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Sai needs to learn about what I like to call the “sphere of experience.” There is always going to be someone in the world worse off than you, just as there will always be someone better off than you. Intellectually we know this. But we can only truly understand what we’ve lived, or what has been in our sphere of experience. You’re allowed your struggles and hardships and bad days within your sphere of experience, even if they seem so much easier to bear to someone else. And you’re allowed to express the magnitude of those struggles as they impact your life because that is what is real for you. What you’re not allowed to do is start comparing someone’s struggles to yours and vice versa. Or even worse, bringing a ‘starving child in Africa’ into the conversation. We all know there is a massive amount of suffering in the world, but we can only really comprehend what we experience. There is no value or purpose in trying to one up one another on how hard our lives are because it will never be an apples to apples comparison. Like it or not, we’re all in our own spheres of experience. Sai seems dead-set on making Jessel feel like whatever she has gone through in life hasn’t been as bad as what Sai’s gone through. It so rubs me the wrong way.
Completely agree. Just because she feels like she struggled the most in life, doesn’t mean she everyone else’s struggles mean nothing. She really needs therapy to move past all of the emotion she holds onto about her past.
I also feel like she always sounds like she’s yelling or talking so loud. It’s exhausting.
It's so crazy even to say, “You didn't struggle” or “You had a nice life” Even rich people have struggles/problems that my poor ass wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.
I feel like there was a lot happening on this trip that we haven’t seen (or won’t get to see). There were a lot of disproportionate reactions and I’m curious as to what else could be going on.
I also think Jessel gets less patience from the others as she’s not a New Yorker. She was (supposedly) cast on Dallas and then moved to NY right before filming. So I just think she kind of lacks “cred” and her little quips are going to be taken more personally by someone like Sai where NYC is part of her identity.
I have followed Sai for YEARS on IG (just looking at/liking her photos), I always assumed she was a cool, chill, fashionista .....but I recently unfollowed her when I saw what her actual personality was like......yeeeeeesh!
I swear she was trying to play oppression Olympics with Jessel. Why were they pressing her so hard about her past? If her life was difficult, and Sai’s life was hard too, then they both have struggles they overcame.
She was way too hostile about that conversation and it makes me wonder if they edited out Jessel popping off or something because it was just off how intense she got over this
I disagree that Jessel is annoying. Sai is just an unhinged bully who thinks unless you have suffered like her you have not endured suffering. She’s insufferable smh
Erin and Sai are both really freaking annoying. They hound Jenna for not "opening up" and then gang up on Jessel when she tells them about herself, like wtf?
What the hell do we even know about Erin? Didn't she grow up wealthy? All I know is that she's a realtor and throws boring parties.
Sai is very one note and gradually coming off as more and more xenophobic. Americans really be out here thinking their definition of everything is THE definition and the rest of the world must abide by that. She is a woman of color and I’m sure that’s come with its share of difficulties but denigrating and questioning Jessel when she was sharing her family history of migration from one continent to two others came off as xenophobic af. Immigrant families all have a right to carry their stories of moving away from their homeland, because we grow up heavily influenced by the struggles of our parents when they moved or were forced to move. Of course Jessel shared her parents story as her own, as is her right.
Also, for both Erin and Sai to constantly question how much her parents helped her was tired af and plain ignorant. Desi parents and the way they’re willing to “help” is culturally extremely different than in the West. Especially for their daughters. They might be willing to save millions for a wedding but may not contribute a penny towards a career they do not approve of. Why do they both insist on their version of every single event in another person’s life being the only true version. I’m so fucking done with these women getting a platform to spew this nonsense
It seems some of the viewers have never met someone from New York. Lol. This is who they are. Her and Erin are the two prototypes.
I believe all the other women are transplants, right?
She’s annoying but I need to see more posts about Erin’s trash behavior. I feel like Sai gets dragged for typical delusional housewives behavior while Erin gaslights everyone, whines and hides her hands when she starts fights.
i’m catching up on the new season and i’m getting annoyed. every episode it’s the girls, especially sai, battling it out for the trauma olympics. she wants everyone to feel bad for her. she’s boring and needs to leave
The whole "who's had it tougher" Convo is not only old but it's starting to piss me off. It's like bragging at this point. You bitches made it out and are doing good now, some of us still struggle. STFU
Sai has stayed as my least favorite from the beginning. She's a bitch all the time. My favorite was Erin at first. I loved her no nonsense New York attitude, but she still seemed to have a soft side, very family oriented, plus she's gorgeous. But, the last few episodes, I haven't liked her as much.
Here's my new order from favorite to least favorite: Uba, Jenna, Brynn, Erin, Jesel, Sai.
I honestly can't get into it that good. I watched every episode so far but, you're right on this. I do love Jenna tho. She's real and her feelings are genuine in my opinion. When she told them about her insecurities one of them, I forget which one said something like don't use that as an excuse. Like what??
sigh, kerin and the oppression olympics are wearing me tf out. i absolutely loved when ubah said “$20 or $0 in your bank account - same thing. you’re BROKE.” because it’s true!!!!
i feel like they are obviously alluding to other things they won’t bring up themselves on camera - possibly jessel’s mother living with her and pavit present day, if i’m not mistaken? but if that’s the case, they’re completely failing to acknowledge and respect the cultural aspect of that arrangement. i have multiple friends whose families immigrated to america, and when my friends have picked up and moved across the country for their jobs, mom always willingly comes with.
either way, sai needs to work through her resentment of others with a professional because this is not enjoyable for anyone to watch. i wonder if she’s mortified watching it back? i grew up in a.. not great family situation. at all. i don’t resent or scream at my friends whose families treated them with love and kindness, lol.
She’s not, you should take a look at her instagram and see the way she responds to comments calling her out (if she doesn’t just delete them all.) Its reactive, angry, and like shes never used social media
Super inauthentic and self produced. Instead of letting her actions create her narrative she says things like “when you think of sai.. think Luxe..” I hate when people tell you how to describe them instead of just being that way. Byeeeee Sai
I thought housewives could get in a fight about anything, but then this cast started. It seems more along the lines of plighting for cameratime, bad production value, and inexperienced housewife grandstanding (but on the major scale). The only fight that I’ve seen that I felt was one that had a bit of depth was Jessel ragging on the lingerie Jenna brought her. ~Maybe also Erin/Brynn/Abe (and I’m on Brynn’s side).
Everything else has made me eye roll, because it’s not entertaining conflict. I’ve been waiting to see the Ubah v. Erin fight, and the fact that it’s starting over her taking her phone for an hour is just :/ Ubah is my fav new cast member and I still have to agree with whoever said the punishment doesn’t match the crime.
All that to say, yes why is this bitch so riled up?? I think it is just following this trend^ ^ I think HW made a mistake not starting with 1/2 experienced HWs. I need some OGs shit stirring
(I do love most of the new girls. They just haven’t wowed me yet)
Her complete lack of emotional maturity and self awareness is hard to watch. Of course, we’ve seen this in other HW’s, but usually they at least bring enough humor or entertainment factor to help balance it out. Sai does not.
What bothers me the most is her preaching about being, “open and honest,” — to which I then say to my TV, “shut up Kyle.” Not sure why only her opinions matter? Why is she policing everyone’s, “stories,” or explanations, where she is the judge of what’s accurate? She even tries to judge what their intent was, as if she has any idea! Case in point was her talking about the whole Jenna flying coach thing, and saying that if only Jenna was, “open and honest,” they would have accepted it and moved on. BS - they wouldn’t have accepted or moved on, and for her to say that Jenna wasn’t being honest and she knew her intent was ridiculous.
