Sharry Konopski

“Someday I'll be a model, actress, mom or all three,” said Sharry Konopski in 1987 when she was crowned Miss August. “Right now, I'm 19. I'm still figuring out my life. I'm a waitress, a good one, who also happens to be Playboy's Playmate of the Month. It's my way of saying to the world. ‘Voilà! Here I am!’” When the once-brunette, now redhead first made her way into Playboy fans’ hearts, she was just a petite pizza slinger in Longview, Washington whose beauty went unnoticed. “Some people in Longview are going to say it’s wrong to be in Playboy,” says blue-eyed Sharry. “My thinking is it’s like pressing a rose in a book. Someday, I’ll be a grandma—might as well get a picture of it while I’ve got it.” On April 1, 1995, the petite woman with very large opinions was in an unfortunate road accident on her way home from work. Three deer made their way onto the street and caused Sharry’s Mustang to roll off the road. “I lay out in the woods all that night and God and I had a few choice words,” admits Miss August 1987. “The staff in the trauma unit at the hospital where I was taken told me that if I’d been out there another 20 minutes, or is the temperature had been a few degrees lower, I would have died. It was a really bad April Fool’s Day.” Sharry was left paralyzed from the waist down due to spinal cord injuries she sustained. Although she was told she’d never be able walk without assistance for the rest of the life, Miss Konopski’s spirit and feisty nature continued to remain completely intact. “What everybody wants to know is, can I have sex?” laughs the naturally voluptuous Playmate. “I tell them yes, I can have sex. Yes, I can get pregnant. But, it takes a special person to be my partner. He has to be compassionate and understanding, because sex with me has to be a little more choreographed. It’s not going to be a baby-oil wrestling match.” Sharry’s positive outlook on life and sharp wit command the attention of everyone in her presence, including students from around the country. “I’m giving safety talks to local students, telling them what happened to me, how I survived the trauma and how to prevent injuries,” says Miss August 1987. “I just picked myself up, dusted myself off and am continuing on.” Our 400th Playmate is truly inspiring.