Debbie Harry has been the focus of “sexual attention” since she was a little girl.
The singer quickly became a sex symbol when she formed band Blondie in the ’70s and was instantly recognizable thanks to her bright bleached hair and scarlet lips. Debbie has been called out for exploiting her femininity on many occasions, but the 69-year-old insists she has been that way her whole life.
“Even as a little girl, I attracted sexual attention. My mother used to be very concerned about it. But for good or for bad, I never felt compelled to hide my sexuality,” she explained to harpersbazaar.com. “The poet Gregory Corso used to hang out on East Seventh Street between Avenues A and B, and he was such a flirt! I was terribly afraid of him, because he was so forward. But he was a brilliant poet, so I would dare myself to walk down that block because I had a weird temptation to see him. I guess I was sort of a poet groupie.”
The topic of Debbie’s interview was Women Who Dare, and the musician recalled her desire to rebel. She moved to New York from New Jersey in the late ’60s and found the change of lifestyle exhilarating, despite it not being entirely safe.
“The idea of life being sort of scary was exciting. One time some kids grabbed my bag and ended up dragging me down the street because I wouldn’t let go. Things like that happened on a regular basis,” she reminisced. “It was thrilling, and I foolishly – or childishly – thought that nothing would really touch me.”
Blondie are still going strong and the group set out on an international tour earlier this year to celebrate their anniversary album Blondie 4(0) Ever. Things have changed since the beginning though, with Debbie now much tamer.
“I don’t know if I’m the risk taker I once was,” she added. “But I’ve always been determined not to accept the status quo. Had I settled down for any other life, I would’ve been unhappy. I didn’t really have a choice.”
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