Kathy Ireland – It may be hard for the youngsters to believe, but back in my junior high days, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue was the closest my friends and I could get to seeing boobs. Every year, its release was greeted with much rejoicing. Whoever could sneak their dad’s copy to class first would be a hero to us, and we would pore over those pages like Talmudic scholars. The inevitable discovery of the one shot every year that featured a top just wet enough to reveal nipples would generate much discussion. Kathy Ireland was a big part of those years. Sure, we all preferred Elle Macpherson or Vendela, but Kathy’s contributions can not be overlooked. My point, if indeed it can be called one, is that Kathy Ireland played a crucial part in my social development as a pre-teen. Now, she runs Kathy Ireland Worldwide, which is a billion-dollar company. This surprises me, frankly. As mentioned above, models don’t exactly have a great record here, and Kathy is no spring chicken (which depresses me so much I can hardly stand it) – she’s not old enough to be inspirational, but too old to have that spring in her step. I don’t think she’ll make it very far. Her partner is Tony “Bobblehead” Dovolani, who I actually started to like last season. That means lifts galore!
