The first girl of the year was Anna Sophia Berglund, a voluptuous Californian
blond with a Swedish heritage that shows through in her photos. Anna has a definite Scandinavian look: the tallish frame, the soft facial structure, and of course the long shiny golden strands of hair. Anna is a nice girl to look at from afar, but when you get through her pictorial, you start to realize that she's hardly Playmate material.To get to the positive point, Anna is definitely a pretty girl, and there's no doubt about that. She has an engaging presence and a lovely aura about her, and that sparkling smile helps, too. In addition, her body is deceiving, as it's curvy as much as it is slender and lean. You can get an idea of the bottom-heavy shape of her body here, where her thick thighs really show. Her body isn't as toned and hard as most great bodies these days, but it's attractive in its unconventional shapeliness.
Still, the few positives of her attractive physique aside, Anna is an abysmally boring and untalented Playmate. She either makes clown-like faces at the camera, or has no facial expression at all, leaving you wondering where her personality has escaped to. Her face isn't all that memorable, either, and her pictorial doesn't help matters - it's riddled with random poses, and has absolutely no cohesiveness.
- Face: B-
Anna's face isn't ugly by any means, but it has no distinguishing features, and she often wears a bored, nonchalant look. Certainly her biggest weakness is her inability to convey emotion. - Body: B
Anna's biggest strength is still nothing to shout about. Her body is curvaceous and her breasts ample, but her unbalanced size makes her legs look a bit large, and her pale skin doesn't come across well in photos. - Talent: B-
She simply lacks any notion of what looks good in front of the camera, and fires off some very odd poses, looking awkward in almost every one. She has a sparkling aura that never quite reaches its full potential. - Pictorial: C+
The pictorial is well below Playboy's standards, looking like a hasty mess. There is almost no production value or cohesiveness; the whole thing is a train wreck. - Centerfold: C
The centerfold is horribly done, with only a partial view of Anna's body, and doing a terrible job of enhancing her skin tone with a bright background and anonymous setting. - Overall: B-
It could have been worse, but Anna Berglund's appearance as Playmate was a disaster in many ways. She is a beautiful girl in many ways, but seems very out of her element as a Playmate. The stage almost seems too large for the young lady, whose talents are very limited and whose physical gifts are better suited for the Cyber Girl class, which she could easily have become a frontrunner in.
Next, we find the famed February Playmate, who always carries the responsibility of being the representative for the "month of love." This time, we don't come across your typical V-Day Playboy model, but instead see a real curveball in Kylie Johnson. Kylie is the first black Playmate since 2008's Ida Ljungqvist (PMOY 2009, of course), and one of the most exotic and intriguing Playmates we've seen in some time.
Kylie is indeed a different type of Playmate. Gone is the era of the clean and bubbly blond month-in and month-out, and now we're seeing more aggressive moves by Playboy to find some edgier stars. When it comes to an edgy look, Kylie certainly does deliver, for the most part. She sports a sharp, tight body, an impressive set of moves, and a charismatic and intriguing look that is worth a second viewing.
Of course, as I mentioned, Kylie's body is the prime attraction here. She's cut and trim, and her body is busty and sexy in its toned nature. Although she very oddly lacks much of a butt, she makes do with her frontal features, with a visibly tough set of abs and a sexy, curved back. Obviously her greatest asset, her body carries her through a so-so pictorial. It also makes up for her rather unusual face, which is a hit-or-miss affair. She can shoot off a sizzling, unique stare in pictures, or can give off a toothy grin in other photos that is simply not attractive.
- Face: B-
Certainly Kylie's major issue is her face, which is angular with a large jaw. She has some seductive eyes, but that toothy grin is what makes her look downright awkward in many photos where her body tries to make up for it. - Body: A-
Although it's sadly tainted by some tattoos, Kylie's body is smooth, sleek, and finely tuned. It's not perfect by any means, especially with an undersized butt to go with her very large breasts. However, the tone and curvature make for a nice viewing. - Talent: B
Kylie is a mediocre poser, in general. While she has her moments, they can be more attributed to her great physique than her natural abilities. - Pictorial: B
Again, Kylie's talent goes hand in hand with her pictorial, which is nothing to shout about. It is consistent with a nice wintry vibe, but some stupid, wasted shots (like the ones through the cabin window) make you wonder what the editors were thinking. - Centerfold: B+
It's simple, to the point, and conveys Kylie's persona pretty well. It also does a good job of lightening her skin tone, which is well done throughout her photos. The golden brown color of her body is quite attractive. - Overall: B
Kylie is one of the better black Playmates we've seen in the past 10 years, mainly due to the unique intangibles that set her apart from the others. Whatever it is, it's a bit difficult to figure Kylie out. She is a very interesting entry early in the Playmate of the Year race, but I wouldn't expect her to be a major contender at the end. Kylie is a one hit wonder, and a pictorial that doesn't really go for the jugular is unfortunate for a girl with glimmers of talent here and there.
