Posted By Dan on Feb 18, 2016 | 1 comment

There was a time when Debbie Gibson was the biggest star in the world.

It’s hard to explain to a younger audience, but because there were less entertainment choices, there were less celebrities and the biggest ones shined brighter. Gibson’s fame, at her Out of the Blue height made Justin Beiber’s current celebrity look minor in comparison.

That, along with the fact that Gibson actually can sing, has kept her famous even as her career cooled down. And, in addition to staying busy on Broadway, television, and, of course, with new music, Gibson has always been a star who contributes and participates in charity events.

Her latest charitable efforts as part of The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women Red Dress Collection 2016 show, presented by Macy’s let her try out a new career — fashion model. Gibson strutted her stuff on the runway as part of the benefit.

“I’ve always loved the combo of awareness and entertainment,” Gibson told Newsday. “I think it catches people’s attention. Already, today, my fans on Twitter are donating to the cause. I think it just opens a whole other world of awareness.”

Gibson has come a long way for her teen style and the jaunty hats she wore during her teen celebrity days. In the Go Red show she wore a gown by her “favorite designer,” Jay Godfrey, according to Newdsay.

“I wouldn’t call myself a style icon, but the great thing about my style is that…it was so teenage and homespun that I could almost never make a mistake. I mean, even with the ripped jeans. We painted a face on my knee for a photoshoot and then that caught on,” she said, referencing her Out of the Blue days, the paper reported.

The singer clearly has a sense of humor about herself and understands why people identified with her.

“Any little quirky things about my style work for me,” she told Long Island’s Newspaper of record. “I didn’t set myself up to be a couture teenager. If I was one of the Kardashians, I’d have a lot to live up to. So I thank God I never did that. My fashion mistakes actually became trends.”