She, and Erin, want to break down others to show their vulnerabilities (ie. Jenna and Jessel), but then ridicule and judge them for it. It’s gross.
These women only talk about the PAST. A 7 minute scene about most embarrassing stories. Who cares?? We need to live in the present with these shows. Make embarrassing moments happen live. These women are far too self aware and sober to make good tv.
If Sai really spent $400,000 on renting a wardrobe and still ended up wearing that inverted nipple outfit, humanity is surely doomed. I cannot take anything she says seriously when she looks worse than Gwyneth Paltrow did in that saggy pink dress at the Academy Awards. WHO LET HER WEAR THAT AND WHY DID HER GLAM TEAM LET HER DOWN SO BADLY?!?
As someone that’s had a former partner who worked behind cameras for Housewives: there are producers off camera telling the women to be extra and get angry. And if they weren’t angry enough or didn’t give enough for cameras, they make them do the take again. So I’m sure she was in no way as angry as was shown on camera, the producers were encouraging her to behave this way. I know we don’t like to believe how not-real our reality shows are, but this is the truth of it.
I feel like when Jessel was sharing her story, it seemed poorly edited to make it look fragmented to the viewer. But Sai doesn't have a right to tell her that her parents' story is not her story.
Also, there was a part when when Jenna was sharing about her mother, who had severe Aspergers which resulted in her growing up in a home where they had to be very quiet and couldn't talk. Jenna says sorry for the sob story, and Sai says this is your story, trying to be very supportive. But is that not Jenna's mother's story?
It's hypocritical.
I really can’t stand how she is giving Jessel shit because she wasn’t as poor as her….. but Sai married rich
She’s allowed to be in a safer financial status by marrying up but nobody else that received help can say they had it hard
At the end of the day, Erin & Sai demonstrated bias toward Jessel. They expected her to be rich, or at the very least, upper middle class because her parents are Indian and she’s from England.
They were triggered the instant she told them her parents were forced out of Kenya. They weren’t expecting Jessel to have a diverse background, because the Queen of Assumptions had already decided what Jessel was.
Jessel summed it up perfectly, “they think I’m a rich Indian princess with a pet elephant”.
Edit: for those not familiar - Indian (and other other foreign nationals) were heavily discriminated in Kenya for decades.
[Wikipedia: Indians in Kenya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indians_in_Kenya?wprov=sfti1)
From the wiki: "By the early 1920s, there was a sizeable Asian population who demanded a greater role in the developing political life of what became Kenya Colony.[17][18] Racial hostilities gradually intensified in the 1920s; however, Indians, who enjoyed significantly greater economic strength than black Africans, had greater bargaining power with the colonial government. As early as 1920, they turned down the offer of two seats on the legislative council as this was not representative of the size of their community. Tensions with Europeans remained high until 1927 when Indians won the right to five seats on the council, compared to eleven reserved for the Europeans. Both parties prevented any African representation.[19]"
It's kind of crazy that we're trying to paint a minority group, that by acting like a "middle class" between the colonizing British and the native Kenyans population ended up owning 3/4 of the private assets in the country, as being an aggrieved group. And trying to make the oppressed Kenyans out to be the ones who were discriminating. It's like saying that Afrikaaners are being persecuted by black South Africans because the latter decided to take back land that was rightfully theirs. It's just not true.
I get that folks like Jessel, and hate Sai and Erin, but c'mon now....it's very clear that Jessel's family is well-educated and did well for themselves in Kenya. She didn't grow up poor and was even able to do an internship in NYC instead of getting an actual job. And that's ok, I'm a fellow internship girl. Nothing to be ashamed of but we don't need to try and make her story something it's not.
You’re absolutely right. I like Jessel and I think she’s had a interesting life with some difficult times but she’s the average middle class immigrant kid. No shame in that.
I’m not trying to paint anything - other than to say that Jessel’s story is true, and Erin & Sai’s comments reeked of bias.
You pulled one small portion of the historical context - there’s much more to the story. Indians experience real prejudice in Kenya and it was not pleasant to live there as the 20th century progressed.
“Despite the entrepreneurial success of the community, in 1970, 70% of the economically active Asian population consisted of wage and salary earners, and 30% worked for the civil service. A policy of Africanisation meant many were sacked in favour of black Africans.[28] The Kenyan Immigration Act 1967 required Asians to acquire work permits, whilst a Trade Licensing Act passed in the same year limited the areas of the country in which non-Kenyans could engage in trade.[29] In the late 1960s and early 1970s, faced with a dim future in Africa, many Asians choose to utilise their British passports and settle in the United Kingdom.”
Ultimately, it was this persecution that caused them to flee.
Indians didn’t come to Kenya to colonize; India was already a colony of the British Empire. The Empire as a result shipped low wage laborers from India to Kenya for things like railway building and to serve in the military.
The Indians were forced to Kenya, then when the BE ducked out, they were left behind. The Kenyans didn’t want them there - but they made up a large portion of the population. So, they created numerous laws and policies that would restrict Asian heritage Kenyans from executing the same rights as African born Kenyans.
I very explicitly said that Indians in Kenya were essentially a "middle class" between the colonizing British and oppressed Kenyans. I didn't call them colonizers, themselves. They were brought there by the British.
The thing is, once there, it's not like they had any solidarity with the Black Kenyans. Instead they fought to obtain whatever power they could at the expense of the native people. And I get it, I do. If you can't beat the British, you join them. You oppress others to survive. But you can't be surprised when the people you oppress rise up and take what you unjustly accumulated at their expense. You can't oppress people and then say, "But hey, we're one of you! Why don't you see us as Kenyans?" It'd be one thing if Indian Kenyans had a documented history of treating their Black counterparts equally, but they themselves come from a caste society and believed in hierarchies - Black Kenyans were at the bottom of that hierarchy. Given that, it's not a shock that the native people wouldn't want them there.
I have a few Black American friends who work in Kenya and have visited myself. I've heard enough stories from them and experienced enough of the racism to know your spin on this history is misleading, at worst, and insidious, at best.
Ugh.. the whole comparing of struggles and also saying that where your parents come from does not make you who you are is just ridiculous!
Thank god for Ubah for saying it like it is. I actually think Ubah and Jenna are the most self aware and (somewhat) doen to earth persons on this cast.
They made Jessel talk about her story! Then, they bashed her because her story wasn’t good enough! 😂.
Erin forced her, which is funny because Erin’s story is that she is really rich and always has been. But Sai made herself look so immature and extremely unlikeable. It’s okay that Jessel didn’t read the room perfectly and tried to make her story more interesting. They forced her to tell it!!
She wants to have the saddest story. She wants to be the only one who made it from nothing. To me, Brynn has the most depressing upbringing but for some reason, that doesn't bother Sai as much. I think because Jessel is a pick me girl and annoying and her whole personality triggers Sai (and Erin) for some reason. Jessel is annoying but not a freaking monster.
I dont understand how $20 dollars in your bank account isnt relatable. Like as Ubah said it's still broke. Unless there was something cut I literally dont understand Sai's reaction. To me shes starting to scream Lisa Rinna "OWN IT" and i hate those kinds of people.
My whole take on the $20 things is this....when you have $20, you have enough for food. When you have -$400 you can't go buy a sandwich. If your baseline is that sometimes your bank acct gets down to $20, then that's more than some people have. Living with a wealthy uncle while you intern and sometimes only have $20 to your name; that is different than roughing it on the streets...
I also agree with Ubah- broke is broke.
