Ireland's first Playboy cover girl Rosanna Davison told the Sunday Independent that she does not believe the famous magazine exploits women  and revealed how she felt the shoot helped her overcome insecurities about her body that she's harboured for years.

"Like a lot of women, I had hang-ups for years about aspects of my body," said the 28-year-old Dubliner.

"Posing for Playboy helped me to face my fears and get over my silly insecurities. Now I'm much more confident in myself -- I was empowered by doing it."

"Women are under huge pressure to live up to physical perfection. I always thought my body could be improved on in my early- to mid-20s and ironically I was always embarrassed to show it off too much.

"I work hard to stay fit and healthy now and my studies in nutritional biochemistry have totally changed the way I view and look after my body.

"I wanted my body to look strong and healthy for the shoot rather than starved and skinny. So I designed a two-week plan where I ate more and worked out more.

"Your body doesn't lie -- it's a direct reflection of how you treat it."

She also spoke out against her critics who said she shouldn't have done the shoot.

"My idea of a modern woman is somebody who is confident to do whatever she chooses. It's about doing what makes you happy," said the former Miss World and art history graduate.

"In life, I am a big advocate of education, hard work, independence, health and giving back to charitable causes -- yet I see no problem in celebrating my body and my femininity. It shouldn't label me as 'nice' or not, it's just another facet of who I am.

"I can't stand stereotyping and labelling. I'd much rather be a non-conformist than live my life based on what others expect of me.

"I see posing for Playboy as an honour and now I've joined the list of amazing women who have also posed for the publication -- Bo Derek, Marilyn Monroe, Charlize Theron, Cindy Crawford to name a few. It certainly didn't do them any harm. I mean, it's hardly pornography."