Burnette was born in Houston, Texas, and studied art history at the University of Texas before moving to Los Angeles, California, hoping to intern as a production assistant. Instead she was cast as "Marfa Girl" in Larry Clark's feature film. In a New York Times review, A. O. Scott opined that although Burnette didn't "have much craft as an actress", she approached the role with a "sense of humor". As a model, Burnette was (coincidentally) discovered in Marfa, Texas while on vacation in 2013. She debuted at Celine's pre-fall 2013 fashion show, and has walked for designers like Marc Jacobs, Christopher Kane, Fendi, Marni, Missoni, Acne Studios, Stella McCartney, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès, Burberry, and Isabel Marant. Burnette is pursuing a master's degree in filmmaking from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