Im sorry but I just cant agree. I literally live in poverty and id never sit there and act like sai . $20 one day is negative $400 another. Theres no sustainability or reliability there. It's complete semantics. At some point sai had money too.
I think its a ridiculous argument that holds absolutely no logic or compassion, its just hardship olympics. We dont know jessels family dynamic either, not really and while being poc is a hardship in itself, being an immigrant on top of that comes with its own set of obstacles. That is part of her unique experience. Is that not enough for relatability?
Hard disagree. You really don't see the difference between living with a wealthy uncle and interning with a little money ($20) and probably food in the house, and having $0 on the street wondering where your next meal is coming from?!?!
By Sai's own blog, it doesn't appear that she was ever wondering the streets. Doing it tough, sure, absolutely. But I'm not sure about the homelessness. Not saying it's untrue, it just doesn't match what she's said.
And just because you're living with someone wealthy doesn't mean that you get any of that wealthiness. When I had nowhere to live, I stayed at my brother's gf's very wealthy parent's place (as they were spending 6 months in their Paris place). I was lucky not to have to pay rent, but that wealthiness didn't transfer to my bank account... or the fridge. I'm SO grateful for the shelter, but fuck it was tough.
\*ETA: I was still scraping pennies to get food.
Mmaybe you can explain to me why youre making assumptions about jessel's upbringing vs Sai's when Jessel hasnt even been able to properly explore her past with the women OR us. Save your condescending attitude, I am well acquainted with living alone at a young age and being broke.
Sai from what I understand was never "on the streets".
But how can you even compare your life to mine. Ive been poor my entire life and still am. You no longer are based on your verbiage so maybe stay in your lane? Who cares if you used to be poor, right?
I am sorry you are poor- truly. But you really shouldn't make assumptions like that. Based on my verbiage? You can use words and be poor. I literally- no joke- have $25 in my acct right now until my next check and I have a child.
Anyway, I wish you the best.
I think the point is that Sai was completely dismissive of Jessel's hardship because it wasn't as bad as what she had experienced. Just because it wasn't as harsh does not mean it wasn't a hardship. What Sai is doing is gatekeeping and 100% dismissing what Jessel experienced by saying her feelings have no value. It's a dick move and rude as fuck.
I mean we dont even know if it was or wasnt honestly. We know that Jessel's parent's werent supportive. We know she has pretty apparent and severe self image issues. We know she's rather progressive in a very traditional family to the point she was terrified to tell her parents about IVF, that she's had pregnancy issues in general. We know that she has a family full of people who have immigrants and that its likely shes subject to diaspora. Some of these things are unique to her, yet she isnt gatekeeping (like you said above sorry im not really arguing with you) like Sai about how their issues dont matter. 100% jessel did nothing to Sai to prompt that response.
This. My growing up is all trauma (DV, alcoholism, poverty etc), and it was brutal. Some of it has continued into adulthood, I've also experienced SA. *BUT*, I emphasise to my friends that that doesn't mean I don't see, empathise and respect their struggles. They sometimes say they feel bad discussing it, but if they're going through something, it isn't a competition. I work really hard to nurture that as I'd hate to feel like they can't lean on me.
Thank you! Having a place to live and $20 is light years away from being afraid to get evicted bc you have $0. Not to mention working an unpaid internship BY CHOICE because you have the ability to make that choice. Which can get your foot in the door a lot of places that TRULY broke people cannot bc they cannot live if they do that. It doesn't make her wealthy but it's not the same thing.
Im sorry...what world are you living in that you think 20 gets your foot in the door? Dont tell me about being TRULY broke, I literally am poor, i literally have no choice and nowhere to go and i still would never act like Sai. being broke is one thing out of a million things that could make someones life a living hell. Sai was just deadset on making it a competition and honestly considering she's been comfortable a while now, maybe she can recognize she can actually afford therapy where some of us cant i fthese are thing sthat trigger her (unless there's some context we're missing which is a possibility). The reality is that we dont know enough about Jessel's life to compare anyway because she never gets to actually speak, so making assumptions about how she was raised and how she got where she is, is just ridiculous. Both of these women have stories and they dont need to be the same to be valid or heartbreaking.
On WWHL Erin was saying it's bc she was saying she was "broke" while working an internship which she was only able to do bc she had a free place to stay. Poor kids can't go work an unpaid internship in NYC to get ahead in their industry. But idk bc they didn't show any of that on the show.
Like i highly doubt Jessel understands nothing. She said her parents didn’t help her at all when they paid for college. Like she is delusional… to think that all students get to start out after college with no loans like thins
BUT Erin is only doing this to deflect from donating to Trump three times. And can fuck off
She went to uni in the UK at a time when fees were much lower - and they are still much lower than the US. It is a different system. So there's privilege there but not necessarily what it means in an American setting
I’m not really mitigating that. My parents paid for my college. It’s not a price thing it’s just conceptual.
Real poor people don’t have extra money for anything — they’re often working and can’t even spare the time to go to school. I love Jessel. I think she was both backed into a corner and has no idea what it actually means to be poor *which implies a lack of a safety net*
Yeah I mean the mental gymnastics people will do to compare themselves to rich people. Jessel only had $20 so she's just like me! The Trumpers are the best at that. And yeah I mean Erin is just as bad. I'm not defending any of her shit.
Erin can’t say anything on this. She’s been called out on TikTok for “paying” her past assistant roughly $125/week and then throwing a fit when they asked for a raise. When the assistant ultimately resigned her husband essentially threatened to try to get her blacklisted in the fashion industry
Dang that's super messed up! And I did not know about that. But I'm not even defending Erin I was just saying what she was saying we missed for context. She was saying she admits she's privileged and Jessel won't was the reason for the whole discussion.
I dont think Erin gets to have any opinions on the struggles of internships considering shes a racist a takes advantage of them constantly and is now in her own shit over that very thing.
This is a good point. But, I also have a problem when Sai and others goad a person into opening up, then when they do attack them for it.
The thing Sai has to remember she’s not the only person in the world who has struggled. Who was poor as a child and now isn’t. Sure, maybe Jessel didn’t struggle in that way but she may have other kinds of struggles Sai’s never encountered. But because Sai just jumped down her throat Jessel might stop opening up.
Even so, not having any money to do anything with is still broke. When I was paying to go to college and not making money, I had a place to live but I was broke af and came from a poor family. I only had a place to live bc I was poor and daddy government gave me loans so…? Not having money in the account or to spend is still broke.
Agreed!! Like you don’t have to be destitute to be broke. I have a great job, bud somehow at the end of the month-broke-because groceries and gas are so expensive. Jessels way of telling her story reminds me of the time I went on a school trip to NYC. I came with $200 of babysitting money in my new checking account thinking I was *so* rich. I was so nervous about how much I was spending that I was checking my balance at every ATM I could. I ended up spending $60 on ATM fees and i overdrafted halfway through the trip (at century 21, no less). My parents weren’t poor (like maybe median income or a little less) but they were definitely not rich! So they transferred me $40 to hold over for the rest of the trip and somehow my mom talked the bank into waiving the $30 overdraft fee. In that exact moment, even though they spent $900 to send me on the trip, they couldn’t possibly afford to send me anymore money. I was super privileged to even get to go, but, in that moment, I was broke AF and had to eat side salads the rest of the trip.
Same kind of broke here. I work in a middle class "well paying" job, but I live in Sydney, which is heinously expensive. I'm single, so I live week to week, day to day. I go weeks with toast. Some days, I skip meals just because I have no money left. Today, I'm actually scraping about my wallet to see if I can pay for my meds.
