January 2016 Playmate Amberleigh West has spent most of her life in the Pacific Northwest, a lush landscape carved by rivers and punctuated by majestic mountains, so it’s no surprise she enjoys the great outdoors more than the pulsing confines of a club. “Being outside comes so naturally to me—excuse the pun,” she says. “I bike, kayak and wakeboard. When my friends and I go camping, I’m the one who starts the fire. I don’t own jewelry, and I don’t need glamour, which is why my pictorial is so awesome. It feels like a dream.” Amberleigh is ambivalent toward the club scene, materialistic froufrou and frivolous hedonism, preferring instead to nourish her gray matter.

Birthplace

Sedro-Woolley, Washington

Ambitions

To inspire others to chase their dreams

My Guilty Pleasure

Food! it’s always on my mind

The One Thing I Can’t Live Without

My friends and family

The former paralegal is meticulous when it comes to grammar and quotes Ayn Rand often. (She fell in love with Rand’s objectivist philosophy in high school, she says.) Still, a life in front of the lens instead of behind a desk has always been the goal. “I’ve wanted to act since I was little, when I used my mom’s camera to film skits with my friends,” she says. “That being said, for a long time I didn’t think I could model, let alone be a Playmate, because I was never the pretty, popular girl guys asked to the dance. I finally learned to stop caring about what others thought. Flash forward to me getting an e-mail from a Playboy scout. I said ‘Hell yeah!’ and was in L.A. the next day.” Amberleigh’s favorite actress is Emma Watson, to whom she bears an uncanny resemblance, and she hopes to parlay her Playmatehood into similar top billings. “I’m serious about everything I do in life, and I’m honored to be a part of Playboy.”

Amberleigh West is an all-natural, all-American girl. Tall and slim, with bright eyes and an even brighter smile, Amberleigh comes to us from the Pacific Northwest. “I grew up in Washington State, in a beautiful town called Mount Vernon,” she says. “You’re surrounded by farms, and the summer months are the best—that is, when it’s not raining!” Rain or shine, nothing can dampen Amberleigh’s spirits—she’s a passionate person, always laughing and having a good time, and always ready for a challenge. “I’ve always loved modeling,” she explains. “I sent photos to Playboy Plus, and they invited me to come in for a casting. Playboy models are sexy and classy, and that’s why I wanted to do it!” Needless to say, Amberleigh is a natural—it’s no wonder she made Playmate in January 2016, becoming the second-to-last one to pose nude for the magazine.

Though she may seem glamorous on camera, she’s a rootsy, down-to-earth girl who loves to spend time outdoors. “Hiking, kayaking, bike-riding—you name it, I do it,” she says. “I also love cooking and baking, playing sports and The Walking Dead.” Amberleigh likes being wined and dined as much as the next girl, but she’d rather go on laid-back, low-key dates. “For me, a first date should be fun,” she says. “You know, like rock climbing, or going somewhere to eat. We could also stay in and watch TV!” Right now, Amberleigh is single—she just got out of a long relationship, and she’s focusing on her career. “I never kiss and tell, but my biggest turn-on is loyalty,” she explains. “I don’t mean clingy—that turns me off. Just do your own thing, and we’re good!”