Shane Barbi

Shane Barbi (born on 2 April 1963) is an American model. She is the identical twin sister of Sia Barbi. English pop singer Dusty Springfield is their godmother and the famous Andrew Sisters were her great aunts. Shane is known for being a Playboy model and her animal activism.

Early life

Shane Barbi was born on April 2, 1963, in San Diego, California, to Bob Carlson and Marsha Barbi, who once was Miss Ohio. 

Her parents divorced when she was two years old. After the divorce, the twins were given their mother's maiden name, Barbi.

Shane and Sia believe that their mother was always a lesbian. After their mother's divorce, they and their mother traveled to West Hollywood where their mother became an "outspoken lesbian feminist". According to the twins, their mother had numerous lesbian lovers including some quite famous women. In 1975, their mother met English pop singer Dusty Springfield, and the two women lived together for two years. In a 2002 interview title "Dusty Springfield was our Dad" with The Mail on Sunday, Shane told Caroline Graham, "We were 12 when they got together and we lived in this fantastic three-story townhouse in West Hollywood. She became our unofficial godmother and every night she'd sing us to sleep."

Springfield was a dominant figure in Shane and Sia's lives.

Career

Shane and her identical twin sister started modeling when they were seven years old. Their first modeling job was posing for a Sears catalog layout. 

As they grew older, they turned to fashion and pin-up modeling. In 1989, when they were in the mid-twenties, they were seen on a billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times noticed the billboard and in August 2019, mentioned the Barbi Twins in a story titled Daffier Age Mourned: Billboard Art Takes On a Tamer Tint. The publicity immediately brought the twins worldwide attention and their profile grew substantially. In the following years, they modeled for Chanel, Thierry Mugler, Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, and others.

The press and the billboard also caught the attention of Playboy's Hugh Hefner and twins were seen on the cover of Playboy magazine in the September 1991 issue. The issue broke records by selling out in less than two weeks. Hefner also erected a billboard to promote the Barbi Twins and their second Playboy issue in January 1993, which also broke sales records. They were asked to pose for Playboy for the third time, however, they declined this time.

In a 1992 interview on The Geraldo Rivera Show, the twins talked about how they didn't want to be stereotyped as a 'twins product', but they did eventually go with The Barbi Twins. They also talked about how they used Playboy to get them to their celebrity status.

In December 1993, Shane's voice was heard in the "It's a Very Merry Eek's-mas" episode of the comedy-animation TV series Eek! The Cat, alongside William Shatner, John Landis, Bobcat Goldthwait, and many others. In the same year, the twins lent their voices in John Halfpenny's short television animation Eek! The Cat Christmas Special.

In 1994, Shane and Sia appeared in comedy/drama Dead Reckoning/Summer School, hosted by Rhonda Shear.

In 2001, E! True Hollywood Story did a biography on the twins. In 2002, 48 Hours did a special on their eating disorders. The episode titled "Murder in the Fast Lane" also featured model/musician Daniel DiCriscio and actor/model Owen McKibbin.

In November 2003, the twins sued Hustler magazine and Larry Flynt for $10 million. They claimed that their photos were published in Hustler magazine without their permission. The photos, which were taken by Shane's husband, Ken, were part of an informal promotion for their vitamin line. They claimed that the pictures had ruined the healthy image they had been trying to build for years.

The twins are also active in animal activism. In 2007, they co-produced a feature documentary titled Your Mommy Kills Animals!, featuring Canadian environmental activist Paul Watson, actress Suzanne Whang, model Bo Derek, and English singer Joss Stone, among many others.

In 2010, the twins appeared on the Howard Stern Show, in which they promoted their documentary film, Skin Trade, which discusses the fur industry in the fashion world. The film was directed by Shannon Keith and also features Ed Begley Jr., James Cromwell, and Jorja Fox, Elaine Hendrix, and many other well-known figures. It also features hours of footage of famed fashion designers and fashion business personalities.

Most recently, in December 2012, the twins were seen in Katia Louise's documentary Saving America's Horses: A Nation Betrayed, alongside Linda Gray, Tippi Hedren, and Willie Nelson

Personal life

Shane married actor Ken Wahl (Wiseguy fame) on September 17, 1997. The two met a grocery store and after they married a year later, they renewed their vows again in 2008. Wahl was previously married to Corinne Alphen, former Penthouse Pet of the Year.

Health issues

• Shane, and Sia, have struggled with bulimia and became obsessed with all kinds of unhealthy crash-diets. Shane was once quoted in an interview saying: "I just remember the pain that we went through…the suffering that we did for each picture..." Sia added, "I went feast and famine, feast and famine. That was my whole life. There was no such thing as sitting down to a normal meal."
• Due to their suffering from multiple body issues, Shane and Sia started to develop agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder in which one suffers from staying in open places. The disorder caused them a major setback in their personal lives as well as their careers. They said it caused them to miss several movie premieres and offers in the entertainment industry, as well as turning down countless roles in TV and movies.

Books

In 1998, Shane and Sia were the subjects of Robert V. Conte's book History of the Barbi Twins.