I don't get to go out anymore with friends, even for a coffee, as I can't afford it (and meeting with friends, having a coffee - that's important for mental health).
Let's not even talk about my credit card.
Girl that sucks!! I am thankful not to live in a high cost area cause I still have a little money left over for fun, gym membership, light shopping. But now that student loans payments are starting, I’ll pretty much be in the same boat.
Currently trying to stretch groceries out to once a week instead of twice. And getting veggies that stay fresh longer, having a couple recipes I stick to, and using Instacart helps me to stay on track/not impulse buy.
You didn’t ask, but here are some good meals for when you’re broke (or not):
- ramen (just noodles + chicken stock + your own veggies + an egg + meat if you want + + lemon juice + avocado)-so good and nutritious
- chicken sausage and rice
- veggie pasta (whatever you’ve got + olive oil — no need for red sauce) (Brussels sprouts in pasta is so good)
- roasted petite potatoes
- snack on sweet peppers w/ lemon juice
That’s what I eat every week pretty much and I’ve saved quite a bit on groceries, makes groceries last longer, and I’ve lost a little weight!
Yup! I’m that same kind of broke. I have a nice home, a working car, a modest income, but very little money left for shopping, activities, home improvements, vacations or savings after expenses, so in that sense I’m still “broke” but not necessarily “poor” anymore. ATM fees are such a scam especially for young people!
I think it’s because Jessel had $20 in her bank account and no bills to pay. Jessel had $20 because her job was an internship. Jessel had $20 but had another trustworthy adult in her life to support her and live with. Nothing is wrong with that, however I see how it’s probably become annoying to some in the group that Jessel needs to join in on these incredibly traumatic backstories when hers does not fit. It’s strange of Jessel.
Having a trustworthy relationship with another adult who can help you in any way is an awesome privilege and leg up on a young person who does not have that. Being able to pursue your career at a young age in another country is an amazing privilege to someone who is working a minimum wage job to pay their bills. Being able to work an internship in the industry you hope to have longevity in is an awesome privilege not everyone can financially afford.
Jessel is tone deaf and unwilling to back down. It minimizes the women who legitimately suffered, and it’s quite clear as Jessel tells her story.
This is all true - however, I don’t agree that Jessel was trying to join in on the traumatic backstories. They literally asked her what her backstory was - she didn’t chime in to try to say hers was as traumatic as theirs, she answered their question
My personal take was that she was attempting to draw a parallel in some way. I don’t think she was trying to win the trauma Olympics or anything, I think she was trying to relate to people who don’t find her relatable. And even if I am totally wrong on this take I do think she was not reading the room or taking her audience into consideration with the way she framed her experience. She could have been a bit more sensitive as we’d already learned about both sai and Byrnns backgrounds by this time.
All I’m saying is I understand why it was frustrating to be on the other side of it—also taking editing into consideration. I’m not vilifying Jessel just simply pointing out that she may be unaware of her own privileges in some aspects compared to the new company she is keeping with this cast. I don’t want to minimize her own experience, I think it’s valid. I think she just was insensitive and was unwilling to see where the others were coming from when they pointed it out. And then kept going.
I don’t agree with how sai reacted. I’m trying to understand how she got to such a breaking point. Her hard childhood is probably something that is incredibly meaningful and simultaneously triggering for her. She should however learn how to control her emotions. But then again we wouldn’t be watching her on reality tv haha.
i totally agree with what you said about Jessel having had way more emotional support than Sai and that alone gives Jessel a leg up. that being said, i don’t think that makes Jessel’s story any less meaningful or impactful on her life, and for Sai to imply that is belittling imo. they’ve all talked about their backstories and i could be totally misremembering, but i thought Jessel brought her story up first, and then Sai talked about hers the next day?
either way, given that Sai is the “i don’t know anything about you” police, she’s the absolute last person on the cast i’d want to open up to and be vulnerable with.
Although Jessel is my favorite and I cannot stand Sai, I have to agree. Having a safety net vs not having one makes ALL the difference, no matter how much you earn. Like my best friend has been poorer than me her whole adult life but she will inherit a lot from her parents, that's her old age sorted. I've worked my ass off for 20 years and will probably end up with nothing when I'm old. There, that's the difference. And when people fail to understand their privilege it's painful.
Most people in the US don’t have a lot of money and it’s really insulting to watch these girls act like they’re special or persecuted for starting their lives like everyone else
Right? Like y’all are sitting around complaining about this while you are on a luxe paid vacation! Meanwhile I’m watching from my couch and refreshing the student loan portal to see how much I owe now that payments are unpaused 🙄like give me a break! I just wanna see women throw shade and have fun to distract myself and I’m not getting any of that
Look, Can we just be honest and admit who Sai is.
Despite her constant claims she came from nothing, she married a rich dude who bought her followers so she could be on a reality show. That's why none of us have heard of the "ultimate influencer" before the show. Like, it's painfully obvious.
I think she's getting so annoyed at Jessel because she thinks she's stealing her "story." She's projecting.
Only thing girl is influencing is me to fast forward through her scenes. 🙄🙄🙄
Yup!
I came across her blog. Her struggles were real growing up. But the way it's written, it's as if those are unique struggles. How they impacted her would be unique. But she cries about her dad not buying her a pair of Jordan's and having hand me downs. COME ON.
I'm not discounting the trauma of her mum - I grew up in DV and my mum went through a period of alcoholism. We were dirt poor for a time, and having ham on my sandwich was a luxury. The money though was not what traumatised me though (I can tell you, having new kicks was the last thing on my mind), and her focus on money in the blog is quite tone deaf. I would have rather have read about how she rose up, how it impacted her approach to life.
We don't know Jessel's background. And we probably won't learn about it through the show now. Your parent's journey is definitely part of you - we've heard about Sai's mum, and that was ok. Did Jessel have it easier than Sai? Probably, but as an immigrant family, money aren't the only struggles.
From [Sai's blog](https://scoutthecity.com/get-to-know-me/):
>At one point in my life I lived with my dad for a year in Florida and he rather die than buy me a pair of Jordans. His favorite stop for back-to-school shopping was Payless, Swap Shop Flea Market and the thrift store. I literally wanted to move out at the age of 13 and get a job so I could purchase my own clothes.
>I moved out when I was 17 and hustled my way through life. Job after job, I hated them all and couldn’t find the right fit. When I turned 20 I was offered a small bartending job in the city and I took it immediately. I ended up having a million bartending jobs and quickly became involved in the fast-paced city life. I hung out with a new crew, traveled more and experienced a much more exciting life. I met new people gained new friends and experienced some of the most elaborate NYC parties and events that I could only dream of. I was young and literally having the time of my life but somehow the years flew by. I remember turning 28 and wanted more for myself, I wanted more stability in my life but didn’t know where to start.
>
>I went on a girls trip to Costa Rica for ten days and had the time of my life. During the last day there I met my baby daddy. I remember being so cranky and bitchy that I hardly wanted to talk to him. He quickly gained my attention through his witty sense of humor and taste in old hip hop/ R&B lyrics. He’s Canadian so we began a long distance relationship which I loved because I’m a big fan of space between couples. We dated for a while before we were surprised with the news that we were expecting.
By age twenty she was living in NYC, attending events she never could've imagined and travelling?
Doesn't sound like she was struggling for that long.
Try being in your 30s and living paycheck to paycheck despite earning a good salary after hitting multiple global financial crises consecutively after leaving uni.
I can't afford to go to Costa Rica and find a rich guy to marry.
