I met this beauty—Barbie, aka, Gangsta Granny—when I was visiting Pastor Blue on Skid Row in LA (you may remember him from a previous post). She lives there in a tent, but it was evident right away that GG is used to being in front of a camera. She told me she’d once modeled for Vogue back in the day. She was a farm girl who was “discovered.” She said even then her preferred farm girl uniform was jeans and boots (just like what she had on the day I met her), but her agency gave her a suit to wear when she went out on modeling auditions. She wore it once and then went back to her uniform, they should have known—she has style, and she does it her way.

Gangsta Granny doesn't have many teeth, but she is incredibly regal. I chatted with her and Pastor Blue while they had lunch, and to eat her sandwich, she quickly pulled scissors out of her boot, snipped off a piece of the sandwich, and flicked it into her mouth. It was so seamless and ingenious, one would hardly even notice.

GG also has some back and hip problems, so the easiest way for her to get around is on her bike. I could have talked to her all afternoon, but she had places to go and people to see, so off she went.