The Baker Twins

Early lives

The twins were raised on the Stellat'en First Nation reservation, British Columbia, Canada. Shannon and Shauna are of the Carrier tribe. At age 16, the twins performed duets and competed in classical music competitions.

Personal life

As is common among Carrier people, Shannon and Shauna were raised by their grandmother, Emma Baker. Shannon competed in the Miss Universe Canada 2007 pageant without Shauna. The Baker Twins currently reside in Los Angeles, California.

Modeling

The twins first introduction into modeling occurred in a shopping mall, but Shannon and Shauna believed it was scam. Shannon and Shauna were frequently being approached by agencies, and decided to inspect each one closely. Both women manage their own model careers, and have been featured in several magazines such as UMM Magazine, Vancouver Magazine, and Say Magazine. Shannon stated with her sister: "We firmly believe that First Nations people need to be represented in mainstream media a lot more, and feel that we can help to facilitate a positive profile for our people through initiatives like the Miss Universe Canada Pageant... I hope I can represent First Nations people in a really good way and that's why I am competing in the pageant."

When Shannon competed in the Miss Universe Canada pageant she found the competition made her more aware of how being a twin was a "huge facet of her identity".

In 2007, Shannon and Shauna were scouted by a modeling scout from Playboy but declined the offer. In an interview Shauna recounted the experience:

"We have gone this far keeping a clean image, why throw that out the window now? We want to show young ladies that you can be a good girl and still make it in this industry. There are enough half naked girls shown on television and music videos already, I wouldn’t want to blend in with them. Plus, I would be horrified if my little sister and little cousins saw me nude in a magazine."

Shannon added:

"We do not need Playboy to pioneer our careers. We will make it without being in Playboy. The industry is changing, and our generation will be the ones that pioneer that change. We want to work harder and so, we aren't going to take our clothes off just to boost our careers. We would rather take a route with obstacles rather than what many deem to be the ‘easy’ path. "

Television and film

Shannon and Shauna have been featured in the television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Smallville and Blue Mountain State.

The twins made an appearance on The Tyra Banks Show in 2007 to discuss stereotypes they deal with in the entertainment industry, as well as the media, and the misconceptions they have of First Nations people.

Both Shannon and Shauna starred in the music video for Killpop by the American heavy metal band Slipknot.