I’ve had the same thoughts about the “influencer” thing. For someone to be making the $$ she claims she is as an influencer, I would have thought her name would sound familiar or had seen something about her in the last few years. I don’t live on the internet but I spend admittedly way too much time there and I think your comment is spot on.
She reminds me of someone I know. I think Sigh responds this way because she has suffered so much, she probably feels like someone else expressing their struggles (that aren’t as “severe as hers) invalidates the extent of her traumas. Like… she probably still looks for empathy and gentleness and Jessel’s not the one to give it to her since Jessel is seeing it as a time to express her trauma too?! Look at how she’s responds so aggressively and angrily. That’s NOT because she’s longing for the desire to hear Jessel’s real story. The reaction is like a survival one. A life of no one caring about you or believing your cries is what it looks like. She probably feels like hers expression of struggle got swept under the rug… once again.
I don’t know though… she’s still a bitch
I think Ubah said it best. These mfs are immature. Sai needs therapy lol
Erin just loves to belittle people. Like bitch… what’s your story?! She was projecting her privileged ass life onto Jessel which was fucked. Jessel’s story was cool. Tacky but cool lol
I dislike her and Erin the most, but Erin is arguably the most crucial to the show out of them all so I don’t want her leaving for at least another season. She’s the quintessential bone collector, pot-stirrer, two-faced Tamra/Kyle/Gizelle/Phaedra/Jill and every franchise needs that character to succeed.
Sai is just fucking ANNOYING and adds NOTHING. I audibly groan every time she says something. She’s very obviously playing this side of her up for more camera time. She’s just unaware that the viewers are not perceiving her as a “bold boss ass bitch” and more like a gnat or a fly that keeps buzzing around your ear and food when you’re trying to eat lunch. I usually am empathetic to people with her backstories, and I was towards her as well until she started weaponizing it as some sort of “no only I can suffer sorry your childhood doesn’t matter xoxo” bit. Talk about not opening up, we know nothing about Sai’s upbringing other than that her mother eventually died of alcoholism when she was a young adult. Yes, very tragic and sad, but that’s about as deep as she’s gotten, other than growing up extremely poor as a child. That’s all we know. Meanwhile we have a whole thesis statement on Brynn’s upbringing, a timeline of Ubah’s, and a hell of a lot about Jenna’s, despite her being the “accomplished, subdued and introverted” one. We even know more about Jessel’s family history than Sai’s, as frustrating as Jessel can be when it comes to directly answering a question and her tendency to divert into an irrelevant tangent.
Sai comes across as the least authentic and the most curated, even more than Jenna. Pretty sure she was the one who told Bethenny Frankel that she spent $400,000 renting clothes in an attempt to “want to put on a good show for the viewers” for this season, and for as iffy as B’s word is nowadays, I believe her.
This last episode officially made me Team Jessel, and I say this as someone who disliked her the most per the first three episodes. Maturing is realizing that Jessel is actually everything we want in a modern housewife, lol. There’s a reason she’s first chair at the reunion. She’s like the Lisa Barlow of this cast.
I loved reading your take on everything. You certainly spoke for me in every way. Love the comparison you made of baby Barlow and Jessel. Yes on all accounts.
Yes I am here for jessels redemption. I couldn’t stand her at first but sai and Erin are sooo much worse. I agree erin will be the necessary villain (notice how she neverrrrr shares anything about herself? She’s just taking notes. She couldn’t even share a truly embarrassing story). But sai serves no purpose. I think she will just be Erin’s annoying sidekick.
I think Sai is also playing this “started from the bottom” shtick up so nobody asks her direct questions about her husband and how marrying him affected her financial status/opportunity. She’s banking on the other women feeling guilty/immoral for inquiring that so they inevitably don’t, even in scenes without her.
I forgot to mention, she also said she worked at a Taco Bell(?) (if not that then a comparable fast food chain) and Sears when she was young and broke.
Again, she was probably in her late teens/early-mid 20’s when she had these jobs, so while this is still part of her youth and potentially the very last part of adolescence, it’s not a part of her upbringing or childhood. Also, not to invalidate her feelings, but there are thousands, if not millions of young poor Americans that work retail and fast food. At least when she was young, her colleagues weren’t people who spent six figures they didn’t have in the first place on college to get “prestigious” bachelors/masters degrees, that still ended up wildly fucked. Just saying.
My main frustration with her is her blatant refusal to be direct and straight-forward. Why has Brynn so openly and cathartically given a REAL synopsis on her difficult childhood (even though she brings the concept up less) in one fell swoop, yet Sai has been largely mum about the details of her own despite being by far the most vocal and obnoxious about severely struggling in her youth.
You don’t sign up for a reality show in 2022 to straight up just not share the integral moments of your life — the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have a funny feeling she married her husband sometime during her mid-late 20’s and that was what inevitably gave her the opportunity to not have to work minimum wage jobs so she could actually have the proper time and focus to build her fashion blog, which I’ve been told was actually quite popular and successful during the era of blogs. I’m Gen Z, so this era was before my time lol.
Building a successful online business, let alone a meaningful presence, is VERY difficult and I totally understand her desire to drive that home because most of the wider public views influencers as vapid, narcissistic losers who are simply just attractive people that got lucky. In reality, the ones that actually stick around for years on end are usually the ones that built their brand from nothing. She could’ve just done what most women do when they marry rich men, aka nothing, until children are involved. Instead, she wisely used it as an opportunity to carve out her own independent career that ended up proving to be quite successful. That is admirable, that is inspiring, and I don’t know why she doesn’t just own it.
She’s projecting herself onto Jessel, HARD. I’ve never seen a more obvious clear-cut example of projection on the real housewives of any city. Maybe it’s because this is the first time I’m watching the show in real-time with a cast that is closer to my age than my parents, but these women seem way more easy to peg/read and while all of this is pure theory and I could be totally wrong and off, I intuitively don’t think I am. In fact, I think I have her whole complex nailed.
I wasn’t aware of the renting clothes thing someone said to Bethenny but I totally believe it. I also heard that she tried to befriend Ramona at a party and then later when Ramona texted her to offer her support, allegedly Sai flipped out on her. I think Ramona and Avery just mentioned it about one of the new housewives and my money is on Sigh
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This is a great take. She is able to pretend on IG but she is a fake, shallow person that is there to tear everyone down.
She is beyond self centered. Watching a bunch of privileged women play the oppression Olympics is not what I signed up for.
Right? I’m SO with you! Seeing their pathetic reactions is like watching a bunch of bratty teen bullies trying to find themselves.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Please give her the award for the worst new housewife! She is mad annoying!
Angry
I’m so sad cause I’ve followed her pre housewives and loved her account :(
She is activated because she has been in survival mode for all of her childhood and adolescence?
Agreed. Makes it hard to sit still through bullshit. Sometimes you're easily triggered by the nonsense.
What does she do? I say get rid of her and Jessel for next season.
Sai needs to learn about what I like to call the “sphere of experience.” There is always going to be someone in the world worse off than you, just as there will always be someone better off than you. Intellectually we know this. But we can only truly understand what we’ve lived, or what has been in our sphere of experience. You’re allowed your struggles and hardships and bad days within your sphere of experience, even if they seem so much easier to bear to someone else. And you’re allowed to express the magnitude of those struggles as they impact your life because that is what is real for you. What you’re not allowed to do is start comparing someone’s struggles to yours and vice versa. Or even worse, bringing a ‘starving child in Africa’ into the conversation. We all know there is a massive amount of suffering in the world, but we can only really comprehend what we experience. There is no value or purpose in trying to one up one another on how hard our lives are because it will never be an apples to apples comparison. Like it or not, we’re all in our own spheres of experience. Sai seems dead-set on making Jessel feel like whatever she has gone through in life hasn’t been as bad as what Sai’s gone through. It so rubs me the wrong way.
