The Insider.com

In an exclusive announcemet to The Insider, Hugh Hefner revealed Jaclyn Swedberg as Playboy's 2012 Playmate of the Year, and the gravity of the distinction is not lost on the 21-year-old model.

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"It's such an honor," said Jaclyn, who hails from Southern California. "And to think that I got there is surreal still."

As Playboy's 53rd Playmate of the Year, Jaclyn joins an exclusive club of talented women.

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"My favorite is Karen McDougal," said Jaclyn. "She's so beautiful; she's so classic ... All the girls that I come after I look up to because they've accomplished something and they're all so unique and different."

The brunette beauty admitted that her family's support helps make the announcement all the more fulfilling, saying, "I don't think this would be the same experience if they weren't behind me all the way, and my mom is my biggest fan!"

Jaclyn's cover will be on Playboy's June issue, which hits newsstands Friday, May 18.