If you're a Howard Stern fan, you're already familiar with 20-year-old Shannon James. The fresh-faced beauty from Holland – as in the small town outside Philadelphia, not the country known for tulips and knockout blondes – appeared on Stern's show after a friend submitted some pictures of her in
... a bikini and said Shannon wanted to be a Playmate. Stern is no fool; he knows a good thing when he sees one. At first Shannon had reservations about being on the show. "Sometimes they tear people apart," she says. "I was scared. But then they told me Playboy Senior Photo Editor Kevin Kuster was going to be there. I had to take a chance."
It paid off in spades. Everyone adored Shannon. "I mentioned I wanted to get my chest done," she says, "and Howard said not to, that I have perfect breasts." Hear, hear.
This isn't the first time our favorite shock jock has helped a young woman fulfill her Playmate dreams. Stern brought Jillian Grace to our attention, and she became Miss March 2005. As for Shannon, she is indeed a well-rounded woman. She says her education is her top priority. She is working on her bachelor's degree in marketing and is considering a career in pharmaceutical sales. Her disposition is as warm as her smile is bright, and she describes herself as a good girl with a wild side. "I'm such a nerd," she tells us. "I love to cuddle up with a good book, and I have a huge collection of poetry I've written. At the same time, I'm always game for staying up until four o'clock in the morning or going to a party with my girlfriends in Old City in Philly, where we attract a good amount of attention."
In front of the camera Shannon has no inhibitions. "I've always been comfortable with my sexuality and my body," she says. "Half my sorority sisters run around naked, so there's no time to be shy." And her romantic life? Says the magnificent Miss May, "I've been both the committed girlfriend and the serial kisser making out with the world."