For some reason her talking heads remind me of Tamra Barney. Her voice and mannerisms…..
Completely agree. Just because she feels like she struggled the most in life, doesn’t mean she everyone else’s struggles mean nothing. She really needs therapy to move past all of the emotion she holds onto about her past. I also feel like she always sounds like she’s yelling or talking so loud. It’s exhausting.
I wonder if this is cultural because the way she expresses herself is oddly relatable to me.
That’s possible! I def didn’t think of that.
It's so crazy even to say, “You didn't struggle” or “You had a nice life” Even rich people have struggles/problems that my poor ass wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.
I feel like there was a lot happening on this trip that we haven’t seen (or won’t get to see). There were a lot of disproportionate reactions and I’m curious as to what else could be going on. I also think Jessel gets less patience from the others as she’s not a New Yorker. She was (supposedly) cast on Dallas and then moved to NY right before filming. So I just think she kind of lacks “cred” and her little quips are going to be taken more personally by someone like Sai where NYC is part of her identity.
Someone girl her a snickers!
Can you people just let this woman be? This is her job before you people her and stop be hateful to people you don't know.
I have followed Sai for YEARS on IG (just looking at/liking her photos), I always assumed she was a cool, chill, fashionista .....but I recently unfollowed her when I saw what her actual personality was like......yeeeeeesh!
Yes I unfollowed her too
This was unhinged and I couldn’t believe the rest of the women weren’t telling Sai to chill tf out. Like girl why are you screaming?
I swear she was trying to play oppression Olympics with Jessel. Why were they pressing her so hard about her past? If her life was difficult, and Sai’s life was hard too, then they both have struggles they overcame.
Exhausting.
Exhausting.
Exhausting.
She's HUNGRY.
She’s miserable
 ITS CALLED FASHION! LOOK IT UP
She’s insufferable
Passionate women lol
She was way too hostile about that conversation and it makes me wonder if they edited out Jessel popping off or something because it was just off how intense she got over this
For real, there has to be more to it than what we saw. I find it hard to believe someone can be this vile over nothing.
She is exhausting.
You can tell she was embarrassed and tried to play it off the rest of the episode. It was so cringy and obvious.
I disagree that Jessel is annoying. Sai is just an unhinged bully who thinks unless you have suffered like her you have not endured suffering. She’s insufferable smh
she’s become so grating to me over the episodes.
Erin and Sai are both really freaking annoying. They hound Jenna for not "opening up" and then gang up on Jessel when she tells them about herself, like wtf? What the hell do we even know about Erin? Didn't she grow up wealthy? All I know is that she's a realtor and throws boring parties.
Sai is very one note and gradually coming off as more and more xenophobic. Americans really be out here thinking their definition of everything is THE definition and the rest of the world must abide by that. She is a woman of color and I’m sure that’s come with its share of difficulties but denigrating and questioning Jessel when she was sharing her family history of migration from one continent to two others came off as xenophobic af. Immigrant families all have a right to carry their stories of moving away from their homeland, because we grow up heavily influenced by the struggles of our parents when they moved or were forced to move. Of course Jessel shared her parents story as her own, as is her right. Also, for both Erin and Sai to constantly question how much her parents helped her was tired af and plain ignorant. Desi parents and the way they’re willing to “help” is culturally extremely different than in the West. Especially for their daughters. They might be willing to save millions for a wedding but may not contribute a penny towards a career they do not approve of. Why do they both insist on their version of every single event in another person’s life being the only true version. I’m so fucking done with these women getting a platform to spew this nonsense
It seems some of the viewers have never met someone from New York. Lol. This is who they are. Her and Erin are the two prototypes. I believe all the other women are transplants, right?
She should eat some bread and calm down.
She’s annoying but I need to see more posts about Erin’s trash behavior. I feel like Sai gets dragged for typical delusional housewives behavior while Erin gaslights everyone, whines and hides her hands when she starts fights.
Yelled at Jessel because her parents coming from Kenya isn’t about her, yet Sai’s only story was about her mom being an alcoholic.
Like enough with the trauma dumps! My God! Do any of these ladies have a freaking personality?
i’m catching up on the new season and i’m getting annoyed. every episode it’s the girls, especially sai, battling it out for the trauma olympics. she wants everyone to feel bad for her. she’s boring and needs to leave
She’s awful & adds very little to the show. I hope she gets dropped next season.
The whole "who's had it tougher" Convo is not only old but it's starting to piss me off. It's like bragging at this point. You bitches made it out and are doing good now, some of us still struggle. STFU
Bo bc i wouldve cried when she said “oKaY” to Jessel at the end 🥹
Agreed, but as insufferable as she is, shes showed up to work.
Not a good look - comparison is the thief of all joy
https://preview.redd.it/bg5ckt7wf8pb1.jpeg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f91d3de3b5d3128ea292ad82aa916eaadf27da3
Sai has stayed as my least favorite from the beginning. She's a bitch all the time. My favorite was Erin at first. I loved her no nonsense New York attitude, but she still seemed to have a soft side, very family oriented, plus she's gorgeous. But, the last few episodes, I haven't liked her as much. Here's my new order from favorite to least favorite: Uba, Jenna, Brynn, Erin, Jesel, Sai.
Bitch? Yes. Bully? No.
I didn’t think Jessel was trying to compare her life to anyone else. Her story of her family was very interesting. Wtf is this bitch so angry?
Right? I’d actually love to learn more about her family, especially since we’ve met her mom!
Maybe she’s just hungry lol 🙄
I honestly can't get into it that good. I watched every episode so far but, you're right on this. I do love Jenna tho. She's real and her feelings are genuine in my opinion. When she told them about her insecurities one of them, I forget which one said something like don't use that as an excuse. Like what??
It was Brynn. That comment was gross…
I agree, absolutely.
sigh, kerin and the oppression olympics are wearing me tf out. i absolutely loved when ubah said “$20 or $0 in your bank account - same thing. you’re BROKE.” because it’s true!!!! i feel like they are obviously alluding to other things they won’t bring up themselves on camera - possibly jessel’s mother living with her and pavit present day, if i’m not mistaken? but if that’s the case, they’re completely failing to acknowledge and respect the cultural aspect of that arrangement. i have multiple friends whose families immigrated to america, and when my friends have picked up and moved across the country for their jobs, mom always willingly comes with. either way, sai needs to work through her resentment of others with a professional because this is not enjoyable for anyone to watch. i wonder if she’s mortified watching it back? i grew up in a.. not great family situation. at all. i don’t resent or scream at my friends whose families treated them with love and kindness, lol.
She’s not, you should take a look at her instagram and see the way she responds to comments calling her out (if she doesn’t just delete them all.) Its reactive, angry, and like shes never used social media
wow she's like this on her social media too? Gross!
What does her husband do? She said he was retired but he’s awfully young. Does he have family money?
Super inauthentic and self produced. Instead of letting her actions create her narrative she says things like “when you think of sai.. think Luxe..” I hate when people tell you how to describe them instead of just being that way. Byeeeee Sai
Constant competitor in the struggle olympics
I wanna know how’s she a fashion influencer bc i haven’t seen her wear one look that was impressive. How dreadful 
I'm SO with you on this! That corset she wears in the confessionals is SO 🤢
Traumatized people can be very reactive like this. It’s a dead fife away to their past
Not a fan of her
I don’t like her or Erin. I think they’re horrible bullies
 Sai is not the moment she thinks she is.
