SAN FERNANDO, CA — Ask adult film star Sophi "Vagzilla" Shaina what her favorite outfit is and you may get a strange answer: the drab set of Army ACU's she gets to trade her workplace thong and latex for, one weekend a month and two weeks a year.
That's because Sophi, or 1st Lt. Shaina as her soldiers call her, is an officer in the Army Reserve — the first and only porn star the U.S. Army will grudgingly admit is serving in its ranks. While the Army is usually eager to highlight the extra-curricular activities of its members, several spokesmen either refused or were extremely reluctant to identify 1st Lt. Shaina as a reservist.
"I can confirm that Lt. Shaina is a member of the Army Reserve, but I can't speak to what she does when she takes off the uniform," said one Army spokesman who asked not to be identified.
Shaina says that while her career may be controversial to some, she's not worried about being dismissed from the Army. Unlike former Idaho Guardsman Amy Weidner, who was summarily fired after she was discovered running a porn site, Shaina has been both open about her career and has high marks and gushing reviews from former commanding officers, including Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair and Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski.
The 25-year-old actress graduated in 2010 from Los Angeles Valley College with a bachelor's degree in Jazz Music; then like a lot of local girls went straight into the adult film industry to pay off her student loans.