mom years later. The bad news: I never got a call from Aguilera to be one of her backup dancers. Ask my peers from elementary about me and you’d hear about my obsession with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Spears was my original idol after coming out with “… Baby one more time.” I cannot count for the life of me how many times debates would arise over the Queen of Pop’s performances and boobs. Students loved harassing me, saying Britney was nothing but a lip-syncing bimbo with fake implants. Mostly upsetting were comments about her boobs. She did not get implants. The fact that these kids were saying awful things about her to my face was like a stab to my heart. Spears was my first concert—I was in eighth grade. My mom took me. We rented a room at the hotel down from the venue. Excitement struck and I couldn’t control myself. For her opening number of “Toxic,” I broke into tears as if I saw Titanic for the first time (you get the picture). My mom, getting frustrated, yelled “Stop crying and have fun.” I wanted to shout back, “…but it’s Britney, bitch!” After the Britney phase, came the Paris Hilton phase. A diehard fan of the heiress, I was a junior in high school when she went to jail. I did what every true Paris fan does: I sent her a letter, spending the whole period of English making sure I had written everything I wanted to in two pages. With the letter, I sent a calling card with my phone number letting her know if she ever needed anyone to talk with, I was there (some people may take advantage of her but I genuinely wanted to let her know we could talk without it going to the press). The following year became one of the best times of my life. Paris announced she was getting a reality show in search for her “new BFF.” The minute I heard this, I applied. The application included a picture, biography and campaign to get the most votes. I went crazy – I made posters, fliers and cards to make sure people
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went to the website to vote for me. Teachers from my school went as far to give out extra credit if students voted for me. I didn’t make it, but my friend Vanessa did. Making it to the finals she finished second, taking me to the best part of this story… the day Paris Hilton called me. Packing for California, I received a phone call from my friend Vanessa. My heart instantly stopping because I knew she was in Las Vegas meeting Paris. As I answered Vanessa said, “hey my friend wants to talk to you.” Suddenly a soft spoken voice said, “hey sexy.” I responded with “who’s this?” though I already knew. The moment she said Paris Hilton, I shouted, repeating “shut the ---- up!” for a minute straight. The brief conversation consisted of just those words and it was awesome. Life as a little girl had some great moments that I will cherish forever. Playing with Barbie’s, wearing my mom’s bra and obsessing over pop singers and socialites, has made me the woman I’ve become today.