Follow Newser on Twitter   Friend Newser on Facebook
Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

First Turkish Woman Strips for German Playboy

Muslim actress Sila Sahin says she 'feels like Che Guevera'

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 21, 2011 2:57 AM CDT

(Newser) – Germany's debate over multiculturalism just got a lot spicier. Soap opera star Sila Sahin has become the first woman from the country's 3.5 million-strong Turkish community to strip for the German version of Playboy, reports Time. Sahin says she "feels like Che Guevara" and she wants the photoshoot to send a message to other young Muslims, who often lack the freedoms afforded to their ethnic German peers.

"For me, these pictures are an act of liberation from the cultural constraints of my childhood," Sahin says. "I have tried to please everybody for too long. With these images I want to show young Turkish women that it is OK to live the way they are, that it is not cheap to show skin, that you should pursue your goals instead of bowing down to others." The photoshoot has upset conservative Muslims, including most of her own extended family, reports the Daily Mail. Sahin says that her father, also an actor, is the only family member still speaking to her.

Sila Sahin stars in the German soap opera Good Times, Bad Times.
Sila Sahin stars in the German soap opera "Good Times, Bad Times."   (Getty Images)
My upbringing was conservative, Sahin told Playboy. I was always told, you must not go out, you must not make yourself look so attractive, you mustn't have male friends.
"My upbringing was conservative," Sahin told Playboy. "I was always told, you must not go out, you must not make yourself look so attractive, you mustn't have male friends."   (Playboy Germany)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
7%
11%
7%
67%
2%
6%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 37 comments
DontLikeYou
Apr 21, 2011 2:52 PM CDT
MUSLIM ACTRESS SILA SAHIN SAYS SHE 'FEELS LIKE CHE GUEVERA Stripping for Playboy makes her feel like a man of mediocre intellect who rarely bathes? Interesting.
Sphinx
Apr 21, 2011 2:41 PM CDT
Ugh, please. She should feel free to strip all she wants, but that doesn't make her a revolutionary. You want to be a positive example for Muslim women, do something that doesn't involve subjugating yourself.
RogerMohajir
Apr 21, 2011 12:44 PM CDT
Many of the comments here indicate that people don't realize that Turkey is a secular country, with stronger separation of church and state laws than the US. Yes, it is almost entirely Muslim -- like the US is almost entirely Christian. Yes, conservative Muslims have been consolidating power in the government there -- like conservative Christians have in the US. I don't know if Turks living in Germany are more conservative than those who live in the major cities of Turkey or not, but photos as graphic as the one on the German Playboy cover appear daily in the Turkish media. My teenage children's first visit to a topless beach was in Turkey a few summers ago. So, the falafel-eating, honor-killing Muslim cliches are even less appropriate than usual.

 
Germany • Muslim women • Playboy • adult magazines • Sila Sahin

More Newser Stories

Is This Playboy's Last Shot at Relevancy?

Some Things Are Too Over the Top Even for Playboy

Tiger Lady Mulls Playboy Offer

Playboy on Block for $300M

Lisa Rinna to Bare All for Playboy
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   Geek Sugar   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment