Changing Hawaii

By Diane Yukihiro Chang

Monday, May 6, 1996

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Here's a rundown of People magazine's 1996 inductees, followed by the unspoken but resounding messages being sent to readers:

• Twenty seven of the "Most Beautiful" are women, average age 28.7. There are 23 men, average age 36.3.

  (Apparently "the older you get, the better you look" only refers to guys.)

• Broken down by profession, there are 31 actors, seven musicians/singers, five media personalities, four athletes and three models.

  (If you are not in a high-profile job, you're probably not beautiful.)

• Superstar Demi Moore exercised four hours at a time for one movie. Actress Lela Rochon devotes two hours daily to kick boxing and weight lifting.

  (Too bad working stiffs can't spend innumerable hours with attentive personal trainers - money and time being no object.)

• Quote from 5-foot-8, 110-pound model Navia Nguyen, 22: "If God came down and was, like, 'Do you want to change anything?' I'd want to never age. And stay this weight forever."

  (Oh, brother.)

She sat alone on a spotlit stage - in a wheelchair, without any notes - and told her inspiring story to the awe-struck young girls and mentors in attendance.

What a woman. Broderick serves as special counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice's Violence Against Women Office, where she leads the fight against domestic abuse. She has met presidents and the pope, visited 34 countries, toured the Greek ruins by piggyback, mastered water and snow skiing, prosecuted murder, rape and money laundering cases, and is in the running to be a judge.

She has always tried to lead a busy, fulfilling life. Even as a young lady she was constantly on the go - until a fluke car accident in college left her completely paralyzed.

It was only a temporary setback in her eyes. "I told my parents, 'I can still do everything while sitting down. I always thought I was too tall anyway,'" she remembers.

Public reaction to her as physically challenged, however, is another story. On the street, strangers still look at Broderick with sad and pitying expressions as she wheels herself around. They blurt out things like, "So what happened to you?" and "You poor thing."

Sometimes she responds, "Don't feel sorry for me. I am one of the luckiest people in the world."

PAT Broderick is also one of the most beautiful humans on this planet, because she has a gorgeous outlook on life. It is summed up thusly: "Every day I wake up, I'm happy to be," she explains. "You don't need legs to dance."

Yes, indeedy, our raison d'etre shouldn't be as superficial as how thin, pretty or young somebody appears to the masses. Being on a so-called elite list of a trendy magazine is not the ultimate brass ring.

Beauty fades but internal fortitude strengthens. It's sort of like comparing the application of lip gloss to the application of willpower.

If looks can kill, adversity resurrects.