Neferteri Shepherd biography

Official website: http://www.neferterishepherd.com
Date of Birth: 1980-09-08
Place of Birth: New Orleans
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 175 cm - 5 feet and 8 inches
Weight: 54 kg - 118 lbs
Measurements: 364-23-35
Ethnicity: Black
Playmate of the Month: Miss July 2000
Additional info: "I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the party capital of the world. When I was two years old, my mother and I relocated to Boston, Massachusetts to live with my great-aunt. After spending a couple of years there, my grandfather suggested that we live with him for a while in California. My mother agreed, so within the next few days we made a life-changing trip to Oakland, California. I don't remember much about that time in my life, but I am very thankful that my mother had enough courage to relocate the two of us to [literally] the other side of the United States.
Although I do not have any siblings, I still enjoyed my childhood because my best friend came from a large family, so I had the chance to experience slightly what it would be like to have brothers and sisters. I also visited my cousins in New Orleans during the summer. We would go to water parks and indulge in crawfish and crabs as we relaxed on the porch after a long day. The seafood in New Orleans has always been my favorite -- those were the best times of my life. My high school days were fun, but I grew disinterested after the first two years. The typical high school life didn't appeal to me, but I always kept my grades up and made the honor roll every quarter.

Education is still very important to me and I am currently studying business and investments at a college in Berkeley, California. Berkeley has been my home now for many years and I love it here. Everyone is so diverse -- it's one of the few places where people have their own individuality. I can't see myself relocating out of the Bay Area, but I have done some traveling for various modeling projects, to Los Angeles in particular and I recently completed a shoot for Venus Swimwear in St. Petersburg, Florida. Since my schedule is so hectic, I usually stay at home and relax whenever I get free time. I'll play with my bird, Kani, who has a beautiful mixture of light blue, white and gray feathers with a patch of yellow on the top of his head, or I'll take care of my various fish (a black and white eel being my favorite) that I keep in a saltwater tank. I also like to listen to a variety of music, including hip hop, reggae, jazz and R&B. My favorite artists are Sade and Brian McKnight because you can tell that they enjoy performing. When I'm not singing along with my favorite song, I'll unwind with a book written by my favorite author, Donald Goines. I become so involved when I read his stories because they are true-to-life and relate to people on many different levels.

My modeling career started about a year ago in San Francisco. A friend of mine brought me a newspaper clipping from the San Francisco Chronicle. It boldly announced that Playboy was searching for their 2000 Playmate -- and offering the winner $200,000 -- so of course I had to jump on that opportunity. It must have been my destiny, because the last day of auditions were held on the day after my 18th birthday. The scouts said that they would contact me to arrange a date to fly me to LA for a test shoot. Within two months I received the call that changed my life. Even though I didn't receive the title of the 2000 Playmate, I am very proud to say that I was chosen from more than 16,000 enthusiastic, beautiful girls to hold the title of Miss July 2000.

Even though I thought their work was tastefully done and very respectable, I had mixed feelings about Playboy before I posed. I always thought about becoming a Playmate, but I wasn't sure if I really wanted to participate in such a life-changing event. After considering how it could change my life in a good way, I decided to participate in the world of Playboy. I didn't tell any of my family members that I'd become a Playmate. (The majority of my family lives in New Orleans and Boston.) Only my mother knew -- mainly because she encouraged me to do it. My Playmate shoot was very difficult to do. Most of the Playmates try to look as if they're enjoying themselves and having a great time, but in most cases it is the complete opposite. The poses that seem to look the best in the magazine are the hardest to do. I wouldn't do a second shoot again to get the title of Playmate, but I would do it for the title of Celebrity Pictorial. I must say that, with all the neck and back pains, everything turned out beautifully.

One of the highlights of being a Playmate is visiting the world-famous Playboy Mansion. The landscaping is beautiful, and in some parts of the property you feel as though you've entered a jungle because there are wild animals, such as monkeys and flamingoes, running around. My favorite thing to do at the Mansion is eat -- the crab cakes and oatmeal cookies are my favorites. While attending some of the parties, I've met many celebrities and a variety of nice Playmates, including Miss June 2000 Shannon Stewart and Miss March 1999 Alexandria Karlsen. Of course, I've also had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Hugh Hefner, who is very down-to-earth, but knows how to enjoy himself.

Since posing for Playboy, I've had the opportunity to do promotions, a few radio interviews and print work. I've modeled for Hawaiian Tropic, Shirley of Hollywood and a calendar for Unity. As for television, I'm constantly going on auditions -- so far I've landed a recurring role on The X Show, featured on FX channel.

To all those women who have the desire to become a Playmate: Don't look at Playboy as something you have to do or your life will not be fulfilled. Playboy is very picky and sometimes I think they don't even know what type of girl they're looking for. What you should do is send a few simple nude Polaroid pictures to the Playboy studios. After you send the photos, don't dwell about getting selected...just relax. The less you think about it, the better your response will be."

Cheers, Neferteri