I was always mature for my age. I started preschool a year early because they said I was “mature.” I was taller than most of the boys and girls in my grade, sprouting up to 5 feet 6 inches in 5th grade. Puberty hit me at an early age along with the development of my breasts. I began to look like a woman. My body had exceeded my actual age. When I began middle school at the tender age of 12, I received a lot of attention from boys two to four years older than me. This is a trend that has continued all throughout my life. I’ve always been a very sexual person. I attribute that to the things I watched on television at an early age that I had no business watching. Promiscuous behavior was glamorized on television and I just mimicked what I saw. A product of reality television, images of sex were everywhere. My breasts, my body, and being sexually attractive to the opposite sex begun to define my identity. I began to confuse this sexual attention with love and affection. It wasn’t until my late 20’s, after many heartbreaks, that I finally understood that sex and love are not synonymous. That wearing low cut tops revealing my breasts on a first date sent the wrong message. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized that I was more than a sexual being. And that the inside of me deserved to be loved, adored, and respected just as much as the outside. I often find myself as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, actress, model and musician torn by that part of me that is very sexual and that part of me that wants to be respected beyond my sexuality.
As I begun to see social media as a vehicle to promote my artistic endeavors, I was constantly being cautioned by that of my parents and conservative friends to be careful about what I shared about myself via social media. We live in a society that rewards sex and explicit behavior. Sounds cliché, but sex sells. I was being told one thing, but being shown another. I wanted to be liked. Conflicted by seeking approval and still being seen as a person was something that I wrestled with, but being sexual is part of how I express myself. Part of me feels that there is nothing wrong with being sexual. I am a grown woman. There comes a time when you just want to be yourself, sexual and all. The time came. I had to unfriend my parents on Facebook. Yet still, that need to balance a positive sexual image, while not being judged for expressing my sexuality is still something I struggle with. Like Jekyll and Hyde. There will always be two sexual sides to me..
Kristen Briscoe started dancing when she was 4. She received her most intense dance training from 4th to 12th grade. She was exposed to all forms of dance including, modern, jazz, hip hop, African, ballet, and Latin styles. She began choreographing in elementary school and performed her own work in school talent shows and contests. After she earned her degree in Broadcast Journalism from Howard University in 2011, she joined several professional dance companies in the DMV area including Chocolate City Burlesque and Cabaret under the stage name of “Angel.” She also teaches Zumba, Zoca, models and acts. She recently earned a supporting actress role in a TV One show.
Twitter and Instagram: @movesbykristen
