<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Where did you grow up? In a little town called Brookfield, Connecticut. It&amp;#039;s one of those perfectly picturesque New England places complete with a town square. Were you a good student? I was type-A all the way. I studied very hard, was on the honor roll, was active in sports. and played two instruments. I don&amp;#039;t think schoolwork came that easily to me -- which is why I worked so hard. I liked school, I didn&amp;#039;t love it, but I genuinely liked learning and seeing my friends. What type of jobs did you work? I worked at a place called Record Town (which I guess really dates me because who buys records anymore?). I loved, and still do, all music. The store was in a little strip mall attached to the Gap, so I spent most of my money on CDs and clothes. It was an amazing place to meet boys too! All the cute guys used to stop by after school and pick up Def Leppard records, and I would try, unsuccessfully, to meet them. What was the worst popular trend when you were going to school? I was 17 in 1986-87 so there were tons of bad &amp;#039;80s trends happening. Maybe stirrup pants were the most brutal. They made your legs long like chunky pieces of wood. I&amp;#039;m not sure why, unless you rode horses, anyone would wear them. They give you cankles. What did you want to be when you grew up? I had no idea. I knew I loved reading magazines, but I didn&amp;#039;t know at the time that you could make a real career out of working at one. What is the craziest thing you ever did you get a guy to notice you? I was a little bit of a late bloomer in the dating department, so I never did anything too wild. I did have a crush on this one guy who I used to see around town. I later found out that he was in college and too old for me (well, according to my parents). He was a DJ at the local college radio station. I would listen to his show obsessively and pretend he was talking to me. I would also call in and make requests, hoping to impress him with my knowledge of Bananarama. Learn more about Gina&amp;#039;s past on the --&amp;amp;gt;  What was your style when you were 17? What is it like now?  Then and now I&amp;#039;ve always loved fashion. I don&amp;#039;t think I dress the same way, but I have the same philosophy: I dress for my mood. Sometimes I feel supergirly, and sometimes I dress like I&amp;#039;m in a rock &amp;#039;n&amp;#039; roll band. That&amp;#039;s why I love the fashion business -- you don&amp;#039;t have to choose! What kind of clique were you in back then? Now?  I went through a little identity crisis when I was 17. Up until that point I was pretty classic and preppy and hung out with the jocks. Once I started to work at Record Town (I kid you not), I was exposed to new music and weird kids from different towns. It made me see so many new influences, so I kind of rejected cliques and hung out with whomever I wanted to. Now, I have a very small group of friends who I really trust. When I first moved to NYC, I loved being social and going out. The older you get, the less appealing that is. What were your hobbies back then? Now?  Music was and still is my hobby. In school I played the piano and violin. When I moved to NYC, I used to hang out in a big DJ scene, so I made a friend show me how to mix on turntables. I deejayed in New York for 10 years. It was a great release and totally different from fashion. What rumors were people spreading about you then? Now?  In high school people called me a goody-goody. I didn&amp;#039;t drink or try drugs, and I was a virgin. I didn&amp;#039;t mind that tag though. Now if I hear a rumor about myself, I couldn&amp;#039;t care less. Life is too short to worry about what other people say. What did you do for fun? Now?  Back in high school, I liked talking on the phone and obsessed over boys. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Now I like to try new restaurants, go hiking, watch movies, and read a good book. What advice did your parents give you when you were 17. Now?  Treat others like you&amp;#039;d like to be treated yourself. That advice stays with me today. Who was your celebrity crush? Now?  Then I loved Johnny Depp. I was an avid 21 Jump Street fan. I even liked Winona Ryder and him as a couple (I know, they dated?!). Now, I like Justin Timberlake. Doesn&amp;#039;t he like older women? Head to the next page to read Gina&amp;#039;s letter to her 17-year-old self! Dear Gina,  Don&amp;#039;t stress so much about the stuff you can&amp;#039;t control. You can&amp;#039;t plan everything in your life out, so it&amp;#039;s better to be able to roll with it rather than fighting every unplanned change. That applies to a lot in life: boys, school, friendships. They are all meant to fade, evolve, get better -- whatever.  xo, Gina "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/interviews/a255/gina-kelly-wiw17-0207/>