Sara Jean Underwood Nude
Avid Playboy readers already know what Sara Jean Underwood did last summer: The angel-faced 22-year-old posed for the October 2005 issue’s Girls of the Pac 10 cover. What the native of Scappoose, Oregon didn’t anticipate was the reaction at her college, Oregon State University. “Maybe it’s because I wear a baseball cap and sweatpants to class, but I didn’t know other students knew I existed,” she says. “Now they come up and hug me and ask me to sign the magazine.”
After she graduates this year, with a degree in business marketing, Sara and her best friend plan to celebrate by backpacking through Europe. “I’m a spontaneous, outdoorsy type who has traveled a lot, but Oregon is the perfect place to live,” she says. “I love its greenness, fresh air and beauty. I like to ride my horse up a trail to this beautiful spot where you can see four mountains on a clear day. I go there when I’m stressed out or sad–as long as it’s not hunting season.”
Most refreshing about Miss July is her utter lack of artifice. When you look into the warm hazel eyes of this sweet-natured girl next door, you find no pretense, cynicism or delusions. “My happiness comes from being at home, whether it’s with my mom and dad or, I hope, with a romantic interest later in life,” she says. A sensitive manly man who loves the outdoors is the fella apt to win her heart. “I like the genuineness of shy guys,” she says. “Girls can shave their legs and spend time thinking about what looks good, but I want a guy to just grab the first clothes he sees in the morning and be natural.” Like most prizes, Sara can be won only with some effort. “I find peace and solitude in being alone. It’s when I’m at bars or clubs that I get bored,” she says. “Is there something wrong with me?” We can’t think of a single thing.
Photography by Arny Freytag and Stephen Wayda