LLADDieees AANND gggenTLEMENNNNN!
nO WONDERS SEEN TO THIS DAY FORWARD, OR IN MOMENTS PAST , CAN PREPARE YOU FOR THE FRENZY OF THRILL THAT AWAITS OUR FANTISTIC, AND AMAZING, ABBERATITOOONNSS OOOOFFF gENETEICS!! mOTHER NATURES CREWL MISFORTune YOU AND I HAVE MANAGED TO DoDGE, BUT THEEESSE PORR SOULS, OR SHOULD WE SAY soul, YOOOU be the judge, astonishing moreso, than the Man Calf, or Elastic Sponge faced Boy, these ladies are sure to satisfy, and perplex, to starle and amuse..the shape of a fantasy unicorn sausage, drifting on glazed brine....blahhab blahab blah blahb blaha !


(hmmm, perhaps this is choggies way of hawking the benefits of voyeurism, human drama, and the showcasing, FOR WHATEVER REASON, images which feed that beast, as here, for whatever the motivation the post came, be you family member, or freakshow attendee, down to the travelin' sideshow, what comes ever year, bout this time!) I'd rather watch Hot Wheels® crash into saltine houses!

and fuck watchin' folks paint with their toes.. the finished product is usually only notewothy to family members and loved ones...

All choggish aside, I commend these girls and the teachers for how they're handling the situation.

Yeah, I do too, and you've apparently missed the point! The point?? The benefit to the few whom this kind of story would help, of seeing these two overcome their particular adversity, is outweighed by the masses who will look at it and gawk, point, and tease, or look, simply for the sake of seeing the strangeness of it-And mlx, most people who would say no to this observation, and take your stance, are not very honest with their pretention and voyeuristic tendencies...
Commending these girls, is not best done, by opening their personal circle to the world, hence my downvote!

Every guy who watched this thought of the same things...so don't feel bad, that's human nature.

(Would marrying them be considered polygamy)?


Videos like this are not exploitive in the slightest. People fear what they don't understand, so it's good to experience life through others' eyes to expand compassion, empathy and yes, be entertained. I assume this was filmed with the girls' consent, so why should *we* feel bad or sorry for them?

Do-gooders who want to "protect" the "differently-abled" by hiding them from view are the real monsters.


p.s.chog "fantasy unicorn sausage?" I laffed.

I'm honest with my voyeuristic tendencies, wouldn't be here otherwise. Pretentious? Only in the fact that I wanted this video to show the beauty and strength of the human spirit, but was instead turned into a full-blown freak show by your comments.

Tags changed from "conjoined, twins" to "conjoined, twins, zaphod beeblebrox" by gold star member sometimes.

Wow, I don't know if I could survive with my sibling with me 24/7. Crazy.

Hey for all, once more....you all have valid reasons for upvotes, the same as I would have, if the decision had been an upvote, for the same sensibilities..The down still stands, most will gawk, they don't have the process, or the will to think otherwise, hence, my vote, for anything that offers the opportunity for a side show ON THIS SITE!! Make it different, is'nt that what humaines, are about


If you want spectacle, buy into the program...if you want enlightenment, think outside the corral! Oh and tomorrow, rubberneck at a post-Christmas, car wreck why don't ya, or, better yet, prevent one from happening, by paying attention to what is real!!!!

...and mushroom, the particular part of your mind that initiated that reponse to my post, has you deep in therapy for the next gadjillion years!!!

choggie ... you've really crossed the line this time ... do not project what you think others are thinking when they watch this clip. just because you feel a certain way, does not mean everyone else does.

my daughter and i watched this earlier last week on tv. i actually asked my son if he wanted to sit and watch with us, but he had no interest after the first few minutes (because it was about girls!! i think it was the 'cooties' factor).

these girls are amazing ... they've adapted so well, which sounds weird because this is the only way they know how to live ... of course they've adapted! lol

anyway ... it is so nice to see what happy, young ladies they are growing up to be despite their differences ... the benefits of a loving, supportive family!


(p.s. - when one continually refers to themselves in the third person it's just plain creepy ...)

I have a feeling that the tags are somewhat inappropriate for how the video plays. I mean Zaphod always used his second head as a solid means of entertainment whether he intended it or not (the books point to him intentionally adding a second head for the ladies and whatnot -- I'd have to read the series again to get the full story). These young women have no choice with their setup. They can't be separated at all.

