...even if it's an adult magazine.

Making it big

Malaysian model and social media celebrity Siew Pui Yi has become the first Southeast Asian to be featured on the cover of US adult magazine Penthouse.

The 23-year-old, who has more than 16 million followers on Instagram (popular US rapper Snoop Dogg is a follower too), shared the news via a post on her Facebook page last Monday (27 December).

Image credit: Instagram/ms_puiyi

In the post, Siew said she was estatic to be the cover model of the January issue of the men's magazine.

"I’m SO excited to finally reveal this to you all!!!!! I’m on Penthouse magazine cover for January 2022. It feels like a dream. I’m so grateful!

"I will be the FIRST southeast Asian woman to be on the cover issues (sic). It’s my honor to be the pet of the month ?," she wrote in the post.

(#NowYouKnowLah: 'Pet' is what the publication, which started circulation in 1969, refers to the models who've appeared in their magazine. It is something like Playboy's Playmates)

According to the snippet in Penthouse, Siew -- or more popularly known by her online name 'MsPuiyi' -- hails from Penang.

She previously worked as a waitress and usher, and she has most recently been acting, modelling and building her “makeup empire”.

Dabbling in the adult industry

However, Siew made a name for herself by dabbling in pornography, as she sells nude or scantily-clad pictures of herself via paid subscription on an online platform which name rhymes with PonyPens (ask your boyfriend; he would know).

In a video pinned on her Facebook page, Siew said she got into the business after hackers got hold of her private photos when she sent her laptop for repairs in 2019 and allegedly blackmailed her.

She was told to prepare a ransom of RM18,000, but as she was waiting at a petrol station with a police officer and her then boyfriend with the ransom money, it was snatched away by three men on a motorcyle.

Image credit: Instagram/ms_puiyi

To make matters worse, she later found out that her nude photos were being sold online for RM238.

As her popularity grew due her leaked nude photos, the blackmailers demanded another ransom of RM50,000.

That was when Siew decided to beat the blackmailers at their own game and became a full time nude model.

We guess that really worked out well for her. Good on ya, MsPuiyi!