Everything you need to know about trailblazing trans model and Playboy star Ines Rau
Ines Rau is a high-proile trans model. (Getty)
Ines Rau is a trans model who is known for her ground-breaking work and rumoured dating history.
She has modelled for the likes of Playboy and Vogue Italia. But how did Rau get her start in her modelling, when did she come out as trans and are the rumours about her dating French footballing superstar Kylian Mbappé true?
Who is Ines Rau?
Ines Rau, 34, is of French-North-African descent. She first found fame in 2013, posing nude in luxury magazine OOB, and has appeared in numerous publications since then, as well as in a campaign for Balmain.
When did she transition?
Rau transitioned and underwent gender-affirming surgery at the age of 16.
She has cited the iconic British trans model and actress Caroline “Tula” Cossey as her inspiration. Since coming out, Rau has been a vocal advocate for trans rights.
In May 2014, she appeared in the “A-Z issue” of Playboy in a section titled Evolution. The spread showed the growing acceptance and diversity of gender identities beyond just male and female.
Rau was the second trans woman to feature in Playboy, following in the footsteps of her hero Cossey who posed for the magazine in 1991.
However, Rau is the first trans woman to be featured who came out on her own terms. Cossey was outed against her will in 1981 when the now defunct tabloid News of the World had the headline James Bond Girl Was A Boy. She had been an extra in the Roger Moore era film For Your Eyes Only.
In October 2017, it was announced that Rau was to be Playboy’s Playmate of the Month for the magazine’s November/December issue – the first out transgender woman to get that accolade.
When the announcement was made, Rau posted on Instagram: “Merci. I am proud to make history and break boundaries.
“I want to thank the Hefner family [Hugh Hefner was the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief] and Playboy Enterprise for the opportunity. Being asked to be a Playmate was like getting a giant bouquet of roses, I am flattered and grateful.”
Did Ines Rau and Kylian Mbappé date?
According to Essentially Sports, Rau dated French footballer Kylian Mbappé.
Mbappé is widely regarded as the best player in the world and earlier this week joined Spanish giants Real Madrid, where he is believed to be on an annual salary of up to £17m ($22 million) after tax, on top of a £106.5 million ($137 million) signing-on bonus over five years.
The pair are said to have had a secret romantic relationship for many years. They made their first public appearance together in 2022 at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
That sparked the romantic rumours which only spread further when they were reportedly seen being affectionate with each other on a yacht.
However, their closeness ended soon after when he unfollowed her on Instagram.
These are just rumours and, according to others, Rau has been in a relationship with Staiv Gentis, a French model, actor and stuntman, since 2015.
