Tiffany Poses in Playboy

March 4 -- Unlike other pop stars who pose nude, Tiffany doesn't offer a convoluted explanation: She needed the attention.

The former teen sensation is hoping her 10-page Playboy pictorial will shatter her squeaky-clean image and get her back on TV and the radio.

"I did it to break down those barriers so people couldn't say, 'Aww, she's still 14,' and I also did it because I couldn't get booked on shows and it was a chance for me to say, 'Hey, if that phone rings, yes, it'll be because of Playboy, but I can talk about my music,'" she told ABCNEWS Radio.

"If they'll give me a shot, I can go out and do my thing, and I think it'll work."

'It Was Because of My Name'

The April issue of the men's magazine confirms that Tiffany has come a long way since 1987, when she sang to teenage girls in malls across the country and had a smash hit with a remake of "I Think We're Alone Now."

Now 30, Tiffany is a married mom. Her latest album, The Color of Silence, released in 2000, got fine reviews. But she says she couldn't get airplay because she's still thought of as a little kid singing silly pop songs.

"It was because of my name," says Tiffany, whose last name, by the way, is Darwish.

So, how do you tell your 9-year-old son that you're in Playboy?

"I tried to handle it the best that I could, which was kind of hard," Tiffany says. "But I did pull other magazines like Vogue and Elle … and frankly there's semi-nudity in those magazines.

"So, you know, I tried to explain to him, 'It's kind of like this but a little bit more.' But I'm just going to take it one day at a time with him. It's not something we talk about on a daily basis and he hasn't seen any Polaroids and I won't show him the magazine."

'Yes, I Had Breast Implants'

Tiffany admits that it was hard — even for her — to get used to seeing herself naked.

"I think I was a little overwhelmed at first," she says. "I mean I have the Polaroids at home … But it's different to see them in a magazine, you know, especially when you are flipping through and you see all these girls and then you see me."