Call it charisma. Call it the X factor. Whatever you call it, October 2017 Playmate Milan Dixon has it—that preternatural quality that makes people want to be around her. She’s magnetic, a trait only enhanced by her bright, broad smile and absurdly high cheekbones. She is also dedicated. Before becoming a full-time model, the Las Vegas native worked at TGI Fridays for five years, squeezing in casting calls between shifts. “First I was a hostess and then a server after I turned 21. I saved up my money and moved to Los Angeles,” she recalls. “But I didn’t save enough, so I’d drive back and forth in my little PT Cruiser between tryouts in L.A. and my job in Vegas. I’d say, ‘Yes, I’m available,’ and just drive to Los Angeles right from work, then back to Vegas after a casting. I slept in my car a couple of times just to rest before driving home.”Notwithstanding her tireless work ethic, Milan knows how to relax. “I’m a pretty chill person. Being from Vegas, people expect you to be a party girl. But not me!” That doesn’t mean she’s without a spontaneous side. “I will try anything,” she says. “Even if it looks gross, give me a dollar or something, and I’ll do it. I’ve eaten stingray.”

When it comes to men, Milan is more specific. “Physically, I like them tall, dark and handsome. I like guys I can take home to Mom. Have your shit together. Anything that’s unique and different from me is a turn-on, and anything that’s the same as me is also a turn-on!” Milan also knows what she doesn’t appreciate. “I don’t like it when guys approach me saying, ‘Hey, slim.’ I get it, but I’m not going to respond to you. I know I’m slim.”

Our October Playmate believes wholeheartedly in the power of expression. “I’m all about positivity and being good overall,” she says. “What you’re thinking, what you’re feeling in your heart—once you speak it, it can come to pass.” Ultimately, though, that unmistakable magnetism comes from within. “After shooting, I feel like a totally different woman. I feel confident and comfortable. I don’t care what anyone thinks of me. It’s about being comfortable in my own skin.”