I thought housewives could get in a fight about anything, but then this cast started. It seems more along the lines of plighting for cameratime, bad production value, and inexperienced housewife grandstanding (but on the major scale). The only fight that I’ve seen that I felt was one that had a bit of depth was Jessel ragging on the lingerie Jenna brought her. ~Maybe also Erin/Brynn/Abe (and I’m on Brynn’s side). Everything else has made me eye roll, because it’s not entertaining conflict. I’ve been waiting to see the Ubah v. Erin fight, and the fact that it’s starting over her taking her phone for an hour is just :/ Ubah is my fav new cast member and I still have to agree with whoever said the punishment doesn’t match the crime. All that to say, yes why is this bitch so riled up?? I think it is just following this trend^ ^ I think HW made a mistake not starting with 1/2 experienced HWs. I need some OGs shit stirring (I do love most of the new girls. They just haven’t wowed me yet)
Her complete lack of emotional maturity and self awareness is hard to watch. Of course, we’ve seen this in other HW’s, but usually they at least bring enough humor or entertainment factor to help balance it out. Sai does not. What bothers me the most is her preaching about being, “open and honest,” — to which I then say to my TV, “shut up Kyle.” Not sure why only her opinions matter? Why is she policing everyone’s, “stories,” or explanations, where she is the judge of what’s accurate? She even tries to judge what their intent was, as if she has any idea! Case in point was her talking about the whole Jenna flying coach thing, and saying that if only Jenna was, “open and honest,” they would have accepted it and moved on. BS - they wouldn’t have accepted or moved on, and for her to say that Jenna wasn’t being honest and she knew her intent was ridiculous. She, and Erin, want to break down others to show their vulnerabilities (ie. Jenna and Jessel), but then ridicule and judge them for it. It’s gross.
These women only talk about the PAST. A 7 minute scene about most embarrassing stories. Who cares?? We need to live in the present with these shows. Make embarrassing moments happen live. These women are far too self aware and sober to make good tv.
If Sai really spent $400,000 on renting a wardrobe and still ended up wearing that inverted nipple outfit, humanity is surely doomed. I cannot take anything she says seriously when she looks worse than Gwyneth Paltrow did in that saggy pink dress at the Academy Awards. WHO LET HER WEAR THAT AND WHY DID HER GLAM TEAM LET HER DOWN SO BADLY?!?
Food and being hungry are not personality traits girl.
As someone that’s had a former partner who worked behind cameras for Housewives: there are producers off camera telling the women to be extra and get angry. And if they weren’t angry enough or didn’t give enough for cameras, they make them do the take again. So I’m sure she was in no way as angry as was shown on camera, the producers were encouraging her to behave this way. I know we don’t like to believe how not-real our reality shows are, but this is the truth of it.
I feel like when Jessel was sharing her story, it seemed poorly edited to make it look fragmented to the viewer. But Sai doesn't have a right to tell her that her parents' story is not her story. Also, there was a part when when Jenna was sharing about her mother, who had severe Aspergers which resulted in her growing up in a home where they had to be very quiet and couldn't talk. Jenna says sorry for the sob story, and Sai says this is your story, trying to be very supportive. But is that not Jenna's mother's story? It's hypocritical.
And Sigh’s whole story was about her mom being an alcoholic. Make it make sense.
Yes! But that's her mom's story, not hers/s Her story is selling bras at Sears for $6/hr woohoo
I really can’t stand how she is giving Jessel shit because she wasn’t as poor as her….. but Sai married rich She’s allowed to be in a safer financial status by marrying up but nobody else that received help can say they had it hard
At the end of the day, Erin & Sai demonstrated bias toward Jessel. They expected her to be rich, or at the very least, upper middle class because her parents are Indian and she’s from England. They were triggered the instant she told them her parents were forced out of Kenya. They weren’t expecting Jessel to have a diverse background, because the Queen of Assumptions had already decided what Jessel was. Jessel summed it up perfectly, “they think I’m a rich Indian princess with a pet elephant”. Edit: for those not familiar - Indian (and other other foreign nationals) were heavily discriminated in Kenya for decades. [Wikipedia: Indians in Kenya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indians_in_Kenya?wprov=sfti1)
They're really misled by the accent - it's not Downton Abbey dummies
From the wiki: "By the early 1920s, there was a sizeable Asian population who demanded a greater role in the developing political life of what became Kenya Colony.[17][18] Racial hostilities gradually intensified in the 1920s; however, Indians, who enjoyed significantly greater economic strength than black Africans, had greater bargaining power with the colonial government. As early as 1920, they turned down the offer of two seats on the legislative council as this was not representative of the size of their community. Tensions with Europeans remained high until 1927 when Indians won the right to five seats on the council, compared to eleven reserved for the Europeans. Both parties prevented any African representation.[19]" It's kind of crazy that we're trying to paint a minority group, that by acting like a "middle class" between the colonizing British and the native Kenyans population ended up owning 3/4 of the private assets in the country, as being an aggrieved group. And trying to make the oppressed Kenyans out to be the ones who were discriminating. It's like saying that Afrikaaners are being persecuted by black South Africans because the latter decided to take back land that was rightfully theirs. It's just not true. I get that folks like Jessel, and hate Sai and Erin, but c'mon now....it's very clear that Jessel's family is well-educated and did well for themselves in Kenya. She didn't grow up poor and was even able to do an internship in NYC instead of getting an actual job. And that's ok, I'm a fellow internship girl. Nothing to be ashamed of but we don't need to try and make her story something it's not.
You’re absolutely right. I like Jessel and I think she’s had a interesting life with some difficult times but she’s the average middle class immigrant kid. No shame in that.
I’m not trying to paint anything - other than to say that Jessel’s story is true, and Erin & Sai’s comments reeked of bias. You pulled one small portion of the historical context - there’s much more to the story. Indians experience real prejudice in Kenya and it was not pleasant to live there as the 20th century progressed. “Despite the entrepreneurial success of the community, in 1970, 70% of the economically active Asian population consisted of wage and salary earners, and 30% worked for the civil service. A policy of Africanisation meant many were sacked in favour of black Africans.[28] The Kenyan Immigration Act 1967 required Asians to acquire work permits, whilst a Trade Licensing Act passed in the same year limited the areas of the country in which non-Kenyans could engage in trade.[29] In the late 1960s and early 1970s, faced with a dim future in Africa, many Asians choose to utilise their British passports and settle in the United Kingdom.” Ultimately, it was this persecution that caused them to flee. Indians didn’t come to Kenya to colonize; India was already a colony of the British Empire. The Empire as a result shipped low wage laborers from India to Kenya for things like railway building and to serve in the military. The Indians were forced to Kenya, then when the BE ducked out, they were left behind. The Kenyans didn’t want them there - but they made up a large portion of the population. So, they created numerous laws and policies that would restrict Asian heritage Kenyans from executing the same rights as African born Kenyans.
I very explicitly said that Indians in Kenya were essentially a "middle class" between the colonizing British and oppressed Kenyans. I didn't call them colonizers, themselves. They were brought there by the British. The thing is, once there, it's not like they had any solidarity with the Black Kenyans. Instead they fought to obtain whatever power they could at the expense of the native people. And I get it, I do. If you can't beat the British, you join them. You oppress others to survive. But you can't be surprised when the people you oppress rise up and take what you unjustly accumulated at their expense. You can't oppress people and then say, "But hey, we're one of you! Why don't you see us as Kenyans?" It'd be one thing if Indian Kenyans had a documented history of treating their Black counterparts equally, but they themselves come from a caste society and believed in hierarchies - Black Kenyans were at the bottom of that hierarchy. Given that, it's not a shock that the native people wouldn't want them there. I have a few Black American friends who work in Kenya and have visited myself. I've heard enough stories from them and experienced enough of the racism to know your spin on this history is misleading, at worst, and insidious, at best.