At any rate, I'm glad they're in what looked to be a very small, very private Christian school where their situation is accepted instead of mocked. I'd love to see the full documentary on TLC if it rolls around again.

As fascinating as this oddity of nature is, it's even more fascinating to see how they adjust to the changing world around them, and how the rest of the world reacts to it. I saw a documentary several years ago when (I'm pretty sure it was the same people) they were about 6 or 7 years old and they definitively identified themselves as two separate people.

I wish I had seen the whole documentary too since I have questions of my own...like since they share the same body, does one head do all the eating? If they get hurt, do they feel the same pain? Also since they have separate brains, does one have primary motor control, or do they often come into conflict? Can one feel happy while the other feels sad?

it's actually a small private lutheran academy, halon.

i think we squirm when we see this because humans are so into their own individuality ... we can't imagine another person always being there with us. if you were born this way it would not seem abnormal to you to ... go to the bathroom, explore your body, take a shower, etc ... i think the hensel's have done a beautiful job raising their daughters!


In reply to your comment, wumpus:

“I wish I had seen the whole documentary too since I have questions of my own...like since they share the same body, does one head do all the eating?” no, they each eat and have their own likes/dislikes and do not share an esophagus nor stomach ... they do, however, share a large and small intestine.

If they get hurt, do they feel the same pain? it depends on where they were injured ... if it was the left arm or leg, then abby feels the pain ... if it's on the right, then brittany feels the pain.

Also since they have separate brains, does one have primary motor control, or do they often come into conflict? this is why i felt choggie's original comment was out of place ... abby & brittany possess some of the most amazing qualities in cooperation, compromise, and conflict resolution. since birth, they have figured out how to run, walk, clap, drive, pass papers back and forth, swim, bike ride, play piano, send emails, etc ... this is only possible through their learned coordination with each other.

Can one feel happy while the other feels sad? absolutely!! in their own words, they are “just two people…stuck together.” ”

What rocks is that they were born like this so they had to learn from scratch.

Way to indulge in dialogue!
As seen here, an opener that initiates a visceral response from some, can develop and lead all to healthy conclusions, based upon the facts of a situation.
People deride what they can't understand, or embrace the understanding of the unknown, surrounding any phenom, natural or otherwise. These girls are incredible, no doubt. So are the community they are a part of, commendable.


The sideshow crier script on the fly, was to make a salient point...there will always be assholes. When shit becomes of value, the poor will be born without them!

So, DO they take the same tests? Is it cheating? Do they do two sets of homework??? The documentary asked these questions but failed to answer them (in this clip anyway)... these questions leave me begging for an answer!!

Raven: I don't think that video was complete. I'd love to see the whole thing.

It was an hour long documentary, a follow-up to one made when they were 12 (I think). They study together (obviously) but take separate tests and get graded separately.

They have different interests and each has different plans for what they want to do as adults - but personally I believe they will wind up as motivational speakers. They have so much to teach the rest of the world about how to get along and to cooperate. They don't have to option of NOT getting along - if they don't cooperate, they literally cannot move.

I've been fascinated by Abigail and Brittney ever since I first heard of them, and I don't believe by interest is exploitive, morbid or prurient. They're an amazing example of the human race, and proof that, if we try, we can all get along.

Nice. Is it possible for them to split their bodies? Or is it impossible because of the shared internal body parts?

Separation was never even considered. It would have required transplants of several body parts, and in the end you'd have two girls in wheelchairs each with only one arm and one leg each, with colostomy bags in the unlikely event of survival.

No, they are healthy conjoined twins who will eventually, if they choose to do so, have children (each has one ovary). Being 16 year old girls, they understandably didn't wish to discuss their love lives, though they are each attracted to different boys. I hope they have a happy life, and marry if they choose. Legally, they are individuals, and each was granted a driver's license, so for instance, if they choose to marry, they would have to marry different men.

Did anyone see the recent Grey's Anatomy episode of conjoined twins (guys)? They hated each other and got a split. At least we don't see that with these two girls.

choggie, the downvote button is there for a reason. All power to you if you want to downvote this. We're all going to see this somewhat differently.

