Silvstedt participated in the Miss Sweden beauty pageant, and she was chosen to represent her country in the 1993 Miss World pageant in Sun City, South Africa, eventually making the Top 10. Silvstedt was signed up by a modeling agency in Paris, and she started working for various prestigious fashion houses, including Chanel, Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Givenchy, Loris Azzaro, and Valentino, appearing in advertisements and fashion shows.
Silvstedt was soon noticed by Hugh Hefner, who invited her to do a photo shoot for Playboy magazine in Los Angeles. She became the December 1996 Playmate of the Month, and was then chosen to become the 1997 Playmate of the Year. Silvstedt has since appeared in various Playboy magazines, including Playboy Special Editions, as well as Playboy Videos. In the late 1990s, Silvstedt landed one of the most sought-after modeling contracts in the world, becoming the Guess? spokesmodel, succeeding among others Claudia Schiffer and Anna Nicole Smith.
