city national bank beverly hills ca

i admit it. I was curious... After all, i live in atlanta and i wanted to see what the real housewives of atlanta were up to. The show premiered on bravo tv last week. I decided to watch it with an eye on the values that these ladies espoused. What i ended up being most surprised about were the values i didn't see.

now, the show never purported to be about housewives as role models. And it seems the more salacious reality tv is, the better the ratings, or at least that appears to be the formula. But if we spend attention and time watching tv shows, i wonder how much most viewers watch with a critical eye and what percentage of the behaviors and values is absorbed and adapted into our own behaviors and values.

first, what i did get from atlanta's housewives:

• there is a diva drive: one of them blatantly said she needed to be a diva, to be noticed and to be the talk of the town. Three of them say they feel like queens and they love that. One of them said she planned to steal the shine from the birthday girl and that when she walked in, all eyes would be on her... She'd have the hottest shoes and the baddest dress. "everyone wants me to come out."

• money rules: one of them was forthright in saying she was very materialistic and that makes her feel good. She might die tomorrow but she'd die in dior. Another quipped, "you're it in atlanta with money." most of them boast living in gated communities for the very elite, the very wealthy. One is expecting a 7-figure lump sum divorce settlement to keep her in the ifestyle to which she is accustomed. She elaborated that she left behind the upper middle class for the upper class and that she couldn't survive without her entourage. "budget?" asked one. "what's that? i don't shop on a budget." this one said she loved labels and wanted to have a bag or clothes that have exclusivity regardless of whether they cost $5K or $8K. In atlanta, we learned, it's all about what you're driving and wearing.

• looks are everything: the ladies speak best for themselves. While admiring herself in the mirror before going out, one trills, "g-d, i'm a good looking SOB." another, throwing herself a birthday party, says, "i am hot for my age." "i have some great lookin' friends." "image is everything in atlanta."

well, ok. They're honest. This is a value that came through in their dialogue and monologues. They are up front about who they are and what their priorities are.

but what i didn't see in any of the scenarios was:

• loyalty--the birthday girl, upon learning that one of her guests was denied access to the party because she was mistakenly missing from the guest list at the front door, made no effort to rectify the situation and instead turned to her friend and praised her on her eyelashes.



• patience--one of them decided she wanted to get a fully-loaded cadillac escalade that afternoon so she called the man in her life to ask him to get it for her. Which he did. She was proud that it may not have been the best price but that she was driving off the lot with it that day.



• humility--it certainly feels like they all want the spotlight and love being the queen of the roost.



• love--it feels like self-love is abundant but i didn't see much opportunity for or evidence of loving their kids or spouses beyond the love conveyed by dollars.

i'm not a housewife. So i can't speak to being one. But the housewife aspect of these women's lives was minimalized in this episode. Socializing and prepping to socialize... This seemed to be where the action was. Perhaps values discussions and teachable moments are indeed part of their daily routines and the editors simply determined they didn't make the cut. But i wonder if values is even in their lexicon.� �

in my daily experiences, in media, in literature, i am conscious of noticing working women who are wives and/or moms who could be good role models. I came away from this hour of programming genuinely disturbed, wondering...

• is there a values void in their lives?



• what values would their spouses have that makes these women a good match for them?



• what kind of values system do these women impart (consciously or unconsciously) to their children?



• what kinds of contributions do these women make to the world?

i realize i have seen only one hour of teaser segments designed to hook an audience into tuning in again. I'd be interested to see if values plays any sort of future role in this series. Oddly enough, the apparent values void has made the show a prime vehicle for examining and assessing my own values and for talking about them with other viewers.

atlantic city trade shows, city national bank beverly hills ca, city national bank bridgeport wv, city national bank business loans.