Susie Owens

Susie Owens may be a gorgeous Playmate today, but she insists she wasn't always this way. In her early twenties, Miss Owens weighed around 150 pounds. That may not seem like a huge problem-lots of women enjoy these generous dimensions-but to Susie, it was unacceptable. "I hate aerobics," confesses Susie, who lost the weight playing hours of squash. "I read Muscle & Fitness to learn how to develop abdominal definition and I read Vogue to learn about hair and makeup. And then there was Playboy." We first met the proud Oklahoma City nurse during the search for our Women in White pictorial in November 1983, and she couldn't wait to tell us how important nurses are. "Any step we can take to give nurses more recognition should be taken, no matter what the risk," explains our Playmate of the Month. "I think most nurses are tired of being stereotyped as submissive, silent, humorless and sexless." Having logged seven years in delivery rooms, followed by cardiology and oncology departments, Nurse Susie was ready to see a different side of health care. "I was ready to get out of the illness part of health care and into the wellness area," says our Miss March 1988, who also collaborated on the comic book, Flaxen. While she didn't go on to work in comics, Miss Owens helped many people achieve the superhero-like bodies they've always wanted. FemLine, her gym which debuted in Dallas, allows women to get fit physically while being monitored by a personal trainer. "I'm not like the 18-year-olds who have it naturally," admits the busty blonde. "I've put a lot of work into this body. That's why I don't mind showing myself naked." Miss Owens, we definitely appreciate all your hard work and dedication.