Hayley Hasselhoff Makes History as First Curve Model to Land a European Playboy Cover

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Hayley Hasselhoff is Playboy Germany's newest cover girl.

The actress and model, 28, posted her sexy cover — in which she wears nothing but a red silk robe — on Instagram Wednesday, writing that she is the first 'curve' model to be on a cover of a European edition of the magazine.

"I am overcome with emotion around what this cover signifies for inclusivity and its greater purpose towards female empowerment," she wrote. "I wanted to use this platform to express that you have the power to love your body without hesitation because of societies' standards of beauty."

Hasselhoff, daughter of David Hasselhoff and ex-wife Pamela Bach, added that she and photographer Ellen von Unwerth "chose to celebrate [her] body by shooting in this artful way."

"My relationship with my body has always stemmed from my relationship with my mental wellbeing. With May being Mental Heath Awareness month, I feel empowered to be able to wake up and know that I get to live unapologetically myself," the star continued. "I hope to inspire women to face their fears of the unknown and to lead a life of purpose in which your body does not define you.

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She added, "If there is one thing I would tell my younger self it would be that you are worthy just as you are. Now, more than ever, we should be grounded in the exploration of self and feel encouraged to celebrate ourselves in ways that feel most authentic. I can only hope this cover will allow women to know that they are loved, valued and desired just as they are - right here, right now."

Playboy previously made history in 2016 when Fluvia Lacerda graced the cover of the Brazilian edition of the magazine, becoming the first plus-size model to be on the cover of any Playboy magazine.

Hasselhoff has previously talked about how she hopes her curvy modeling career will help inspire others to embrace their bodies.

For a previous cover of the body positive magazine SLiNK she said that the shoot made her feel "empowered to wear lingerie and love all of my body's flaws in that moment."

She added, "We as women need to love our bodies for all that they give us, not only what they show," she said. "We all have moments of doubt in our body but we must rise above and love our bodies for all that they are."

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Hasselhoff previously spoke with PEOPLE about working as a curvy model, and called out the misconceptions about the curve segment of the fashion industry.

"People have this conception of plus size models as girls who aren't fit or don't work out or don't really take care of their bodies," she said, noting that though there's no one-size-fits-all definition of a plus-size model, they "are probably the most toned and fit models you'll see on the runway because they're so body conscious."