Rebekka Armstrong

In the small-town of Ridgecrest, California lived a beautiful girl who preferred the rough-and-tumble way of life. Rebekka Armstrong was never the girly girl— her closet included a barrage of camo print, jeans and combat boots and the color pink had never made its way into her arsenal of clothing. “Somehow, I guess my mom knew I was going to be an unusual child, so she figured she had to give me an unusual first name,” says the all-natural blonde about her best friend. “I take after my mom. When she was younger, she used to drag-race the quarter mile in a '67 Mustang fastback.” Miss Armstrong began motocross racing at the age of 9 and by the time she was 12, the youngster was banned from racing with the girls her age because her skills were unmatched. While the blue-eyed California tomboy was left disappointed, her life began to take a girly twist. “I used to beat up the boys at school. In high school, I didn't mess with any dudes, but I didn't take any guff from anybody either,” admits our Playmate of the Month. “I guess I just wanted to be one of the boys. I quit at 15. Something hit me when I was 15 and I decided to become more feminine.” Upon storing her motorcycles and packing away her camo clothing and military-style boots, Miss September 1986 emerged as a gorgeous Playmate who had her sights set on love. “You should see me getting ready for a date. I'll spend hours on my toenails and make sure every strand of hair is perfect. When I go out, I like to look like a walking hors d'oeuvre—good enough to eat,” laughs Bekki who doesn’t need to try too hard to look delicious for a date. Although the Miss September 1986 is still searching for her true love, she is very confident because during a difficult time in her life she discovered the real meaning of self-love. Miss Armstrong was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 22, but that diagnosis didn’t affect Bekki’s spunk. She became the first Playmate-turned-HIV/AIDS activist to openly discuss her struggles as a public figure living with the disease. Her campaign to raise awareness for the disease received nothing, but positive attention from everyone including Playboy founder Hugh Hefner who made a generous donation to Miss Armstrong’s cause. Even though the Playmate has done some exceptional work as an activist, she still hopes to find true happiness. “I want to be extremely happy with the man I love,” says Rebekka.