Ida Ljungqvist (born September 27, 1981) is a

Tanzanian Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

-Swedish model and the first African-born person to be selected as a

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

Playmate of the Month and the 50th

Playmate of the Year This is a list of models who were chosen as a Playboy Playmate of the Year for the American edition of ''Playboy'' magazine. List of Playmates of the Year *1953: Marilyn Monroe *1954: *1955: *1956: *1957: *1958: *1959: *1960: Ellen Stratton ...

Career

She was discovered by 2007 Playmate of the Year

Sara Jean Underwood Sara Jean Underwood (born March 26, 1984) is an American model, television host, and actress who was chosen as the Playmate of the Month for the July 2006 issue of ''Playboy'' magazine. and later became Playmate of the Year in 2007. She is a f ...

at a bebe store on Rodeo Drive in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. She was named '' Playboy's'' Playmate of the Month for March 2008 and the 2009

. She is the first African-born and second Swedish model to be named a Playmate of the Year. She is also the first Playmate of the Year to publicly dedicate her title to philanthropic work through non-profit charities and organizations. Ljungqvist co-hosted the Playboy New Year's Eve Party 2009 in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

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alongside several other playmates. Since being named Playmate of the Year, Ljungqvist has worked with Empowerment Works, a non-profit, global sustainability think-tank. Her work includes raising awareness about the organization and fundraising.

Personal life

Ljungqvist was born in Tanzania to a Tanzanian mother and a Swedish father. Due to her father's work for

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

, Ljungqvist traveled a great deal. She speaks English,

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, and Swahili. Ljungqvist has a degree in fashion design and marketing, and plans to study economics. In December 2007, Ljungqvist married Joshua R. Lang. Lang filed for divorce in September 2008. In November 2008,

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politi ...

reported a custody struggle between them over their pet Chihuahua.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ljungqvist, Ida 1981 births Living people 2000s Playboy Playmates Playboy Playmates of the Year Swedish female models Swedish people of Tanzanian descent American people of Tanzanian descent American people of Swedish descent African-American female models Tanzanian female models Tanzanian entertainers Tanzanian people of Swedish descent African-American Playboy Playmates 20th-century Swedish women 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women