Teen queen Tiffany reinvents herself in the pages of Playboy
Former singing starlet Tiffany is definitely going to have eyes popping with brand-new Playboy pictorial that demonstrates just how much the onetime queen of teen pop has grown up–and that’s exactly the way she wants it.
I was able to catch a few minutes with the 1980s icon, now 30 but still best known for her bubblegum hits like “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “I Saw Him Standing There” and “Could’ve Been,” while she was shooting segments as host of VH-1’s “Ultimate ’80s Weekend,” which airs Mar. 8-10. Despite the public’s interest in reigning teen pop princesses like Britney Spears, Tiffany’s ready to prove that she’s all grown up now.
And to paraphrase Britney, the photos from Playboy‘s April 2002 “Sex and Music” edition (hitting stands Mar. 5) prove Tiffany’s not a girl…but certainly a woman. “It’s a chance for me to reinvent myself,” the titian-haired singer/songwriter enthused.”I’m hoping it’s going to break me out of the image of being 14, 15, in people’s minds.”
Tiffany–née Tiffany Renee Darwisch, who, in addition to sporting a sexier image including even (gasp!) tattoos, is also a wife and mom–explained why she decided to grace the pages of the world’s most famous gentlemen’s magazine.
After several years out of the limelight, her 2000 effort The Color of Silence was hailed by music critics who likened her edgy, rockin’ new sound to that of Sheryl Crow and Alanis Morrisette, but her former teenybopper, mall-performing image didn’t go with her new persona.
“It was a great record. Billboard was just raving,” she revealed (indeed, the music mag called it “one of the most appealing surprises of the year”). “Now I feel like I’ve been validated by the industry.” Still, what she needed was some validation from the world at large; the stigma attached to her slightly goofy past–which included winning Star Search
[PAGEBREAK]
and a messy bid to emancipate herself from her mother/manager (they’ve since reconciled)–left her new music team feeling like they were, as she puts it, “working a Kathie Lee Gifford record.”
So to help free herself from her past, Tiffany decided to free herself from her clothes.
Having initially rejected an offer from Playboy last year after it scored big with another ’80s pop goddess on the cover, Belinda Carlisle, she changed her mind, figuring that with a Playboy spread on her résumé, “there’s just no way they’re going to pigeonhole me again.”
That plan seems to have worked–the singer is enjoying a whirlwind of renewed media attention, appearing on TV shows like The View and braving Howard Stern‘s radio show.
Tiffany admitted that before the shoot the thought of posing nude “was very nerve-wracking” but she was eased by the notion that she wasn’t being asked to reveal quite as much of herself as the typical Playboy Playmate.
“A celebrity pictorial is different from a centerfold,” she said with just a hint of relief in her voice. “[My shots are] pretty tame compared to what all the other girls do.”
In fact, once she was in front of the camera, she discovered just how enjoyable the process could be. “It was very classy,” she said, praising the professionalism of photographer Arny Freytag and the entire Playboy organization. “You can’t help but sit there after you’ve seen the photographs and say, ‘Wow! They’re stunning!'”
Indeed, after seeing her sexy shots, the operative word that comes to mind for many men is “maul,” not “mall.”
The singer said even her longtime fans–yes, there are some left–will probably appreciate the tasteful images. “There are definitely a lot of different reactions,” she said. “I think they [will be] very surprised.”
If all goes according to her game plan, all of her fans will be pleased–mall rats, music lovers and Playboy readers alike. She plans to get out and tour to make that personal connection and “really shine,” as she puts it, continue making music and music videos, even try her hand at acting–just “have a good time.”
And given that was what the ’80s were all about, maybe she’s come full circle.
