thick eyebrows, androgynous appearance and irreverent public persona.
She went on to appear in campaigns and runway shows for Chanel, Dior, Burberry, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana and other leading fashion houses. She was named Model of the Year twice at the British Fashion Awards.
She later expanded into film and music, appearing in productions including Paper Towns, Suicide Squad and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.
Delevingne has also become a prominent advocate for LGBTQ rights, women’s causes and mental health awareness.
A decade ago, she was among the most visible supporters of the Free the Nipple movement, which challenged what activists described as a double standard governing the exposure and censorship of male and female bodies, particularly on social media.
Delevingne argued that women’s bodies should not be subject to different standards and incorporated the campaign into her public image.
Her Playboy appearance continues that approach, using one of the world’s best-known men’s magazines as a platform for a shoot she describes as self-directed, queer-led and personally liberating.