Karissa Fare, Miss September, 2000

Karissa Fare, Miss September, 2000Kerissa Fare is a testament to how a positive self-image can help a woman bloom. As a former tomboy who grew up poor in Riverside, California, the fresh-faced 23-year-old didn't always have a love affair with the camera. "I used to run from it," she says. "I had low self-esteem and I always wore jeans and T-shirts with my hair pulled back--I was 150 pounds just a few years ago! I did my school-work and graduated early because I wanted to move out...