I often tease my friends that we are The Real Housewives of Monroe—the glitz, glamour, and parties! We’ve got it all, right here in our little town of Monroe, New Jersey. You laugh, but we truly ask ourselves, “Have I worn this outfit before? Where was it last seen?” And if it was a large party, it’s a “one and done.” I know I’m blessed to have the ability to do this, but that’s not all these Housewives are about on the shows.
I’ll admit, I used to judge them without actually watching their shows. I had this perception of who they were, their lifestyles, and the superficial nature of what they do. Were their lives more glamorous? Maybe. They definitely didn’t have my workload, with their day parties (people actually have parties during the workday—I know, I was shocked, too). During our girls’ trip, one of my friends told me I had to watch The Housewives of Bollywood on Netflix. She was obsessed, and I needed to watch.
Now, I’m more of a political drama girl. Did I binge-watch the new season of The Diplomat and finish all six episodes in one day? Maybe. But that’s what I gravitate toward. When it’s busy, I try not to get involved in deep, investing series because I know the storyteller in me will need to get to the end. So if I don’t have time, I don’t invest. The other day, though, I was exhausted and wanted some mind-numbing, take-my-mind-off-things drama. So I finally turned on The Bollywood Housewives. Uh-oh…
My annual girls’ trip could probably be one of their episodes—minus the drama. I understand that it’s a show, just like the Kardashians, but some of the comments made in editing were tough. Do these women not go back and watch the episodes? Sharing their “real opinions” in the editing process, with some of those comments? Oh my, after watching a few episodes, I knew I could never be a Housewife.
I guess it made me extremely grateful for the community I have around me. I’m not going to say we don’t have drama—every friend circle does—but what I’m truly grateful for is that the drama we have stays within our group and is handled to our faces, not behind our backs. Being one version of yourself for the cameras in the group and another for the post-editing segments… which one is the real person?
Yes, they had similar challenges—some had drifted away from one another, and there was hurt and pain due to distance or lack of support. Their problems could have been any one of ours. I’m all for sharing your story (refer to last week’s Candid Kam), but it’s the way they behave when others aren’t looking—but the camera is rolling—that I struggle with. It makes for great TV, no doubt, and we as a society love to see into these lives. Hello, the Kardashians are mostly famous for just that. I learned that night that I will never joke about being a Real Housewife again. While we may live the lives, I’m grateful that I don’t have to share duplicitous actions or find drama in every interaction with my friends. Let’s be honest—by the end of the show, are they even really friends?
I value the people in my life, so 100%, I could never be a Real Housewife of Monroe. And quite honestly, I wouldn’t want to be.
