Real Housewives of New York City a/o March 25, 2010

Before I begin today's blog, I feel the need to explain something. Kelli, when you buy fur, you are creating a demand for it. This demand for fur causes greedy furriers to skin animals for their fur. Kelli, animals cannot live without their skin and their fur. This is why PETA and other animal lovers consider it cruel to animals to wear fur. If everyone were to boycott fur, nobody could sell it, and there'd be no reason to hurt these furry critters. Not only should you quit wearing fur, but you should boycott anyone who sells fur.

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Once and for all, I embrace the Real Housewives of New York City, and my further comments will be without any tone of apology. These ladies are not necessarily heroic. But they are characters that are dropped into a setting that I love: New York City. I will blog about each show I find interesting. Here are my observations about each woman since Thursday's show. These are in no particular order:

I admire Alex. Much goes on behind her quiet face. Unlike the others, she finds no need to verbalize everything. She is the truest friend, trying hard to stay in the middle of the current configuration of two sides that is in heated battle.

Did Alex see her son Francois jabbing Jason's gourmet hamburger in season one? My only criticism of Alex is that she let her children run wild without boundaries or manners that I could see. They impeded the freedom of the adults around them, and I found the situation with the kids at Jill's dinner intolerable.

The burger debacle occurred a long time ago; I'd rather focus on the decency that I observe in Alex. She is less likely to gossip than the other wives. She has a solid relationship with her husband Simon, and she has depth and sincerity about her in this background of wealth and opulence.

The other wife who hasn't picked a side in Jill v. Bethenny is Ramona. I have grown to like her. Ramona's new haircut took five years or so off her appearance. The jewelry that she sells on HSN is beautiful, and it was within good taste for her to show the jewelry to her friends when they were partying on the yacht. She wasn't hawking it; she was sharing her success with her gal pals.

Ramona is a bit of a nut, perhaps manic, certainly moody. She is admittedly uncensored, and she gets herself into trouble. I find Ramona to be self-centered,

Men Who Cheat and the Media Who Report Them

Famous men who cheat on their wives bring down the morale of our whole culture. Each new broken marriage chips away at our collective belief that monogamy is possible. Each additional cracked marriage reported by the media chips away at the sanctity of marriage. Each new story about cheating men demoralizes women who want to believe in the honor of men. Each new story about cheating men lowers the standards for other men and lowers the expectations of women. Each sad story is leading our society to mediocrity.

Do wives cheat? Yes. But for now, wives are a separate topic because we don't turn on the television and constantly hear about wives breaking up their own marriages. However, we hear plenty about women who think it's okay to sleep with another woman's husband. Note to the other woman: The odds are almost zero that this man will leave his wife for you.

The media has torpedoed the concept of marriage. Entertainment news makes bundles of money reporting the downfall of men and the humiliation of the injured wife and kids. Unfortunately, it is not the reporting of facts that dominates air time. It's the hashing, rehashing, judging, and arguing about what the involved parties have done and what they might do. Now the media spends hundreds of hours relegating itself to philosophizing and moralizing on the mistakes of lying men and trusting women. Little of what we hear is actual news.

The position an individual takes on a story about cheating tells more about that person than the actual story. For instance, men who say that cheating is only a matter of opportunity are telling on themselves and what they have done or what they will do with opportunity. Women who say that all men cheat have quit looking for an honorable man--or they have convinced themselves that honor doesn't exist. This view allows them to tolerate their own marriage without standing their ground.

Each politician's wife who publicly stands by her man contributes to the low standards our society now tolerates. Think how different we'd all feel if Hillary Clinton had kicked Bill's ass to the curb. But she was too far wedged into the political system to put her personal feelings before her political future. The way things went down hurt the people of this country. Bill Clinton was a terrible leader of morality. What does this say about a leader who cannot be trusted with your sister or your daughter? What respect did Mr. President have for women, or for this country for that matter, to have such low regard for the First Lady of this country?

Jill and Bethenny Behave Like Spoiled Children

I fantasize about living in Manhatten and vacationing on weekends in the Hamptons. Maybe that's why I'm a big fan of the Real Housewives of New York City. I want to visit NYC, but for now I live vicariously through some interesting women--or so I thought.

As of last season, my favorite two housewives were Bethenny and Jill. I enjoyed the humor and outspokenness of both of them. I loved Bethenny's humor. I thought that Jill was grounded; I wanted Jill's mother to adopt me.

What happened since last season to make me disappointed in "my housewives"? Bethenny fell in love, and just like a high school girl, she forgot who had her back. Nobody's too busy for a true friend, especially when that friend's husband is being treated for thyroid cancer. People take time for what's important, whether they're promoting a book or falling in love. That's it; no excuse.

However, why does Jill need to turn a whole posse against Bethenny? If you think this blog sounds like I'm a high school girl writing in my dear diary, this blog only represents the silliness and immaturity that I've seen, watching a show I used to love.

Maybe we girls never grow up. Maybe from a sociology point of view, certain dynamics call for predictable behavior. Why is it important that Jill's friends hate Bethenny when everyone knows that Jill and Bethenny will eventually make up?

