VIP FLESH

Olympic gold medalist Amanda Beard is featured in this month edition of Playboy posting naked in front of the cameras. I don’t know too much about her but an olympic champion posing naked is right up my alley so deserves a place here at VIP Flesh.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I really felt excited and motivated to do it,” she told told AP on Thursday. ‘I’m kind of used to people not necessarily agreeing with everything that I do and that’s totally fine. This doesn’t change my personality or who I am. It’s just a business decision, a career decision.”

The cover of Playboy bills Beard as “the world’s sexiest athlete nude.”

Beard, 25, isn’t worried about any potential backlash from fellow swimmers. She likely won’t begin training for the Olympics until later this year.

“It would only feel awkward if they make comments to me about it,” she said. “We’ll see how that one goes.”

Beard said she had creative control over the pictorial, including her choose of a woman photographer and settings.

“The thing I respect most about her is she’s always been willing to take the risk and let the chips fall where they may,” said agent Evan Morgenstein. “She’s more of a role model today because she’s willing to stand up and take the heat.”