Everyone knows the proverbial story of the small town girl moving to the big city. Through hard work, perseverance, and a positive attitude she achieves success (aka a hot boyfriend, friends, a nice apartment, and fab clothes). Well, what about the big city girl staying in the big city? Can that girl achieve success too? Since growing up, we have been bombarded by these movies and TV shows that highlight the "small town girl finding success in the big city" theme. New York City always seems to be the setting (no offense New Yorkers, but the setting is getting tired), and the pop culture heroines who star in these roles are always wide-eyed and dreamy. I mean lets take a second and look at two of my favorite NYC heroines:
SJP (obvi she is the best): Carrie Bradshaw had to lose the 80s perm-gone-wrong and gain Jimmy Choos before she could find her "success." Before that she looked like this
AND LETS NOT FORGET...Jill Zarin (of Zaarrin Fabrics...in case you didn't know). Jill made a HUGE cultural leap from New Jersey to New York. And she has certainly found success. I mean now she has a Blackberry, something resembling a dog, vapid friends, and an all turquoise apartment. But before she reached the top...she had to start from the bottom. Don't believe me? I'll prove it:
I will never have the chance to have that wide-eyed look, staring up at the soaring skyscrapers around me, turning in a circle ever-so-slowly. What? I learned a lot from Keri Russel in Felicity. But seriously. I am from Chicago. And since graduating, I have decided to stay in Chicago. I know shocker. But which part? The part that I am staying in Chicago...or the part that I'm from Chicago. Yes, downtown. This how people usually respond to that:
Dim-wit: "So what suburb are you from?"
Me: "I'm not from a suburb. I grew up in the city."
Dim-wit: "Oh my Gooodd. That is so coooool. I cannot imagine what that is like."
...And then a slew of more obnoxious comments.
"Do they even have houses in Chicago?"
"So do you, like, live in an apartment?"
"I don't get it. Do you have to take an elevator to get to your house?"
True story. Then I plaster on my pleasant yet condescending smile and answer while delicately avoiding offending them. Anyways, as I have previously stated, I am a Chicago girl trying to make her way in Chicago. Will I not have a success story that will be the underlying theme in a lot of "Coyote Ugly-esque" movies? Because that is just not fair.
Well I want to set a new precedent. I have aspirations of living the good life in Chicago. I want to move out of my parent's apartment and live in one of those new apartment buildings in River North. One day I will not be an intern, and I will not be unpaid. My intention is start my story as a happy Chicagoan and end it as a happy Chicagoan. Not too much to ask right?
P.S. This new storyline is not exclusive to Chicagoans. I am sure all those obnoxious kids on Bravo's NYC Prep have dreams too.
THAT IS ALL.
