LOS ANGELES, California — Emma Hix has been named the April 2021 "All Star of the Month" by Playboy Plus. She is the third model to receive the accolade, following Emily Willis (February) and Harley Dean (March).
The Canadian model, a rep explained, "adds Playboy Plus 'All Star' to an ever expanding list of industry acknowledgments, which have ramped up over the past year and now include Penthouse Pet (May 2020), Nubiles 'Flavor of the Month' (November 2020), Holly Randall’s 'Bombshell of the Month' (September 2020), Team Skeet’s first-ever 'All Star' (January 2020), Twistys 'Treat of the Month' (June 2019), Cherry Pimps’ 'Cherry of the Month' (November 2018)."
"Cementing her reputation as one of the adult entertainment industry’s hardest-working talents, the Playboy Plus honor represents a special dream come true for Emma," the rep continued.
“I’ve always wanted to shoot for them,” Hix confided. “When I heard they had started shooting adult models, about a year ago, I started secretly wishing I’d get that call. ‘You’re gonna be on Playboy’ is the call every erotic model dreams of. And on top of that, they just started the 'All Sta'r program, and to be the third one ever feels pretty special to me.”
Playboy is "kind of what got me into erotic modeling," Hix said "Growing up I always dressed up like a Playboy bunny — I wanted to be a bunny so, so bad. If I saw a Playboy shirt, I’d always get it. It’s such an iconic brand, and I always wanted to be a part of it.”
Hix revealed she liked that “all the women were presented in a way that was so empowering. They looked so confident, beautiful, classy, strong."
"Hugh Hefner was an icon and he treated his girls like gold," she added. "You could feel the models were respected and elevated. That’s what I found really attractive about Playboy.”
A Spring-Themed Collaboration
The All Star photo shoot was "a true collaboration" between Hix and photographer Jay Chu.
“The shoot was the product of a long back-and-forth between me and Jay,” she explained. “I initially told them I wanted an outdoors shoot: I’m Canadian and therefore super outdoorsy — it’s my natural environment.”
“April is traditionally the Coachella Festival month, so we decided to head out for the Palm Springs area, which is one of the most beautiful outdoorsy backdrops I could hope for,” Hix said. “We became inspired by the desert spring vibes — there’s a whole Coachella inspiration with body jewelry and cool festival looks that the awesome makeup artist Rosalinda made happen. But I also added a little Canadian touch by incorporating a cowboy hat and boots.”
Chu explained, with the pandemic, the usual spring and summer music festivals have been cancelled.
"So I thought it would be cool to create a visual narrative of a young woman going to one of these festivals," he said.
The first look portrays Hix in a classic Palm Springs backyard motif — hanging out at her backyard bar, lounging in the pool, getting a tan. The second look is a stylized visual of the model as a festivalgoer hanging out in her camper. And the last look is Hix hiking up to a desert overview.
“We knew what Emma would bring to this shoot, which is why I wanted to cast her,” the photographer said. “She brought an energy and an enthusiasm for the work which made the day go by so easily. It's not often you get to work with a model who really knows how to work with the camera. And Emma knew exactly what I was looking for."
"She absolutely nailed it," Chu concluded. "She embodied the concept perfectly.”
An All-Day Shoot
The shoot took all day, with the team driving out into the desert at 6 a.m. and not returning until late in the evening.
“I don’t care what we have to do to shoot, as long as it’s outdoors,” Hix offered. “It worked out perfectly, though, because it looks so good. People will be talking about this pictorial as a highlight of my career. We got it right, as we should — I mean, it’s Playboy.”
For more about Playboy Plus' "All Star" honors, click here.
For more from Emma Hix, follow her on Twitter.