Doll of all trades

Tshabalala was born in Daleside during a home birth without medical assistance. Her mother was kidnapped at the age of 12 and married off. After watching the movie Dusk Till Dawn, Tshabalala was intrigued by the world of stripping. At 18, Tshabalala said, “I decided I’m going to find my own.” She packed her bags and moved to Hillbrow. Her first gig was at the Summit Club.

“I respected my mother enough to wait until I turned 18,” Tshabalala said, and despite her disapproval she has always remained supportive. When she returned to visit her mother, she said she would ask questions about the industry. “I would show her a few dance moves and then she would emulate them and we would have a laugh about it. People actually pay money for all this psychosis.”

The name Barbie Brazil was a stage name coined by her and a stripper friend. It’s a juxtaposition of the curve of her derriere that she claims gives the illusion of being large like that of a Brazilian woman and the fact that she was skinny like a Barbie Doll.

She had a brief stint at Teazers and remembers owner Lolly Jackson as being very business orientated and always having a cordial demeanor towards her. She decided to leave due to racial issues from the clientele. Some customers would request a private lap dance and upon their return to the table, it was not uncommon for their friends to make comments like, “I didn’t know you preferred your coffee without milk,” she said.

Tshabalala met husband, businessmen Seamus Cleary (63) online. “He never judges me and wants to shield me,” said Tshabalala. The two have a son named Cognac (6). Tshabalala said, “I want him to have the up-bringing I did not have. I don’t hide my past from him and I want to teach him that it is okay to admire a woman, but still respect her.”

“I’ve always dreamed big, I am not one of those housewives who just want to sit around. She owns a successful online store called Bourgeoisie Boutique. Tshabalala has attempted to bring US television Real Housewives to the country.

“If I had to strip again tomorrow I would do it gracefully. I am not ashamed of my past. People will always talk. Screw the people, I am the people,” she said.