I'd be uncomfortable about this video if I thought that the girls were unwilling or duped into appearing in this show, but they, their parents, their teachers and their peers seem to treat their lives as unusual but normal, if that makes any sense. Abby and Britney have given us permission to look at their televised images as long as we want, so I don't feel guilty about looking and I chose to upvote this video.

I've just started reading Daniel Gilbert's "Stumbling on Happiness" (his TED video is here). The opening paragraphs in chapter 2 describe another pair of conjoined twins:

Lori and Rena Schappel may be twins, but they are very different people. ... [T]here are just two unusual things about Lori and Reba. The first is that they share a blood supply, part of a skull, and some brain tissue, having been joined at the forehead since birth. ... The second unusual thing ... is that they are happy -- not merely resigned or contented, but joyful, playful and optimistic. Their unusual life presents many challenges, of course, but as they often note, whose doesn't? When asked about the possibility of undergoing surgical separation, Reba speaks for both of them: "Our point of view is no, straight out no. Why would you want to do that? For all the money in China, why? You'd be ruining two lives in the process."

So here's the question: If this were your life rather than theirs, how would you feel? If you said, "Joyful, playful and optimistic", then you are not playing the game and I am going to give you another chance. Try to be honest instead of correct. The honest answer is "Despondent, desperate and depressed." Indeed, it seems clear that no right-minded person could really be happy under such circumstances, which is why the conventional medical wisdom has it that conjoined twins should be separated at birth, even at risk of killing one or both. ... Everyone know[s] that conjoined twins will be dramatically less happy than normal people ... . And yet, ... an exhaustive search of the medical literature ... found that the "desire to remain together to be so widespread among communicating conjoined twins as to be practically universal." Something is terribly wrong here. But what?

I found this fascinating! So fascinating that I decided to finally register and write my first ever videosift comment! Here's my reaction: I want to know more about these people's lives. Here are some specific questions that occurred to me while watching:

1. Have they ever masturbated? If they have, what was that like?

2. Have they thought about how they're going to have 'sexy time' with other people?

3. Are they both the same sexual orientation?

4. Would they enjoy sharing partners?

5. Do they have an equal share of limb / organ control? (e.g. can one prevent the other from walking? / can one want to urinate but the other not?)

6. What is their life expectancy? Can one die and the other live?

7. Are they more at risk for particular types of diseases (e.g. cardiovascular diseases) than non-cojoined people?

8. Have they been involved in any sort of psychotherapy, counselling or psychiatric treatment? What were the main issues that came up?

9. Are either of them in better physical or mental condition than the other?

Amazing.

We need more clips of them and others.

Amazing girls.

that was both intense and amazing.

anytime you think you have it tough watch this and learn.

They cooperated fully with this, and the earlier documentaries. I first learned of them when Life magazine did a cover story about them, but they have been participating in documentaries since they were 6 years old. On the other hand, they get quite justifiably annoyed when people photograph or videotape them without their permission. They do not wish to be treated as "freaks".

Back in my day we got in trouble for chewing gum in class. Was I the only one that noticed that?

Jimns: Nope, but good point. I remember this rule during my school days.

Fascinating clip. At first I was somewhat shocked if that's the right word and still am to be honest, then intrigued and finally full of admiration for these girls.

Another one: http://www.videosift.com/video/More-Of-the-Henzel-Conjoined-Twins

Of course there will be 'freak show' people coming to see something like this... but my reasons were 'how do they function' etc... and before watching it I thought it would be squeamish (so, I guess there is a bit of freak to that), but my hope was, and I wasn't disappointed, in that watching it I would accept it and not be freaked out by the way they are. By the end of the video I found it 'normal' in a sense... it wasn't freaky anymore.

Although I too did wonder about the sexual side of things, not from a perverted sense, but just in that it's the case where you want to be ALONE with someone else... so what happens in their case... would be a very odd situation indeed.

I am curious if one wants to go to sleep and the other does not, is that possible?

Lots of good questions. I wonder if they have a FAQ?

*dead

This published video has been declared non-functional; embed code must be fixed within 2 days or it will be sent to the dead pool - declared dead by maatc.

Awarding oxdottir with one star point for fixing this video's dead embed code.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'conjoined, twins, zaphod beeblebrox' to 'conjoined, twins, zaphod beeblebrox, hensel, age 16' - edited by bareboards2