Academy Awards 2010 Best Gowns

I tend to favor strapless gowns that flow nicely from a well-fitted bust and bodice. This look appeared on this year's read carpet in so many variations that none of gowns was unique. The females dressed like movie stars this year, and fashionable women paraded down the red carpet, put together from head to toe.

I begin with Cameron Diaz who finally discarded her disheveled look and did something wonderful with her blonde hair that looked both soft and glamorous. Cameron wears this lovely Oscar de la Renta gown below. Her earrings and Veronica Lake hair complement her beaded gown perfectly.

Everyone seems to love the exquisite Mariska Hargitay, and I am part of the majority. Did I miss something? Is Mariska a movie star? If not, then why wasn't the "television actress" Farrah Fawcett featured in the memoriam of stars who died within this last year? That omission was the worst faux pas among faux pas.

Academy Awards 2010 Worst Gowns

I was truly disappointed in some of the horrible gowns that I saw on the Red Carpet last Sunday. Some actresses are considered style icons; we usually depend on them to be fashion-forward in their mode of dress. I saw more amazing dresses than bad ones. But the bad ones were real zingers. I'll delve right in.

Here is Sarah Jessica Parker wearing Chanel Haute Couture. Only a pregnant woman should consider wearing this dress. What was Sarah thinking? In addition to disliking this sad dress, East Bay Girl acknowledges SJP as having the Worst Hair Do at the Oscars. The gigantic "bun" was the worst part of the look below:

The next freaky dress surprised me because Charlize Theron usually reminds me of like old Hollywood glamour; she statuesque and beautiful, but when I glance at the following dress by Christian Dior, Charlize appears to have hands over each of her breasts. I've always thought that Charlize could look fantastic in a gunny sack, and I would prefer to see her in one, instead of this dress. The fit is a bit strange around the hips and tummy as well.

I've had difficulty choosing my Worst Pick because I hate these four gowns equally. This next gown--and I use the term "gown" loosely because it resembles an architectural structure--received much praise from the Fashion Police. Maybe I should give it a couple points because I can imagine this dress on a Paris runway. This design by Armani Prive looks great from some angles, but dreadful from others. The fabric looks stiff and uncomfortable to me. The ladies of the Fashion Police seem enamored by Jennifer Lopez. I don't always appreciate her fashion choices, but kudos to Jennifer for taking a huge chance with this design.

I wish someone would tell Mariah Carey that less is more. She could truly be beautiful, if she'd use some restraint. East Bay Girl has a principle called the Asset Rule. Never show your legs and your breasts at the same time, especially if you're voluptuous. Thinner girls with less curves can wear both tighter and shorter clothes, but they should still follow the Asset Rule. Mariah would show much class if she'd cover up a little.

I will post my favorite gowns in the next blog.

Jill v. Bethenny and Other Nastiness

The Real Housewives of New York City returned from hiatus to begin its third season. I find myself talking as if I know these women personally. But since a reality show is supposed to accurately represent the true lives of its cast members, I only draw conclusions from what I see.

Surprise. The lives of these women changed drastically over vacation, and I fear that my favorite "housewives" no longer measure up. Here is a list of the cast members, from favorite to least favorite, as of last season:

1. Bethenny
2. Jill
3. LuAnn
4. Ramona
5. Alex
6. Kelly

Now....Here is my list, from favorite to least favorite, as of last Thursday's show:

1. Alex
2. Ramona
3. LuAnn
4. Kelly
5. Bethenny
6. Jill

Jill and Bethenny are both charming and vibrant; I used to enjoy the way they related to each other. Both stubborn, they'd back down when push comes to shove, in order to honor their relationship. They always seemed to have each other's back--and I adored Jill's mother.

I'm so disappointed in the turn of events.

Season three on the show begins after summer 2009; Jill's husband Bobby has gone through cancer treatments; I didn't see that coming.

Hurray for Bethenny who fell in love with a good guy. But where was her support of Jill through such a difficult summer? Were these two ladies just friends for the show last year? Is Bethenny like so many women who drop their girlfriends the minute a man enters the picture?

Where's the Missing Sleeve?

Have I mentioned how much I HATE dresses with just one sleeve? I have recently seen this look all over the red carpet. Note to movie stars: Please either go sleeveless or with double sleeves to this Sunday's Academy Award Show.

I peruse the internet to find these horrid one-sleeved garbs. Here is beautiful Katherine Heigl wearing Naeem Khan. Let me add that Naeem Khan designs beautiful gowns. I just don't understand this one look. This is last August 2009, and I was sure this style would disappear by the year's end.

When I was a teenager, we had a hairstyle that my mother couldn't stand. We ratted the top of our hair and twisted it with hair pins, but we left the back of the hair down. (Picture Snooki from Jersey Shore, except that we put the height toward the crown of our heads and not near our foreheads.) My mother told me that my hair looked like two different hairstyles and that I should either have the bottom swooped up, into the twist, or my whole head of hair should be worn down.

Why do I mention a hairdo here? Because my mother had a good sense of style, and she just couldn't wrap her brain around the way I wore my hair, just like I cannot wrap my brain around the missing sleeve. What happened to it? Here's Kim Kardashian from Glamour.com October 2009.

Kim is a style icon, so I guess young women would jump off a bridge, if Kim decided to jumped first. Maybe Kim can swim better with just one sleeve.