Talent agent and Playboy Club model Shia Snow sits down with Playboy to discuss childhood crushes, freeing the nipple, and sharing a sensei with Justin Bieber.
Playboy: All right, so to start us off, where were you born?
Shia Snow: So I was born in Big Rock, Illinois. So that’s a town of 1200 people. Not a lot going on besides cornfields.
Playboy: Do you take pride in being from a small town?
Shia: Yeah, absolutely. It brings me a lot of comfort to think about it. So I talk about it on a daily basis.
Playboy: That’s awesome. What do you love about a small town living compared to where you live now?
Shia: The contrast to Hollywood living, because they’re starkly different. In a small town…there’s not anything to really do. I just like riding ATVs every single day and drinking hard lemonade and smoking weed. Yeah, but that was a really great time. I don’t get to do that anymore.
Playboy: What makes you happiest?
Shia: Definitely being able to use what I’ve learned in my life and help other women get out of their heads and emotions and strategize for their life and just be empowered.
Playboy: What do you obsess about?
Shia: I obsess over just constantly being better. I live a super disciplined lifestyle from everything that I eat. I’ve been sober for five years. I’m just completely dedicated to just being the best person I could possibly be and learning as much as I possibly can and passing that on.
Playboy: What do you obsess about?
Shia: love just being active. Hiking, yoga…just constantly improving my health because I had health issues in the past. I was actually given three months to live and healed myself holistically, which was a miracle.
I’m just super into health. Everything that I eat… and just constantly improving that because I feel like it directly affects your mind. I feel like with everything that I do business wise, you have to be an athlete so that you constantly have enough energy to be there for everybody else.
Playboy: To that end, when you are feeling blue, is there a comfort food that you reach for?
Shia: I’m obsessed with anything gummy. If I could only eat food in gummy form I would, which is really weird. But I’m obsessed with sour gummies, gummy vitamins. All types of gummies!
Playboy: Do you have a favorite brand of gummies? Is there a certain kind of gummy that you gravitate towards?
Shia: I don’t know what the brand is but they’re just “healthy gummies.” So that way I don’t feel too bad about it. But recently, I was actually on a flight for Miami Swim Week for Honey Birdette and the woman next to me actually brought some gummies and she was sharing them with me and it was a total divine moment. I was like, “This is the universe giving me something special.”
Playboy: That’s awesome. What turns you on?
Shia: What turns me on at this point in my life…just completely being a nice person. It’s the biggest turn on. People with morals and values? That is the biggest turn on all so if they know what they want. There’s an intention behind it. That’s the biggest turn on ever.
Playboy: What turns you off?
Shia: Those guys that…they don’t take you on dates and they want to hang out with you in the middle of the night and they’re reaching their mid-30s and they don’t have any goals or plans. Also, if they’re not family oriented and they’re just overall like anyone who’s mean, disrespectful… any of that is a complete turn off.
Playboy: What was the last thing you Googled?
Shia: Pam Anderson. Glamour magazine released an article on Pam Anderson starring in one of her biggest roles that she’s had in decades…The Last Showgirl. And so I’ve just loved her whole resurgence. We actually have the same birthday. So I’ve always just really admired her.
Playboy: Do you believe in astrology?
Shia: A hundred percent. I’m a Cancer sun and a Capricorn moon. So that is just super in line with who I am. I think because the Cancer in me is like that motherly nurturing, sensitive side, but the Capricorn is the complete opposite of Cancer. And so I think that’s when my drive for business comes into play. So they complement each other really nicely because I’m in a leadership position, but I’m doing it in this really compassionate way.
Playboy: What is your favorite thing to splurge on?
Shia: I love to splurge on other people. I love gift giving. That and just really good food and great dinners with friends.
Playboy: What was the last gift that you bought that you splurged on for a friend? And what’s your favorite fancy meal that you had recently?
Shia: So, there’s this thing with one of my Australian friends who is also a [Playboy Creator]. Her name is Chloe. It’s basically when you have this blooming onion of gifts that you wrap all together. So each layer reveals a gift.
I made one of those and gave it to a group of my friends. I surprised them with each layer. You kind of pass it around and there’s a gift in it for you. I passed it around when friends and I went out to Ill Pastaio. And it was for my best friend’s birthday and we got to try the Justin Bieber pasta and see what that’s all about.
Playboy: Did you enjoy it?
Shia: Yeah, it was definitely the best pasta I’ve ever had in my life.
Playboy: What’s the best piece of advice you were ever given?
Shia: I think the best piece of advice I was ever given was right before I moved to LA. I broke up with my boyfriend who I also grew all of my companies with. We still talk on a daily basis, but it was really interesting because I was also talking with my sensei. Who’s also Justin Bieber’s Sensei, which is kind of cool.
He was telling me this story of mosquitoes in a jar. There’s all these mosquitoes in a jar and once you take the lid off…the mosquitoes don’t understand that they can leave the jar. And he said to me, “the lid is gone, and he’s gone now, so you could leave the jar.” That was just like a mind-blowing thing for me. I’m like, “Okay, I guess I’m doing this!”
Playboy: What meme tweet or viral video speaks to you?
Shia: Lately I’ve been getting sent this a lot. I think the biggest one is there’s actually a model that I represent who is known as the “Oilers Girl Kate.” And her viral video was her flashing her boobs at an Oilers game.
That video speaks to me because if there’s ever an opportunity to flash people I will take it. I’ve recently flashed people at the Santa Monica Pier on the carousel, and I also recently flashed my friend who had some people over at my house.
Playboy: Why are you such a “Serial Flasher?“
Shia: I don’t know, it’s just this rebellious streak that I have where it’s just “fuck it.” I’m part of the “Free the Nipple” movement. I think it’s really stupid that we’re not allowed to show our nipples because guys can. So it’s just “fuck you” to the system. Also, it just makes people’s day.
Playboy: No arguments there! Who was the first fictional character you fell in love with?
Shia: I think Hannah Montana. I still listen to her music every single day. She just embodied everything that you could possibly do, you could be all of these different things. You don’t have to just be one thing.
Playboy: “The Best of Both Worlds,” you might say.
Shia: Yes, exactly!
Shia Snow is on The Playboy Club. Talk to her now.
