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Born
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Lynyrd Skynyrd
I grew up listening to classic rock on the radio with my mother. She said I knew the words to "Gimme Three Steps" by Lynyrd Skynyrd as a kindergartner. -
Playboy Channel
When I was 6, I was playing at a friend's house and we were watching TV in the family room. My friend's father was flipping through channels, and accidentally we saw the Playboy Channel. I remember the mother freaking out, wondering what I saw and if I knew what it meant. -
DuckTales
DuckTales was one of my favorite cartoons. I still remember part of the theme song. -
Dirty Dancing
I was six when this movie came out, but I don't remember watching it for the first time until it was on rentals or TV. I remember sneaking behind the couch to watch it while my parents were. I remember thinking Jennifer Grey had a funny nose. Watching it over the years since, I felt her awkwardness as she competed with the blonde for Johnny's attention. Several years later she got a nose job, and I thought it was a mistake. -
New Kids on the Block
This was my first favorite band and the first album I bought. I even had a Jonathon doll that I would play with with my Barbie. All of my friends were obsessed with Joey McIntire. -
Beaches
Beaches was the first movie I saw in a theater. I remember crying when Barbara Hershey's character died. -
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New Kids on the Block
My favorite band for the duration of their albums sometime with the last one in 1990. -
Nintendo
I got a Nintendo game set for Christmas, and became hooked on Mario Brothers. -
Iraq War - Desert Storm
I remember this being really the first time being the first major political impression on me by the media... George Bush and stealth bombers going to save Kuwait in some far off desert land from the evil Saddam Hussein. The first major newspaper headlines I remember were from Operation Desert Storm. -
Sassy Magazine
My first magazine subscription was to Sassy Magazine. I remember it being very feminist, very pro-girl, very edgy. I felt cool, like a rebel, a non-conformist. -
AOL Chat Rooms
I remember hanging out with a girlfriend and cruising AOL chat rooms for fun. We were in like the 7th or 8th grade, and we found it endlessly amusing to flirt with guys and pretend we were much older. At the time, AOL dial-up modems were THE way to connect on the internet. This was about the first time I remember browsing the internet. -
OJ Simpson Murder Case
The car chase with OJ Simpson in the white Ford Bronco dominated the media for days. -
WSMV Channel 4 Segment
I was at a forum about gender in media at The Southern Festival of Books. I asked a question of Peggy Orenstein, the author of "Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self-Esteem, and the Confidence Gap." As a result, LaTonya Turner, a reporter for WSMV Channel 4 approached me to do a 'day in the life' segment on teen girls and self confidence. Turner followed me around school for a day. I was in the eighth grade. -
Jon Benet Ramsay Murder
The murder of Jon Benet Ramsay dominated the news for months, as the nation wondered how it could be possible for parents to murder their own daughter. -
The Fountainhead
This is one of the major books that changed my life. I was determined to start my own business, and felt that this was the manifesto of the entrepreneur and an ode to capitalism. I was very naive. -
Sex and the City
Living in New York and loving fashion and being single, I loved "Sex and the City." I felt like I was Carrie Bradshaw, and my friends were her friends. Her experiences in the dating scene in Manhattan were very relatable to my generation of urban 20-somethings. -
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Sex and the City
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9/11
I witnessed 9/11 firsthand, as I was on my way to class in lower Manhattan. My father in Nashville knew that I was okay because he saw me getting interviewed on Fox News. 9/11 was the major turning point in my conception of the media's role in fomenting war. -
Myspace
I was a devoted user of Myspace, as everyone I knew in Nashville was on it. Myspace was great because it let you customize your page and discover new music. I reconnected with many New York friends via this site. I didn't make the switch over to Facebook until 2008 or so. -
Fortune Magazine
I began reading Fortune Magazine in business school. I always imagined that I would one day be featured in the pages as an upstart fashion designer. -
Facebook
As Myspace lost relevance, I finally made the transition to Facebook. Its status update and timeline features have ultimately proven addictive for keeping abreast of friends, family, and news in general. -
LadyLibertine.net
I launch my political blog, Lady Libertine, with the tagline "The Uncivil Libertarian." -
Occupy Wall Street
OWS was the social movement I had been waiting for for my entire life. It changed the trajectory of my career--I went from pursuing a career in fashion for over a decade to becoming serious about my passion for politics. -
The Point on The Young Turks Network
This was my first (and to date only) appearance on The Point as a panelist. It launched my relationship with The Young Turks. -
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The Undercurrent
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The Undercurrent - First Show
In the first episode of my web-show, I cover the 1 year anniversary of Occupy, on the ground in Manhattan. Press coverage of the event is disparaging and minimalizing of the turn-out. OWS loses much relevance to mainstream media. -
Vogue
Vogue was always a fashion favorite from high school, through out fashion school, to today. This was only cemented by Sex and the City.
