Shanna Marie McLaughlin was born in Jupiter, Florida (Palm Beach County). She was a graduate student at the University of Central Florida when she began modeling in 2010 for Playboy. She was Miss July for 2010.

In 2010, she shot a sexy spread in the UCF locker room without permission and some controversy. The following year she was arrested in the Orlando airport with a gun. She was charged with a misdemeanor.