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Diamonds Are (Really Not) A Girl’s Best Friend

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Even with the amount of energy that I have, I, just like most of the general population, feel like I’m struck by bricks when my alarm sounds at 6:30 on a Monday morning. But to actually make matters interesting, this is New York City, and no two days are alike. There is constant commotion, a story to tell, and something strange to see, instantly clicking our internal lightbulbs back on.

It wasn’t even nine AM before something strange and discomforting was brought to my attention by my friends at CityElla. Much like myself, these ladies value women’s views and goals. To see anything suggestive posted by them would result in an instant double take, but all for the right reasons. Standing in line at Starbucks, I was scrolling through Instagram and came across a photo that was posted by CityElla on my feed – one that is destined to spark controversy across many levels – of this billboard ad:

I don’t know how many outdoor ads real estate firm MNS has up across New York, but this one is placed in a prime location of 8th Avenue and 21st Street, where enough people will see it and stop – not just walk on by like it’s any other billboard.

We’re taking several steps backwards with this ad. I shouldn’t even have to say that this ad sexualizes women and kicks them down on the ladder. This woman is clothed in nothing but a button-up that clearly isn’t hers and a deviant glare that says, “I’m only here for the floor-to-celing windows and short walk to Central Park.” At this point, it isn’t even about real estate. It makes it look like women are skipping the “love” in storybook romances and are just falling for materialism, like a rich investment banking man who already owns the apartment a block from Bergdorf’s.

On that note, it also brings up an assumption that is so Little House on the Prairie-centric. Women have been carrying on with their own lives perfectly fine over time, but this ad subtly announces that women have difficulty flying solo – that is, they can’t function without a “man” in their lives, a sole provider, and they can’t afford to live in luxury on their own.

Lana Del Rey may believe that money is the anthem of success, and tangibly, that may be true, but success comes in different outlets for everyone. On my end, I don’t condone seeking success through someone else’s achievements – such as marrying or using someone for money, especially if he has all the complementary attributes (one being an apartment he bought through MNS).

When women don’t marry for love and prefer an invincible credit card over undeniable bliss, it throws us all into a pool of Courtney Stodden seconds. It makes all women out to be that they’re gold diggers who are more excited about the presents their men give them as opposed, well, their literal presence . Shouldn’t that be enough?

Don’t sacrifice your happiness for material items. That one night you spend in the penthouse might seem somewhat monumental in the moment, but will the great story really get any better?

Remember that your actions as a dignified individual do make a difference. If women keep acting like the model in this ad, more ads will be created because the social hypothesis is being proven true. And deep down, you don’t want to contribute to that assumption – do you?

Ladies First: Cameran Eubanks

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Poised, passionate, and pretty in pink are three adjectives that all not-girls-not-yet-women want to be described as by their friends and family. While everyone may have different perceptions of what the “perfect woman” may be, I consider those to be the 3 P’s, and I try to fit them accordingly. I walk standing tall and confident, I believe in what I do, and I believe that being well-dressed is a form of respect for myself and the people that I’m surrounding.

This spring, reality-TV junkies and multitasking college students were introduced to Bravo’s newest series, “Southern Charm.” From a noticeably recent pattern, Bravo tends to develop shows based on the upscale lifestyles of select geographic locations that can still manage to pull in the station’s entire target demo, which ranges from young adults to mothers. “Southern Charm” takes place in the colorfully niched city that is Charleston, SC. It’s a city swarming with old money, men walking down the streets in madras and pastel-colored suits, and girls glowing in matching Lilly Pulitzer patterns (“Southern Charm” is also the name of one of my favorite new Lilly Pulitzer prints introduced this spring, so the timing is actually sort of convenient – or is it?). So, basically, if my heart and soul weren’t sold to New York, I would probably float down the Atlantic Ocean to the Charleston coastline and just lie on the beach forever.

While those are all perfectly acceptable reasons to drop everything and begin anew in Charleston, one of my driving forces is to become total BFF with one person in particular from the show. Enter blonde belle Cameran Eubanks on the small screen. She has perfectly curled and highlighted hair, a smile whiter than snow, and whether she’s grabbing lunch with a friend or attending an extravagant polo match, she is dressed to the nines. From the outside, she is the face of a classic Charlestonian.

Every character on a show, reality or scripted, faces a challenge that has to be overcome. Viewers are attracted to controversy, and even though there are several scandals on “Southern Charm,” Cameran faces a total of 0. Cameran’s storyline in the show revolves around her career change from the cosmetics industry to real estate, and the cameras follow her as she tours all the charming Charleston homes with her mentor.

When Cameran isn’t working, though, she’s portrayed as an extremely honored and respected friend not just by the other females in town, but by her male counterparts: Shep, Craig, Thomas, and Whitney. The four guys all fight over the girls in town, but none of them seem to ever quarrel over Cameran or dare ever take advantage of her. She listens to them all bicker and gives them all advice on how to treat women. Shep, who bounces back and forth between every single girl in the city, surprisingly seems to be closest with Cameran. Personally, I think it’s a challenge for guys and girls to be “just friends” without some sort of chemic tension-slash-I secretly think they belong together, but Cameran makes it a crucial point that she wants to be treated like a modern woman without directly turning any conversation on her, and Shep, along with the fellow men, don’t cross any lines.

I don’t think my hair will ever be as blonde as Cameran’s (sadface), but there are other aspects of her personality that I want to achieve. She’s career-oriented in an area that’s male-dominated and she isn’t an easy target. She resembles class, elegance, and proper etiquette. If I could have her as a mentor, I would, but hopefully that wouldn’t stop us from hanging out on the beach and reading magazines, either.