This Broke Girl's Fave New TV Show

I feel like the writers for 'Sex and the City' (my all-time favorite TV show) just know my shit, or something.

First, it was Carrie Bradshaw. Everything about my dating life in my 20's, has been reminiscent of Carrie Bradshaw's, except that I am still not a published writer and I also am not living in Manhattan (unfortunately.) I sometimes think I somehow grew up to become the real life version of Carrie Bradshaw, and my friends often tell me the same thing, which I'm not sure is a good thing, or a bad thing.

So when I heard that the writers of Sex and the City had developed a new TV show, entitled '2 Broke Girls,' I could not have been more pleased. Not only did the title resonate with some of my friends and I (okay, all of my friends, and I) it also made me realize that there are millions of American women who are in the same boat right now, and while it's lovely to have shows about the latest Manolo Blahniks, it's even more important to illustrate the struggles that most American women are facing right now, in homes and apartments across the country.

Seeing characters Max and Caroline come together despite their very different backgrounds, because of a shared state of financial distress, goes to show that the economic crisis in this country has touched all of us in one way or another. Whether you are a trust fund queen with a shopping addiction turned waitress with a potty mouth roommate (like Caroline) or a smart mouth, talented but financially troubled young woman like Max, everyone's wallet and bank account has been hit by the recession.

Max demonstrates a young woman with talent and a sense of humor who, in spite of her bank account hitting rock bottom and collection agencies blowing up her phone, can keep her commitment to work and helping another woman--Caroline--who needs a place to stay. Using her talent for cooking and baking and her creativity to try and launch a cupcake business shows that if there's one thing women are good at, it's taking their hobbies and passions and creativity, and turning those talents into a moneymaking profession. Caroline's resourcefulness, gift for gab and her social skills show that there are still women out there who will use their own positive qualities to help out a fellow female and a friend in need pursue their dream.

In a world where most of us know what it is to worry about how we are going to pay our bills every month, or how we are ever going to overcome the impossible debt in front of us, and a world where women are still underpaid in comparison to men, and where we are reluctant to help each OTHER out when we're in need, it's refreshing to have a show to watch on Monday nights, perhaps the most challenging night of MY week (and I'm sure I'm not alone in that sentiment) that displays two women with humor and drive attempt to improve their lives.

While I love Carrie Bradshaw for showing women everywhere that being single is not only okay, it's fabulous, and embracing your sexuality and ability to make choices that are right for YOUR own life, I admire Max and Caroline's characters for setting the example of what amazing things can happen with a little perseverance and a lot of perspiration. Dreams can still come true for every American girl, if they have the courage to chase their dreams, even when they may not be born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

If there's one thing Americans know about, it's how to take lemons, make them into lemonade, and then open a profitable lemonade stand. This sense of initiative and personal responsibility, and the dream of making their lives better against all odds is what the American dream is all about. If there's one thing American WOMEN know about, it's how to forge together, use their spirit and heart to get out of any mess they might be in.

There's nothing more sexy than that.

J Biebs Baby Mama Drama

I'm gonna be the one who goes ahead and says it.
NOBODY likes a baby mama who is only good for stirring up drama.
The one thing everyone hates MORE than baby mama drama?

Is women who go around saying they are pregnant from a man they've dated or slept with for about 5 minutes, or women who say they are pregnant from a celebrity, particularly when there's a slim chance in hell that their alleged baby daddy would ever touch them with a ten foot pole, much less their penis.

In the case of Justin Bieber, I'm pretty sure there's only one woman everyone in America hates more than Casey Anthony, and that would be Mariah Yeater, the woman who is accusing the Biebs of knocking her up. Since Justin does not have any big sisters to run to his defense, I feel morally obligated to set Mariah Yeater straight.

An Open Letter to Mariah Yeater (from the desk of LC):

I'm not quite sure what was going on upstairs in that little brain of yours, to cause you to not only accuse a celebrity of having sex with you, but also to say that he impregnated you, and I'm even MORE confused why you would want to sell your soul just to get the tabloids talking about you, your reputation, and compromise all of your dignity and morals in the name of getting your 15 minutes of fame. Perhaps you have major daddy issues, or maybe you just needed some attention, or, judging by your clothing choices and your bad hair, maybe some boy from your trailer park who is your REAL baby daddy just lost his job at the local gas station, and he no longer seems like the kinda guy who is gonna pay you a dime in child support. Regardless of what mental health issues you may have, let me be the one to let you know, it is NEVER okay to not only accuse a man of getting you pregnant, but also use that impending pregnancy as a ploy for keeping him by your side, so you don't lose him.

