I had a fun discussion recently with some friends about our first celebrity crushes. Specifically, that first guy who made us realize, “hmm, I seem to be attracted to men”. For me, it wasn’t really one guy, but it was a series of men who led me to that realization.
The first guy, way back in my pre-teen consciousness, may have been Richard Carpenter, of all people.
Yes, I loved Carpenters music, and yes, I was struck profoundly by the intimacy & warmth of Karen Carpenter’s voice. But I also found something warmly enticing about her talented blond older brother. If anything, he just seemed so nice!
Shortly after that, while still in my pre-teen years, I was enthralled by a Disney movie called “The World’s Greatest Athlete”.
Specifically, by the loincloth-wearing star Jan-Michael Vincent. I remember seeing it with a bunch of my friends from the neighborhood, but I don’t think it impacted them in quite the same way as it did me!
Of course, all of this was just a prelude to the 6-Million Dollar slab of hunkiness headed my way in the form of Lee Majors.
When that bionic beefcake launched himself into my awareness, in all of his hairy-chested, aw-shucks wonder, it became pretty hard to escape the conclusion that I wasn’t going to be getting the same sort of satisfaction from someone like, say, Farrah-Fawcett Majors, (although I loved her anyway!).
Finally, the one that really sealed the deal for me came soaring in from outer-space in the form of light-saber wielding Luke Skywalker, aka Mark Hamill.
While the Star Wars movie alone was enough to dazzle me for several months, it was Luke Skywalker who got my rockets firing in all the right places. (It’s interesting, when I see pictures of him now, how young he looks. Back then, he seemed so much older than me….like a long lost older brother or older cousin who I secretly wished would show up & be a part of my family).
So, there you have it…my string of pre-adolescent & adolescent celebrity teen crushes. And yes, I suppose there were others, but these are the ones that really made an impact on me. Maybe someday I’ll expand on the list, but for right now, I’d like to hear yours! That’s right, how about adding a comment here on this blog? I’m sure you’ve got someone you’d like to tell us about! Just click on the comments link below and share your experience; isn’t it time to let the world know about your teen heartthrob?
