Shane and Sia Barbi

Shane Barbi and Sia Barbi, also known as The Barbi Twins (born April 2, 1963 in San Diego, California), are identical twins and pin-up models.

Career

Reportedly godchildren of singer Dusty Springfield and the children of a feminist lesbian mother, [Bruce C. Steele, "Twin Peeks", The Advocate, 13 February 2001] Shane and Sia began modelling at the age of seven when they posed for a layout in the Sears mail-order catalog. Their adult career has spanned fashion, softcore, and pin-up modeling. After the success of their 1993 calendar released by Topps, Shane and Sia published a premium-rate telephone number called the "Barbi Hotline". In addition to the calendar, Topps also published two comic books and a promotional trading card depicting Shane and Sia. Though the pair's appearance has led to suggestions of plastic surgery enhancement—the British newspaper the Evening Standard described them as "bizarre distortions of the classical female form with their identical tiny waists, long athletic legs and 38D chests"— [Emily Sheffield, "We Were Freaks, Women Were Jealous of Us", The Evening Standard, 26 November 2001] the Barbis have maintained that they have never undergone any surgical refinements. [http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/48hours/slim_chance/video.html]

Shane and Sia posed together in two top-selling issues of "Playboy", and also in several internationally-distributed calendars. Not long after their "Playboy" days, they made a foray into voice acting, with several cameo appearances as brunette scientists in the American animated series "Eek! The Cat". They also modeled for the fashioned designers Thierry Mugler and John Galliano.

As adults, the twins developed bulimia, which they have since overcome. Their book, "Dying To Be Healthy: A Breakthrough Diet, Nutrition and Self Help Guide" (1999), tells the story of their struggles with eating disorders. A portion of the book's profits benefit organizations that strive to combat eating disorders. In the 2000s, Shane and Sia lectured and spoke on television, radio, and online about eating disorders and their careers. In early 2001, they appeared on the CBS television program "48 Hours" in a piece about eating disorders, entitled "Slim Chance". After the program aired, CBS hosted a moderated online chat session in which the twins responded to questions from the public.

On February 14 2007, the twins and Joanie Laurer led an animal rights protest at UCLA. The trio led other protesters to the door of the Neuropsychiatric Institute, which has a scientific lab that performs tests on monkeys. The group had to be split up by the police, but not before a violent protester shouted obscenities and attempted to harm the workers. [cite web|url=http://www.tmz.com/2007/02/14/cops-respond-to-chyna-dolls-rabid-protest/|title=Cops Respond to Chyna Doll's Rabid Protest (includes video)|publisher = TMZ.com|accessdate=2007-10-30|date=February 14, 2007]

Marriage

Shane Barbi has been married to actor Ken Wahl since September 17, 1997. She has four grown stepchildren from Wahl's previous marriages: Raymond, Louie, Cody, and Kyra.

In 2003 the twins sued Larry Flynt for $10 million over explicit photos taken by Wahl earlier in the year and described in the lawsuit as showing "intimate sexual acts between the twin sisters". [http://www.courttv.com/people/2003/1113/barbi_ap.html "Barbi twins sue Flynt over sex photos"] , Associated Press, November 13, 2003, published by CourtTV. Retrieved 2007-10-15.] The photographs appear to be the ones later published in the January 2004 "Hustler" article. According to the lawsuit, the women stated that "The dissemination of sexually graphic photographs depicting the Barbi Twins engaged in erotic acts will damage their image and reputation and adversely impact their business ventures."

In an interview on "The Howard Stern Show" on the E! Network (and as reported in the January 2004 "Hustler" magazine article) Shane Barbi claimed that she "shares" Wahl with her sister.

Publications

Books

*Barbi, Sia and Greg Gorman (photographer). "Dying To Be Healthy: Millennium Dieting and Nutrition". Pentimento Entertainment, 1999. ISBN 1-892676-11-7
**Reprinted as: "Dying To Be Healthy: A Breakthrough Diet, Nutrition and Self-Help Guide". 2nd Edition. Triumph Books, 2001. ISBN 1-892049-42-2
*Conte, Robert. "History of the Barbi Twins". Studio Books, 1998. ISBN 1-890313-01-7

Magazine appearances

*"Celebrity Sleuth" #35 2004.
*"The National Enquirer" May 31, 2004.

Nude

*"Playboy" September 1991.
*"Playboy" January 1993.
*"Playboy" (Deutsche Ausgabe) January 1993.
*"Playboy" (Deutsche Ausgabe) October 1995.
*"Hustler" January 2004.

Calendars

*"Barbi Twins: Shane and Sia – 1993 Calendar".
*"The Barbi Twins 1995 Swimsuit Comic Art Calendar". Topps Comics, 1994.
**Artists include John Byrne, Adam Hughes, Julie Bell, Miran Kim, Linser, et al.
*"Best of the Barbi Twins 1997 Calendar". H & H Global Inc.
*"Barbi Twins 2000 Health & Fitness Calendar". Pentimento Entertainment, 1999
*"Barbi Twins" calendars for the years 2002 through 2007

Comic books

*Conte, Robert, Peter Hsu, Matt Haley, Fastner and Larson. "The Barbi Twins Adventures". 1. Topps Comics.
*Conte, Robert, Peter Hsu, Matt Haley, Fastner and Larson. "The Barbi Twins Adventures". 1 (alternate). Topps Comics.

ee also

*List of people in Playboy 1990-1999
*List of twins

References

External links

* [http://www.thebarbitwins.net/ The Barbi Twins Official Website]
* [http://www.thekittyliberationfront.org/ The Kitty Liberation Front Pet and Animal Welfare] Official Website Founded by the Barbi twins
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1812259/ Sia Barbi] at the Internet Movie Database
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1812258/ Shane Barbi] at the Internet Movie Database
* [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/03/15/48hours/main279191.shtml Barbi Twins Chat Transcript] from [http://www.cbsnews.com/ CBS News]
*Towle, Patricia. [http://www.eatingdisorderresources.com/celebs/barbiswynonna.htm "Getting help: Barbi twins reach out to help Wynonna with her food addiction."] "The National Enquirer" May 31, 2004: 7.