After a money laundering claim with an escort service, suspicious bank activity and a few wire taps, client number nine has lost everything and his lady of the night, “Kristen,” has everything to gain.
Double standards need to be redefined as some women are reaching celebrity status at tasteless costs.
The scandal shrouding former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has flooded airwaves for over two weeks. Since then people have almost forgotten about his downfall and boosted Ashley Alexandra Dupre, or “Kristen,” to stardom.
Spitzer was caught between a rock and a hard place when his name was linked to a high-priced prostitution ring. As reports surfaced, he lasted one day before resigning from office.
Since then, Dupre, an aspiring musician, has been named a possible contendor in Donald’s Trump new reality show, “My Fair Lady.” The show is based on sending notorious women to charm school. Dupre has also received a few modeling offers, most notably from Hustler and Penthouse magazines. She has currently not accepted or declined these invitations but somehow I feel she would for the right price.
Dupre has not gone the traditional route to become a celebrity, nor was it classy. I cannot help but think if this was a part of some preconceived plan. Was Dupre that smart and got what she wanted, or was Spitzer that dumb?
There is something backwards about the way society identifies with certain issues. Just once, I would like to see both the public official and the woman pay the consequences of their actions.
The day following the scandal, clips of Dupre’s single was played on local radio stations. Despite the negative light, she managed to make her musical debut.
Spitzer, in turn risked his marriage, lost his career and public image. This discredit has turned out to be anything but a joy ride for him.
Knowing some people feed off of bad publicity, I cannot imagine it being worth much. I fail to find anything necessary about the offers that have been extended to Dupre. In the midst of all of this I hope she does not feel the need to start her own couture as we saw with Monica Lewinsky, who sold handbags for 10 seconds after her infamous affair. Not surprising, her business venture failed, so I guess no one really supports scandal damsels.
However, some famous adultery participants, like Heidi Fleiss, still make the gossip pages in magazines.
The rise of Dupre I imagine will not last very long either. Sadly, we live in a time where people can name the last five women tied to publicized scandals and cannot remember the past five U.S. presidents.
Unfortunately, society gives their stamp of approval to women caught up in these situations. Public male officials are usually victimized from their own actions and the women gain obnoxious attention. Prolonging her reign gives her a sense of false celebrity and hurts those involuntarily affected. Her being glorified as the quintessential bad girl adversely condemns his young daughters and his wife. People love to see the rich and powerful in action and love to see them go down.
Though many may claim she was just doing her job, she was fully aware of who Spitzer was and the repercussions. She is just as guilty as Spitzer and does not deserve a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
I do not see a record deal in the horizon, but please let’s redefine our approach to scandals and look at the big picture. This is a fine example for women on how not to become famous. There is no tragic hero in this mess, nor should there be.
