The Luxe - The Official Site :: letters-from-anna

Tuesday Jul 08, 2008

Posted at 10:48AM Jul 08, 2008 by Anna in General  |  Comments[12]

Hello, again!

Thank all of you readers for continuing to leave such great comments! I'm really enjoying hearing from all of you.

This week I'm thinking about how even though Diana Holland and Penelope Hayes live in a society that prizes primness and discretion, they also hold a tremendous amount of interest for their peers and women of all classes because of the ways they deviate from the ideal of a perfect debutante. It is a cliché that rules are made to be broken, but a true one—you can bet that where there is a taboo against something, that thing is happening at least some of the time. Otherwise, why would people worry about it so much? And of course a huge part of the thrill of bad behavior is that it is forbidden.

Our world is far more permissive now, but that doesn't mean that we aren't still fascinated and repulsed by the less angelic doings of beautiful young women. Just ask Us Weekly and Star how many copies Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie have sold for them.

My question for you is, why is bad girl gossip so good? Do you feel envy for their fascinating troubles? Or pity? And do you think girls who misbehave—both in the media and in your own lives—get a worse rap than boys?

As always, I’m looking forward to your comments.

« 3rd Entry | Main | 5th Entry »
Comments:

Bad gossip is soo good, such eating a huge sundae while on a diet as to delicious. We can't refuse it. When something so apitizing such as gossip enters our lives, our stomach only wants to devor it. Bad gossip, whats the big deal about it? It makes our lives seem better, gives our day juicey, and creates anticipation. When other girls involve themselves in it, we feel supirior over them, putting us in the the 1899 style of society. In conclusion, bad gossip can make an average life interesting and sound soooo much better.

Posted by Hanna on July 08, 2008 at 09:00 PM EDT #

When women buy copies of Us Weekly and Star I think that people are jealous of the stars. I feel that the readers of those magizines need a confidence boost and that when the stars slip up the readers feel better about themselves. This may not be as cruel as it seems but almost everyone has wanted to be famous and I think we envy their success. I do feel that women get "things" worse in the media than men, going back to what I've said above is that women would much rather see women slip up than their famous male hearthrobs. Thank you if you read this comment, I love the fact that I have a place where I feel comfortable about commenting and can say anything I want about the subject, thanks again!!!

Posted by Nikki on July 08, 2008 at 10:42 PM EDT #

Most of us are not jealous of their troubles, but everynow and then i do feel sorry for their babies as they are always being followe and stalked by the paparatzi (sp.). Unfortunatley i do think girls to get a worse rep. for misbehaving, but if anybody knows why this is, please share the secret. I absolutley <3 the fact that you can leave comments and if anybody know when the third book, Envy, comes out, please leave the answer!

Posted by Livi on July 10, 2008 at 03:10 PM EDT #

I definetly think that girls who misbehave are given a worse reputation than boys who misbehave. Throughout history, girls have been supposed to be quiet, listen, follow the rules and let the men handle everything. Women have been treated as less than men. So when a girl doesn't follow the supposed rules of manners for women, she is looked down on. Anna, i love your books! They are so wonderful and fanscinating to read! I love how your characters all seem so real, those people could have really existed. I can't believe Will died! I am not sure anymore what Elizebeth's purpose in her life is anymore! Throughout your first book, Elizebeth just wanted to be with Will, but now, i dont know. I can't wait to read Envy! Thank you, Anna, for your wonderful books!

Posted by Mykaela on July 10, 2008 at 05:40 PM EDT #

I forgot to add, I love the covers for The Luxe and Rumors! They make the books look so appealing. Anna, did you pick out the dresses for your covers? They are gorgeous! How many books do you plan to make? I love them so much. Did you pick out the girls to be Penelope and Elizebeth? (It is Penelope, right? At first, I thought it was Diana) Thanks again for your outstanding books, I had such a wonderful time reading them.

Posted by Mykaela on July 10, 2008 at 05:48 PM EDT #

I do think deep down we are jealous of celebrities. We are jealous at how perfect those women seem; how beautiful they are, their perfect bodies, their success, they are the embodiment of femininity, males drool over them. We are so jealous of them that we love it when they do stupid things and show us how imperfect they are because in our subconscience we are gleefully saying, "See how stupid she is, she is not perfect, she is not good and feminine, she may be beautiful but obviously lacks a few neurons !" Girls definitely get a worse rep than guys because all you hear in the media are the misbehavior of girls, you hardly hear of guys. I think this stems from the belief that girls should be saintly, good, and smart unlike guys who can do stupid things and not be seen like a big deal because they are male and born with impaired judgment so it's okay for them. We still believe that boys will be boys and girls should be Virgin Mary's so it's taboo and exciting when a female misbehaves.

Posted by monika on July 11, 2008 at 03:20 AM EDT #

i think that the reason why ppl are so attracted to bad girl gossip is because of o ncouple of reasons. 1. ppl find drama more intresting than what is good especially if it is a good girl gone bad take for instance miley cyrus and vanessa hudgens. there stories are far more intresting to ppl than than the next child brangalina is going to adopt. 2. a second reason ppl may like bad girl gossip is because it makes the person reading it feel better about themself so they find a person who is having a harder time than they are, like a celeb that has done something wrong and is miserable about it. 3. a third reason maybe that the person reading bad girl gossip just feels sorry for ppls misfortune (then they say wow i have it good i dont have problems like that jk)

Posted by Brittany on July 11, 2008 at 11:15 PM EDT #

did any one figure out the song to the rumors video

Posted by jenn on July 13, 2008 at 07:06 PM EDT #

i think that celebrities are just ordinary people, just like we are. they just have something that we dont. they have more confidence in what they do. and besides, we have our own dreams and our own choices.... i think that diana and penelope should stay as they are for now. they are both quite interesting and i really love diana. i want them to stand up for their own choices and fight for what they believe in. and i hope that diana will win this war!!haha....btw i love your books....peace yo!

Posted by Andy Mad on July 15, 2008 at 07:32 AM EDT #

these books are awsome.they keep me on pins and needles. I so can't wait until the third book comes out "Envy".

Posted by Caitlin on July 27, 2008 at 07:50 PM EDT #

Anna, First of all, I really loved your book. I'm in ninth grade and I'm taking an honors English class. We were told to pick a pair of books from a summer reading list. I chose The Luxe and The Age of Innocence. I chose The Luxe because my friend told me about your book and she loved it. (I wish I could have that dress.) I can't wait to read Rumors. The Age of Innocence and your book are very similar. The Age of Innocence supported your book very well. I think they're pretty much the same story line except The Luxe has more characters and is a lot more fun to read. Also, yours is easier to read and enjoy. Your book really changed my perspective as a reader. I liked how the story switched off every chapter to different character's problems and events. it made me think of how the story was going to unravel next. I loved your book and I am looking forward to reading your future books. Thanks for your time.

Posted by Natalie Jennings on August 17, 2008 at 02:34 PM EDT #

Bad Gossip is always good- so long as it's not about you! <(^^,)>. But of course, in the case of a book, it's something you look forward to. I love how Penelope attacks Elizabeth with it and in a book you don't have to feel pity about it (which is good because in real life, you really want to be sympathetic!). Plus,without it, the story isn't as catty- or as deliciously fun.

Posted by Esi on October 18, 2008 at 02:46 PM EDT #

Post a Comment:
  • HTML Syntax: NOT allowed
author author
From the bestselling author of THE LUXE comes a new series, Bright Young Things. Get a sneak peek.
Powered by Teen.com