Honey Magazine (1999)

New Power Generation (Honey Magazine, Spring 1999)

"Power is about being at the center of your own universe," says Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, the "L" dead in the middle of TLC. Her huge brown eyes, both the left and right one, begin to dance when she spots the Lacotasu tribal headdress she is to adorn. "Ooh," she whispers. "I like this."

You see, Left Eye is herself a chief of sorts. The unlikely kind. She is the type of chief that many young women like her become-chief by default, chief by necessity, chief by will. For us-a new urban magazine, young, female and on the edge-she was the perfect subject to introduce this precarious matter of power.

We chose her to top our New Power Generation pile because of the subtle ways in which she deconstructs power's commonly held notions. Ever clear, of course, that Left Eye has had her share of difficulties. For bad decisions and bad men past, she's paid hefty dues. It was only natural she'd be labeled the crazy one-along with the zany hats and out there outfits, Left Eye set fires sh*t.

But as women, we know things are never as simple as they look. One of the greatest minds of the 20th century, Frederick Douglass once said, "Power concedes nothing without a demand." Long over her tormented love-affair, the abuse and self-abuse, Lisa's demands of late, have all been of herself. "It hits me in the head one day. I guess the day you understand power, is the day you realize you don't have it," she remarks.

Today is a new day for out power girl. Cleaned up from the stench of negative controversy, she is remaking herself. Like Vanessa Williams, the beautiful woman many once thought could never clear her public image, Left Eye, too, took control of her life back from others. MTV peeped it. Offered her a new show ("The Cut!") which she did so unexpectedly well, they're gearing up for next season. Then she made an even iller cut (Cradle Rock) with the super sexy Method Man. And, best yet,our chief has found love again. "It's easy for me to fall in love. I'm not the type who believes you only love once. People are beautiful, incredible,amazing," she says.

As far as ventures go which excludes her musical partners T-Boz and Chilli, Left Eye made it clear that they are each other's biggest supporters. Their new album Fan Mail, is set to sell another 10 million. "But," she explains, "We're growing up and would never want to hold one another back. We [branch out] for each other."

And that philosophy-that begrudge another woman's success would be detrimental to all-is what the New Power Generation package is really about. We put together a visual treat including the 55+ women in entertainment Honey believes most powerful at the dusk of this millineum and dawn of one new. This is not about physical beauty, or money, necessarily. Instead we are celebrating impact and effect. In this decade, has even a day of your progress, young lives gone by without the artistic contributions of at least one of these women?

Watching the diminutive Left Eye prance onto the set of the Atlanta studio in her new crown reminded me of a profound something Iyanla Vanzant once said, " There are no circumstances around you more powerful than the power within."