Thursday, April 28, 2011

Which Self-Professed ‘Classy’ Real Housewife of New York Is Actually Classy? Anybody?


Terrific article on the Real Housewives of New York City from NYmag.com:
LuAnn de Lesseps


Why She Thinks She's Classy:
-Has branded herself that way through many forms of media, including her book and her dance single, “Money Can’t Buy You Class.”
-Appears to believe in an osmosis-type superiority that results from partnering with Europeans, as evidenced by her aristocratic ex-husband, a Count who gave LuAnn the title she will never relinquish, even in death, and current boyfriend Jacques, a French David Schwimmer look-alike in the wine distribution business.
-Is against discussing pubic hairstyles, even in a friend’s private spa [see: Cindy Barshop].


Why She Might Not Actually Be Classy:
-Wrote a book stating class is the art of being yourself, then later admitted that she wasn’t “being herself” because she didn’t actually write it.
-Clings to pretentious Countess title, although it has not officially been recognized by anyone in the royal family.
-Is completely unaware when she’s being condescending toward others, as shown in the episode when she made a classroom of inner city girls sit through a reading of “her” book, and in every episode when she moans out at least a couple of “Dahhhhling”s.
-Seems to wear excessively large turquoise jewelry pieces for the express purpose of reminding everyone that she’s half Native American.
-Tone-deaf dance single and accompanying video.


Jill Zarin


Why She Thinks She's Classy:
-Co-runs the oft-mentioned Zarin Fabric Warehouse, which only carries the best of the best, and also “runs in a fabulous circle of people” — her tagline during the opening credits of seasons 1-3.
-Has now changed her tagline to “Good or bad, I know who I am, and I own it,” which speaks again to the Countess-endorsed art of being yourself.
-Enjoys taking the less fortunate under her wing, meaning friends who are going through a sad sack period or who are currently without husbands.
-Is a loyal wife to mensch Bobby, a gem who reflects well on her.
-Spearheaded an expensive redecoration of her Upper East Side apartment that landed it the cover of Traditional Home magazine.


Why She Might Not Actually Be Classy:
-Says she knows who she is and owns it, but continually has no idea when she’s being awful and then denies culpability.
-Appears to begrudge the successes (both financial and emotional) of friends once they emerge from their sad sack periods.
-One of the biggest shit talkers on the show, also has a habit of aggressively probing into details of the others lives, most recently when she met housewife Cindy Barshop for the first time and immediately began pressing Cindy about why she has infant twins when she’s clearly old and single.
-Made sending her daughter to fat camp part of her own story arc.
-Related: Launched a line of body shapes for young girls called “Skweez.”

Ramona Singer

Why She Thinks She's Classy:
-Prides herself on being an independent businesswoman and received the “Celebrity Entrepreneur of the Year” award in recognition of her clothing resale company; also has a line of skincare products, HSN jewelry, and Ramona brand Pinot Grigio.
-Designs and sells faith-based jewelry with husband Mario.
-Is happily married, but extremely vocal about the fact that she will never rely on a man for his money.
-Tends to be instinctively true to herself (especially when breaking into dance) and makes a sincere effort to be true with others, going so far as to tell housewife Alex’s husband Simon that she found him creepy, then openly retracting that statement after he grew on her like a fungus. -Named her daughter Avery.

Why She Might Not Actually Be Classy:
-Pushes a faith-based jewelry line that she insists is about faith, when it’s really about making money.
-Unlike Jill Zarin, does very little talking behind her girlfriends’ backs, but does a fair amount of shit talking to their faces.
-Along the same lines, conducts extremely inappropriate employee interviews, telling one young woman — fresh out of college — that she needed to do something about her acne and then handed her a Ramona skincare product.
-Recognized by the other women as something of a spaz, especially when she gets a little Pinot in her.

4 comments:

  1. "Class" is a vague mask of pretensions what these women really need is INTELLECT! That is something that you cannot buy with money nor ever lose and can instantly recognize. Time to go back to school "housewives" ...get to see the real world ,gain people skills, come see me I will set you straight.

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  2. countess and jill, the countess id awful, she has no glass telling alex that her shoes look like herman munster shoes, she is ckassless stop hiding behind that title which means nothing to us, and jill sayong alex is beneath her so called hampton people at the wedding , these two people are low class to say things like that who do you both think you are.

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  3. Jealous Jill is the worst!

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  4. Honestly Romana and her husband act like kids ! It rediculious how everybody on that show acts like they are still in high school even when there married .Im 20 and im saying this . these wemon are just attention whores and want there youth back .

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