Back in the summer of 2018, when everyone else was slipping on bikinis and hitting the beach, November 2018 Playmate of the Month Shelby Rose was hitting the slopes. Sort of.

Spoiler alert: many Playboy shoots are produced way before they hit the pages of the magazine. Shelby’s shoot, a sexy winter wonderland, coincided with a big and heartwarming turning point in her life. She sat down with us to reminisce about becoming a Playmate, the nerves that come with posing nude, and why she’ll never forget her experience.

Playboy: So what’s your origin story with Playboy?

Shelby Rose: So they reached out to me on Instagram, believe it or not. I was signed with a modeling agency at the time. And that’s literally how it went down. There was no casting, none of that. So it was all through Instagram. And then I set it up with my agency.

Playboy: That’s awesome. Was it flattering? Considering that a lot of aspiring Playmates go through this rigorous casting process and they just reached out to you?

Shelby: Yeah, it’s really funny because they did the Playboy model search in New York and I was one of the judges. To see how much effort goes into it…you had to wait in that long line and go through this whole casting process. For me, it was just super simple. Yeah, it was pretty stress free and I had no idea that I was even gonna be on the cover. It just happened.

Playboy: What was the theme of your shoot?

Shelby: It was Snow Bunny themed. I did not know what the theme was gonna be, before the shoot. And it was in the middle of summer here in New York. We shot it in a penthouse in Brooklyn. It was all furs and beanies and snow boots and cabin feels which I love, because I’m a big skier. And I live in New York, so it kind of went with my vibe.

Playboy: How did the shoot go?

Shelby: It was very hot. I mean, obviously I was nude but, putting on the furs and the beanie and all that, it was surprisingly hot. The photographer was super helpful. I was super nervous obviously but it went really smoothly and it was a really fun day.

Playboy: No issues at all?

Shelby: No, it was honestly a breeze. There was no challenges other than the weather. I think I was, nervous because there were so many men on set. About 10 people helping with the shoot. So that was a little nerve-wracking. But after I got warmed up and comfortable, it was really just an awesome day.

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Playboy: Did you become friends with other Playmates?

Shelby: I shot the issue with the Playmate of the Year with Jordan Emmanuel. We had actually known each other before we even did the shoot and, we still keep in contact, but I saw her at a bunch of events. And also another girl named Dana Taylor. We did a few events together and I knew her before through modeling.

Playboy: What is your career outside of being a Playmate?

Shelby: I’m a mom now. That’s a full-time job. But I am also medical esthetician. I do facials and medical treatments like micro needling and lasers. I even do vaginal rejuvenations. So my career is all about women’s health, women’s beauty. I’ve been doing that for three years now.

Playboy: That’s awesome. How are you enjoying this new career?

Shelby: I’ve always loved the beauty industry and I struggled with acne most of my young adult life. And I really wanted to figure out how to deal with acne and what kind of things I can do to help other people. And it’s really nice to be able to help people that have that are struggling with hormonal acne like I did, so I love it.

Playboy: What are you passionate about?

Shelby: My daughter just turned five. I actually got pregnant right after my Playboy shoot. We had her the next year in November. So I’m passionate about being a mom. I love it. But of course, going back into what I do. Anything and everything related to skincare and beauty.

Playboy: What does being a Playmate mean to you?

Shelby: The lifestyle is all about embracing being a confident woman for me. Being a Playmate was such a great experience for me. In my early 20s, I did fashion modeling so I was super skinny. And at that time when I did my Playboy shoot, I had finally kind of allowed my body to just do its thing. I was curvy. And I think it was just a great time for me to embrace my body and being a woman.

Shelby Rose is on the Playboy Club. Talk to her now.