Bling Empire: New York: More Bling, More Catty Fights, More Fake Drama
Two years ago when Bling Empire was released with the crazy rich Asians of the West Coast, LA, we devoured it with the same rich people's content thirst that we reserved for the Kardashians. But where the fights between Rachel and Anna highly entertained us, New York's Bling empire fails to dazzle us. Dorothy Wang, whose family's net worth is $4 billion, is moving from LA to New York to "try some new things". But when someone like Dorothy moves to New York, she lives in a palatial apartment, with stunning views of the city and floor-to-ceiling windows. Her worst nightmare is having to book an uber to go around the city. But she is welcomed by Tina, a fashionista and an influencer. Tina claims she is friends with an interesting bunch of people. All of the Asian descent, all filthy rich. Some inherited the money, some doubled their inheritance, and some like Tina had to become financially independent in their early twenties. Richard is another friend of Tina and Dorothy's who even though moves in the same social circle as them, considers himself "adjacent bling". He works as a medical representative and is termed tactless for asking his more famous and rich friends to donate and spread the word about his charity for pancreatic cancer. In LA, Kevin was the one finding his footing among his much more rich and more successful friends, and in New York, it is Richard. But where Kevin seemed naive and mostly gawked at the blatant display of wealth, here what Richard faces raises more serious questions about friendships across social and economic classes. The fights in the New York edition seem petty and juvenile. Tiffs start because someone arrived late for the party, asked a favor, or posted an Instagram story about the lack of food at the party. I could go on, and the reasons would seem less logical to be fighting over. Whereas the question about the Asian culture stands, there are a lot of living up to parental expectations, the celebration of Asian festivals, and loads of scrumptious food! There was a certain freshness to the Bling Empire of LA that New York lacks. I guess the New York bling is just not enough to sustain us.
PS: Excited to see Christine though!
By SB
