Speaking of the Bionic Woman, Can You Top THIS List of Embarrasing Childhood Crushes and Heroes?

I wasn't much into female superheroes. I only vaguely remember liking Isis because I wanted her headband.

But I'm embarrassed to say that I had such a huge crush on Christopher Reeve as Superman that I hated Margot Kidder because she played Lois Lane. Michael Jackson, El DeBarge, and Peter Barton as Matthew Starr posters and probably a few others I can't remember were all over my walls and ceiling to the point where I had to remove the canopy from my bed posts so that I could fully enjoy them.

As an adolescent girl, I went through my Lita Ford phase and actually bought some leopard-skin cowboy boots because she had a pair. They cost me $300--so, almost a year's worth of allowance. This began my obsession with expensive footwear that still persists today, by the way.

I don't recall actually dressing like Michael Jackson, although my dance/gymnastic routine at the summer camp talent show was danced to "Beat It." But I wore my hair like Madonna's and wore leggings with cowboy boots and ankle boots ala Desperately Seeking Susan.

I tried the Jon Bon Jovi hairdo for a little while, but it was too hard to maintain. I had to use tons of hairspray and mousse, and for the most part, I don't like high-maintenance fashion--especially since it entails waking up earlier to do--so I found Madonna's messy hairstyle imitatable enough because it really only called for teasing and ratty looking hair, so all I had to do was tease my hair one day, and I could pretty much get away with not combing my hair for a few days, then style it with a lace scarf or bandanna. And go on to school. I remember one guy saying to one of his friends that I should actually do something with, like style my hair. He just didn't get it: I had done something with it. (This was a guy that clearly was not going to be my boyfriend, LOL! I mean, you can't put down a girl's hairdo then expect to get a date.)

I also cut my hair like Prince's (as did Wendy and Lisa and Sheila E.) and sewed buttons down the side of a couple pairs of jeans as he did with his pants. When he came to town for a concert, I borrowed my mother's gold lame (that's pronounced "lah-may") coat since she didn't have a purple one, and passed that off as my Prince attire, along with my matching gold Stewart Weitzman pumps (Christian Louboutin was still a few years away), purple corduroy knee-length skirt (with buttons sewed down the sides) and ruffled Edwardian shirt. I can't remember if I wore stockings on not. I have to dig for the picture my friends shot of me on the el platform. Pretty much, that day I emulated his dress from the "When Doves Cry" video. I even sported a pimp hat (sans the lace though) and the round shades.

To this day, my mother reminds me of how ridiculous I looked. But two things: You could not TELL me back then I wasn't looking sharp! My friends and I went to the concert on public transportation, so I was too proud of my look. And even though Mom embarrasses me about it now, she always helped me get my costumes together and helped me write fan mail to my favorite rock stars. She didn't burst my bubble till I got older.