Pregnancy has a way of causing a LOT of drama and complications, and nothing puts a man off of sex like pregnancy, so if you think that is going to be your way of getting him to run to your side, it's not going to work, honey. It also has a way of requiring the woman carrying the child to buck up and start acting like a grown up, instead of like an irresponsible little girl. You are not stable enough to have anyone's child--but you're really not responsible enough to be a mom to your illegitimate baby. And you also don't deserve a drop of money from the tabloids or media shows, and you absolutely don't deserve to be in the spotlight just because you are ruining what's left of the teen years of a young celebrity who worked for his stardom.

In case it slipped your mind, Justin Bieber is a CHILD. Accusing J Biebs of fathering your child, is not only wrong, it's only proving that you have no kind of mental stability. Who wants to compromise their entire life and possibly serve jail time just so that they can make a quick buck. That is going to not only follow YOU forever--it's going to haunt your child's life forever, too.

You are just another example of one of the unfortunate women in our society who are selfish, unclassy, and who have no morals or sense of judgment. And it's time that more women who are older than you are, step up and have the guts to tell you like it is, instead of laughing about your condition or the mistakes you are making, and saying, "Well, thank God she isn't MY kid," or "Thank goodness that's not MY sister." Somewhere along the way, someone needed to give you attention long enough to teach you right from wrong--if it didn't happen at home, then the rest of us need to set you straight instead of letting you ruin other people's lives.

This is a young man who worked hard for what he has now, and has a mother who gave him life despite the fact that she was a teen mom. He is dating a young woman, Selena Gomez, who also worked for her celeb status, and she, too, is the daughter of teen parents. Regardless of the obstacles they had to overcome to get their children where they are today, those parents did not compromise their dignity or the lives of other people, in an attempt to get money out of someone who was innocent. I highly doubt Justin or Selena's mothers went around accusing other people of getting them pregnant. They took responsibility and raised their children the best they could.

Now it's your turn. The first step to overcoming any problem, is to admit you have one.
Selling your story to the tabloids, making a teenage boy take a DNA test, and risking the future and sanity of your innocent child is not taking you on the path towards overcoming any problems you have. It's setting you, and your baby, on the path towards a life of issues--only because of the lies you've told.

In our society, it's hard to find parents and families who we can look up to. It's even harder to find young women who are willing to grow up and assume responsibility for their actions, and think of someone other than themselves. If you never had someone in YOUR life who was like that, at least have the integrity to be that type of person for YOUR child.

There are already too many kids born to people who aren't mentally or emotionally stable enough to offer any kind of a decent life to their children. Since you've clearly had a big plate of crazy for dinner the last 19 years of your life, I think you should consider your actions and how they affect others--and all the other young girls out there who are using pregnancy as a means for "keeping their guy on lock" or "getting the guy" that they want--need to do the same.

Good Luck to Ya,
LC



PS--As a fellow Latina, I really think Selena should kick your ass, & I'd be more than happy to help her, since you are over 18, after all.
PPS--I hope you look good in autumn colors, because you'll be wearing an orange jumpsuit in no time, after the Biebs' legal team takes care of your crazy ass.

Real Women Have Learning Curves

I find it disturbing that every other show I see on TV lately has the title "Pretty Little Liars," "Gossip Girl," "Bad Girls Club," or "Lying Game." When you go to the movies, or wait for previews, or watch movies on TV, so many of the titles sound so similar to each other, like there's a whole new genre out there devoted to a lifestyle: "Friends With Benefits." "No Strings Attached." "Something Borrowed." "Maneater." "Unfaithful."

I am certainly NOT a prude and I'm definitely not judging anyone who watches these movies because I am one of the people who participates in buying tickets to see some of these films with my girlfriends or the women in my family as soon as they hit the silver screen. I can't say I am any different than the next woman, so don't get me wrong--I watch them too. The difference is, I am able to sit through the movie and be a skeptic and analyze it; I'm able to take it at face value at this point in my life. But younger women aren't.

