|
Pop Culture Q&A
First album you bought? I'm Your Baby Tonight, Whitney Houston. I was obsessed with Whitney Houston when I was younger. I'm Your Baby Tonight was the very first album I ever bought and I still have that CD to this day. I've never actually met Whitney but I would love to and let her know how much she means. As I child when I saw her, she was just so beautiful. She empowered strong, successful women and I knew at an early age that that was me and that I wanted to be a strong, powerful woman making money and I didn't need anyone else.
First concert you attended? Janet Jackson. I love Janet and she sounds just the same in person and she dances just as hard. She's just such an amazing performer. From the moment she got on stage to the moment she left I was hyped. I went to a show in Buffalo with an old high school friend about five years ago.
Rock star that you know? I know Pharrell well. We met each other in New York four years ago at a fashion party during fashion week and he's someone that I admire just based on the person that he is. He has great character and is amazingly talented. He's a musical genius. I respect him just based on how he lives his life. He makes me want to be a better person. You can't find many friends like that in this industry and I would think he's a great friend who will be apart of my life for awhile.
Rock star you want to know? Whitney Houston. Whitney has this aura that when you look at her, you would assume that she wouldn't need a man. She wouldn't need anyone. It was just Whitney and her lungs and her voice box, which would blow you away when she would open up her mouth to sing.
Gnarls Barkley is... A great band with the No. 1 downloaded song. I dance to it whenever I hear it.
Britney Spears is... A talented young lady.
K-Fed is... Britney's ex-husband.
When I sing karaoke... I make a fool out of myself. I'll pretty much sing any song. The last time I sang karaoke, I sang Jerry Butler's For Your Precious Love and tortured the song, it was horrible. I did that in front of my family, though. I wouldn't make a fool out of myself outside of Buffalo.
Song that reminds you of your first kiss? I don't remember the first kiss, but the song that reminds me of the first time I fell in love was Sam Cooke's Cupid. This was when I was 19 and it was the first and only time I ever fell in love.
Song that makes you cry? Tomorrow by The Winans. It's a very spiritual song. It's about God asking why you live your life the way you live your life when you could just come to the cross. I'm a very spiritual person so I love those words. I think they're very powerful.
What you wanted to be at age 10? A ballet dancer. My mom had me in dance lessons since I was a young girl, so ballet is something that is very near and dear to me. I still practice to this day. I'm so lazy and I don't work out so I usually get my workout through my dance lessons.
Athlete that you want to know? Lisa Leslie. I think she's a very talented and empowering woman.
I'll spend Valentine's Day... At the SI Swimsuit Party, but if I wasn't working, I'd be wishing I was with a guy. I'm definitely a romantic but I'm more of a down-to-earth romantic. Just a dinner and a movie in the hotel room will do it for me.
What attracts you to a man? I don't want someone who comes off as arrogant. Even if you are arrogant, don't come across as being arrogant. There's a way to be confident without being a jerk about it. I'm not pretentious so I want someone who is down to earth, who's extremely intelligent and someone who will make me laugh because I love to laugh. Someone who's just man enough to be my man.
AGE: 22
BORN: Buffalo, N.Y.
DISCOVERED: When Jessica was 14 and living in Buffalo, she went to New York City for a IMTA (International Modeling and Talent Association) competition and did so well that she got 30 call backs for modeling and 20 call backs for acting. IMG was one of her call backs and she signed with them hoping to be the next Tyra Banks, one of IMG's clients, and the rest is history.
SI RÉSUMÉ: This is Jessica's fourth appearance (2003, 2004, 2005) in the Swimsuit Issue.
DID YOU KNOW? Jessica is the first African-American model to appear in three consecutive editions of the SI Swimsuit Issue.
|
/>
