Little did I know in 1990, my life began.

This picture takes me back to 1991. I was 12 years old and naive to the ways of this cruel world. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Prince of Tides, Silence of the Lambs were all movies making their presence known in the box office. Phil Collins was raking out hits while a young Garth Brooks' was becoming a megastar. The Game Boy's instant success finally made it possible to read even less than you did before. I think this is about the time I started my cultural identity crisis in which I desperately wanted to be black. I attribute that to Boyz N the Hood and my mourning for Ricky. I knew he was gonna do well on that SAT. I knew he would go to USC. What a tragedy. "Either they don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's going on the hood." Also, some youngster named Brad Pitt made a name for himself in Thelma and Louise. Johnny Utah was an FBI Agent! C+C Music Factory managed to string about three heinous hits together along with the most obvious abuse of steroids by the lead (singer?). Bugle Boy had become the brand of all brands. Distal Radius fractures were a dime a dozen since everyone had to have rollerblades for the first time. Anita Hill made Clarence Thomas' life a living hell. If you didn't have Z Cavaricci's you were a nobody. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were heroes in a half shell. All of this made my 7th grade year magical, but nothing more than the BIRTH OF THE SUPERMODEL. Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Stephanie Seymour, Linda Evangalista, Kate Moss, Rachel Hunter, Elle McPherson, Christy Turlington, Helena Christensen, and Eva Herzigova. It was Linda Evangalista that said, "We have this saying, Christy (Turlington) and I. We don't get out of bed for less than 10,000 a day." That one single statement changed my life forever because with that, came the Supermodel. Objectifying women seems harsh. I don't do that. In fact, it's the complete antithesis. I prefer to say I revere women because of these statuesque figures of sexuality and unattainable desire. Being such a magnet for these chicks is a curse. It's not fair, but hey, neither is life. It's my scarlett letter. I embrace it because I have to. I embrace because there's no one else that can bear this burden. I will sacrifice. I will perservere. I will embrace my gift and my brand. I will be strong. I'm a survivor.