All of this would be fine, except that some of the messages these shows are sending to girls and young women are subliminally telling women that it's okay to be a liar, if you're simultaneously pretty; gossip is inevitable--especially if you're young, rich, and have never really had to work a day in your life (never mind that we are living in one of the worst economies in the history of the country, so this is, in fact, completely unrealistic for most women) and it's also promoting the idea that bad behavior is acceptable if it's on national television (as in the ridiculous antics on the show "Bad Girls Club," where the girls go buck wild, grabbing each other by the hair, shoving each other around, hitting, yelling, and plotting the demise of every other girl on the show.) This doesn't teach ANY woman how to interact with other women, much less how to build a positive friendship with another woman.

We wonder why the divorce rate looms around 50% and why fewer and fewer couples are actually taking the whole "til death do us part" seriously, but then we make movies that have titles like "No Strings Attached" or "Friends With Benefits," and expect that we can somehow turn booty calls and one night stands into lasting, permanent relationships. I'm here to tell you that while this may happen once in a blue moon, those are the exceptions...and the rule is, nobody buys the cow when the milk is free, and any girl who isn't buying the pig because she just wants to get a little sausage is only fooling herself, because one day, she's going to wake up and realize that she was only fooling herself.

Men respect standards. Women appreciate standards, too. We spend hours inspecting the quality of the handbags and shoes we are about to purchase at Nordstrom or Neiman's or Bloomingdales, yet we settle or make excuses for the men we allow to share our beds at night. The media is constantly blasting these messages at men AND mostly at women who are already confused as it is about how to behave in order to get what they ultimately want out of life--and mostly, in love. We need to start promoting movies, TV shows, songs, and actors and actresses who show young people what it is to live a healthy and positive lifestyle, so that we model what it is to make good choices, when it's easier to make the wrong choices. If all a young girl has to look forward to when she comes home from school is MTV's "Jersey Shore" or "Teen Mom," she has very slim pickings when it comes to healthy, positive female role models.

And if the biotches on Bad Girls Club are her role models, your daughter, or your friend, or your sister, just needs an intervention. Immediately, if not sooner.

There's nothing wrong with having fun, being free to make choices in your life as a woman, and being sexy. There IS something wrong when an entire generation of women starts to compromise what makes them so valuable as a woman: their femininity, and their womanhood--that which makes them compassionate towards others, empathetic, a partner in their relationship and marriage and not just a piece of ass, and a woman who knows the value of friendship and who listens, cares, and doesn't pick fights with other girls over men.

It's time to take back our TV shows, movies, and magazines and let the media know that we want to see women making good choices, so that we have women to look up to. If we know better, we do better...that's true for men, and it's definitely true for women.

Keeping Up With the Humphries...

Well, now that Kim is married, what the hell is America going to do on Sunday nights?
Now that we won't hear her bitching about being single, going on blind dates with random Armenian soccer players her momager has pimped her out to, and calling Reggie Bush to yell at him because he "can't be texting other whores!" (riiiight...) I'm fairly certain we're all going to have to find a new hobby.
Thank goodness, it's almost football season.
Well, that, and I'm pretty sure the girl will get herself knocked up in all of about 1 season of filming their spin-off reality TV show, Keeping Up with Kris & Kim, which will quickly launch into some sort of a rap song entitled, "Have a baby by me, baby, you'll be a single mama."

Good luck to Kimmie, even though I could give two shits about your keep-an-athlete wedding, I must say that your hair and makeup was seriously stunning for your main event, and you looked beautiful for your wedding day.

Your husband, on the other hand, looks like a blue eyed orangutan.

White Out

We are in total agreement that nothing is prettier for summer (especially when your tan is fresh to death, yo) than wearing white and incorporating the basic, simple, chic color in your warm weather wardrobe. Lauren Conrad's totally gorg summer dress is not only chic and comfortable, it's a classic that you'll be able to wear for many summers to come. (Provided you keep hitting the gym on the regular, even in the winter time. There is nothing less stylish than a woman who just can't make white work because her cellulite is showing right through her white dress.)

We miss seeing Lauren on reality TV and want to offer our condolences to this fashionable chica, since MTV shot down her proposal for her own reality TV show. We understand what it's like to try and do business or enhance your career when you've got a lot of short sighted good for nothings running the show. Just remember, it's better that you aren't on a network that has a show about teenage pregnancy on almost every hour on the hour. I mean, come on, it's like MTV is a small TV station out of Kentucky, or some other hick state where people get pregnant every time you turn around. For Christ's sake, MTV, not all of us are interested in simply propogating the species. Some of us are into more than just reproducing. Start featuring shows on TV that are about successful girls who have their shit together. It gives those of us hot chicks who have goals and drive something to look forward to when we are channel surfing.