Rebekka Armstrong

In the small-town of Ridgecrest, California lived a beautiful girl who preferred the rough-and-tumble way of life. Rebekka Armstrong was never the girly girl— her closet included a barrage of camo print, jeans and combat boots and the color pink had never made its way into her arsenal of clothing. “Somehow, I guess my mom knew I was going to be an unusual child, so she figured she had to give me an unusual first name,” says the all-natural blonde about her best friend. “I take after my mom. When she was younger, she used to drag-race the quarter mile in a '67 Mustang fastback.” Miss Armstrong began motocross racing at the age of 9 and by the time she was 12, the youngster was banned from racing with the girls her age because her skills were unmatched. While the blue-eyed California tomboy was left disappointed, her life began to take a girly twist. “I used to beat up the boys at school. In high school, I didn't mess with any dudes, but I didn't take any guff from anybody either,” admits our Playmate of the Month. “I guess I just wanted to be one of the boys. I quit at 15. Something hit me when I was 15 and I decided to become more feminine.” Upon storing her motorcycles and packing away her camo clothing and military-style boots, Miss September 1986 emerged as a gorgeous Playmate who had her sights set on love. “You should see me getting ready for a date. I'll spend hours on my toenails and make sure every strand of hair is perfect. When I go out, I like to look like a walking hors d'oeuvre—good enough to eat,” laughs Bekki who doesn’t need to try too hard to look delicious for a date. Although the Miss September 1986 is still searching for her true love, she is very confident because during a difficult time in her life she discovered the real meaning of self-love. Miss Armstrong was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 22, but that diagnosis didn’t affect Bekki’s spunk. She became the first Playmate-turned-HIV/AIDS activist to openly discu