Brook Power by David Bellemere for Playboy US May/June 2017

Meet 2017’s Playmate of the Year and Playmate of the Month for May 2016 Brook Power. The brunette model was born in Southern California but grew up in Oahu, Hawaii. As she describes it, they lived “on the edge of the jungle and the ocean.” As a former resident of Hawaii, it should be not surprise to learn that Brook likes to surf and feels right at home out on the ocean. She says, “The ocean is my connection to God and makes me feel good, without fail.”

When not modeling, Brook loves putting her talents into artistic creations. She’s often run into various roadblocks, but uses her Native American heritage (she’s part Chippewa) to motivate her. “Sacagawea, my role model, broke through the strict gender restrictions of North American culture,” says Brook. “Before her, Native American women weren’t viewed as equals. As a female artist, it’s more difficult for me to achieve credibility, but I’m not bitter. I’ll take the added challenge, because gender equality has never been forced Women don’t need the booster seat of affirmative action to be as successful as men. We can kick ass just fine on our own without a social movement taking credit for our successes.”

Brook is not afraid to express her views about the world. She’s particularly passionate about the power of capitalism for social good. “I’m a capitalist, which used to describe motivated dreamers before it became a word for money-hungry people,” she says. “I believe in giving power to the people, prioritizing education and keeping this country as free as we can. It’s a beautiful thing to have so many different cultures assimilate, coexist and love each other, but every year there seems to be more and more government restrictions telling us what we can and can’t do. We need to live freely and lovingly.”

When not working, Brook likes to spend as much time in the outdoors as possible. Besides surfing, she’s known to take her horse to a mountain trail in a national park north of Los Angeles.