The game is on the rocks. All across the board the hierarchy of entertainment within the black community is falling apart. No one is able to make money doing what they want to do with their careers. Throughout all this struggle, Crystal Lee’s beautiful smile shines through. The holder of a degree in Sociology with a focus on Human Behavior, Ms. Lee isn’t your average thicky-thick girl with the honey brown eyes.

Appearing in the May issue of Black Men’s Magazine, Ms. Crystal Lee is truly a rare find. Not just in physical appearance, but in location, as well. The Denver resident is as fair as the snow, but never icy. And as she warms up to Beauty & Brains, Ms. Crystal Lee talks about how modeling can break up a happy home, why pretty girls get lonely too.

Beauty & Brains: When has being too nice ever got you in trouble?
CL: In relation to girlfriends, I inherently want to believe that there are good woman out there who want to share in that happiness like my mother and grandmother had. When you’re nice as a female, it’s almost taken like you’re naïve. Other girls want to take advantage of that, and I think that’s odd. I don’t invest myself in a lot of relationships with women as a result of that. I avoid the whole thing all together. I rather make moves by myself instead of keeping a team of girls around me. It hurts me because there’s no longer that camaraderie. When jobs are presented, I’m usually the first person who gets thrown under the bus for their own well-being. What they don’t know is I usually get by fine because people see right through that.

B&B: So, are you more business minded when it comes to modeling? Or are you interested in the perks?
CL: I would say that I am more business-minded. I only got into it for the business. I’m coming into the game late and I’ve made moves due to what’s best in mind. I can go to the club and get free drinks and whatnot; it’s easier to find an athlete that it is to find a guy with a degree. If I’m going to be headed out to these clubs and all that and not getting paid, why not see if I can make some money off of it?

B&B: How would you describe yourself to those who don’t know you?
CL: I would describe myself as a fun person. Realistically, I’m an athlete first. I am a person to relate to. I have been blessed with what people think is an ideal look or presence. I am a fun person to hang out with. People say to me that, “It’s something about me.” I love it when I hear that from someone. It’s almost like the greatest compliment to give to me. [Laughs] It’s like I’m the cool guy with the 39 inch ass!

B&B: You worked a Kim Kardashian/Dwayne Wade event, according to your resume. Do you think that you could give Ms. Kardashian a run for her money?
CL: Yeah, I think I could… eventually. I have a little bit more growing to do within this industry. But the thing is… aside from her sex tape being the way she got on, what she’s done since then is in the admiration of a lot of people. I’ve admired it as well. There are guys that would still want to wife her up. I don’t have a sex tape out there [laughs], but I think off of what I see for myself in the future, I can make it.

B&B: Have you ever broken up a happy home?
CL: Yes. Being in that lifestyle of beautiful women and powerful men, I have come across that. I was young and I wasn’t respectful to someone else’s life. I had my little flying in and out of town, but that was when I was young. Karma really came back to bite me in the ass. I was reading this book called, The Secret, and it really talks about what you put out there in the world is what you get back. You don’t really think about the stuff you do; you think about the now. I had a lot of things that shot me in the foot with my relationships. I was always putting the bad person out; the selfish Crystal. I would get what I want like trips and whatnot. I got that at the immediate, but the repercussions was too tough. I was lonely in the end.

B&B: In business and in love there are certain rules that people subscribe to. What are a few things that you would never sacrifice for the sake of being successful in either/or?
CL: Reputation. You only get to go around once with anything you do. For my own standards, I was bad and I didn’t want to feel like in business or in love that someone couldn’t trust me based on anything they’ve heard. That’s the one thing I wouldn’t sacrifice for anything. If it takes me a little bit longer to get known in this business, I can understand that, just as long as it doesn’t complicate my life. This game is so competitive. But if you do it the right way, you can make it.

B&B: Now, you were in the Lyfe Jenning’s “Cops Up” video as an extra. What did you see from being a part of that project that you’d like to utilize to have a more defined role in another music video?
CL: You know what? I couldn’t really speak on it. The bad experience of going to these things is that there are a lot of politics as far as getting into a main role. Funny story is that I didn’t get cast in the video. I was working with Shawna of Ethnicity Models and I had came down to see what goes on during a shoot. It was 10 hour day that was unpaid and I was hanging out with the other girls who were cast as extras. They left and I stuck it out. I got put into their spot. I’m right there at the beginning of the video. There really is a business side to this. I think that I’ll be alright once I pay more dues and people start seeing that I’m serious about this game. Once they do, I think it’ll be respected. Continued on page 2 »