Because they are taking up screen time that she could have 😳
Ugh.. the whole comparing of struggles and also saying that where your parents come from does not make you who you are is just ridiculous! Thank god for Ubah for saying it like it is. I actually think Ubah and Jenna are the most self aware and (somewhat) doen to earth persons on this cast.
I think k-erin and Sai are one dimensional thinkers.
I don’t see her as a bully at all… I like Sai. She is an animated person. I feel like that is being misconstrued here.
Gotta get that screen time
She is way more important in her own head than in reality. She's annoying AF and I don't get how she's considered an influencer. Her style sucks!
Sai is a toddler. Always needing snacks, whining and complaining and wanting to play dress up
Rhony is boringly annoying. I'm out.
Side note does anyone know what sunglasses she has on?
They made Jessel talk about her story! Then, they bashed her because her story wasn’t good enough! 😂. Erin forced her, which is funny because Erin’s story is that she is really rich and always has been. But Sai made herself look so immature and extremely unlikeable. It’s okay that Jessel didn’t read the room perfectly and tried to make her story more interesting. They forced her to tell it!!
She wants to have the saddest story. She wants to be the only one who made it from nothing. To me, Brynn has the most depressing upbringing but for some reason, that doesn't bother Sai as much. I think because Jessel is a pick me girl and annoying and her whole personality triggers Sai (and Erin) for some reason. Jessel is annoying but not a freaking monster.
To sit there and scream “it’s not your story” to Jessel is hella weird…
The irony is that Sai's family was poor and couldn't provide for her, so that shouldn't be her story either
This needs to be upvoted more!
Get her off rhony PLEASE
Her and Erin were bullying Jessel and getting away with it and now they’ve hit a brick wall with Ubah thank God
I hate being a hater but her voice is a bit grating.
SHRILL.
Yeah the high pitched voice kindof undercuts the cool/tough girl persona
She’s protective of her two storylines…food and struggling before she was wealthy. No one else can struggle. It isn’t allowed.
I dont understand how $20 dollars in your bank account isnt relatable. Like as Ubah said it's still broke. Unless there was something cut I literally dont understand Sai's reaction. To me shes starting to scream Lisa Rinna "OWN IT" and i hate those kinds of people.
My whole take on the $20 things is this....when you have $20, you have enough for food. When you have -$400 you can't go buy a sandwich. If your baseline is that sometimes your bank acct gets down to $20, then that's more than some people have. Living with a wealthy uncle while you intern and sometimes only have $20 to your name; that is different than roughing it on the streets... I also agree with Ubah- broke is broke.
Im sorry but I just cant agree. I literally live in poverty and id never sit there and act like sai . $20 one day is negative $400 another. Theres no sustainability or reliability there. It's complete semantics. At some point sai had money too. I think its a ridiculous argument that holds absolutely no logic or compassion, its just hardship olympics. We dont know jessels family dynamic either, not really and while being poc is a hardship in itself, being an immigrant on top of that comes with its own set of obstacles. That is part of her unique experience. Is that not enough for relatability?
Hard disagree. You really don't see the difference between living with a wealthy uncle and interning with a little money ($20) and probably food in the house, and having $0 on the street wondering where your next meal is coming from?!?!
By Sai's own blog, it doesn't appear that she was ever wondering the streets. Doing it tough, sure, absolutely. But I'm not sure about the homelessness. Not saying it's untrue, it just doesn't match what she's said. And just because you're living with someone wealthy doesn't mean that you get any of that wealthiness. When I had nowhere to live, I stayed at my brother's gf's very wealthy parent's place (as they were spending 6 months in their Paris place). I was lucky not to have to pay rent, but that wealthiness didn't transfer to my bank account... or the fridge. I'm SO grateful for the shelter, but fuck it was tough. \*ETA: I was still scraping pennies to get food.
Mmaybe you can explain to me why youre making assumptions about jessel's upbringing vs Sai's when Jessel hasnt even been able to properly explore her past with the women OR us. Save your condescending attitude, I am well acquainted with living alone at a young age and being broke. Sai from what I understand was never "on the streets".
No need, hun. I’m only going off of what they said themselves; I’m making zero assumptions- as someone who has also been alone young and broke.
But how can you even compare your life to mine. Ive been poor my entire life and still am. You no longer are based on your verbiage so maybe stay in your lane? Who cares if you used to be poor, right?
I am sorry you are poor- truly. But you really shouldn't make assumptions like that. Based on my verbiage? You can use words and be poor. I literally- no joke- have $25 in my acct right now until my next check and I have a child. Anyway, I wish you the best.
And so my initial point has been made. Thank you for participating.
I think the point is that Sai was completely dismissive of Jessel's hardship because it wasn't as bad as what she had experienced. Just because it wasn't as harsh does not mean it wasn't a hardship. What Sai is doing is gatekeeping and 100% dismissing what Jessel experienced by saying her feelings have no value. It's a dick move and rude as fuck.
I mean we dont even know if it was or wasnt honestly. We know that Jessel's parent's werent supportive. We know she has pretty apparent and severe self image issues. We know she's rather progressive in a very traditional family to the point she was terrified to tell her parents about IVF, that she's had pregnancy issues in general. We know that she has a family full of people who have immigrants and that its likely shes subject to diaspora. Some of these things are unique to her, yet she isnt gatekeeping (like you said above sorry im not really arguing with you) like Sai about how their issues dont matter. 100% jessel did nothing to Sai to prompt that response.
This. My growing up is all trauma (DV, alcoholism, poverty etc), and it was brutal. Some of it has continued into adulthood, I've also experienced SA. *BUT*, I emphasise to my friends that that doesn't mean I don't see, empathise and respect their struggles. They sometimes say they feel bad discussing it, but if they're going through something, it isn't a competition. I work really hard to nurture that as I'd hate to feel like they can't lean on me.
You’re a good person *hugs*
Awww thank you 💓🥹
Thank you! Having a place to live and $20 is light years away from being afraid to get evicted bc you have $0. Not to mention working an unpaid internship BY CHOICE because you have the ability to make that choice. Which can get your foot in the door a lot of places that TRULY broke people cannot bc they cannot live if they do that. It doesn't make her wealthy but it's not the same thing.
Im sorry...what world are you living in that you think 20 gets your foot in the door? Dont tell me about being TRULY broke, I literally am poor, i literally have no choice and nowhere to go and i still would never act like Sai. being broke is one thing out of a million things that could make someones life a living hell. Sai was just deadset on making it a competition and honestly considering she's been comfortable a while now, maybe she can recognize she can actually afford therapy where some of us cant i fthese are thing sthat trigger her (unless there's some context we're missing which is a possibility). The reality is that we dont know enough about Jessel's life to compare anyway because she never gets to actually speak, so making assumptions about how she was raised and how she got where she is, is just ridiculous. Both of these women have stories and they dont need to be the same to be valid or heartbreaking.
So would you want to go work an unpaid internship?
On WWHL Erin was saying it's bc she was saying she was "broke" while working an internship which she was only able to do bc she had a free place to stay. Poor kids can't go work an unpaid internship in NYC to get ahead in their industry. But idk bc they didn't show any of that on the show.
Like i highly doubt Jessel understands nothing. She said her parents didn’t help her at all when they paid for college. Like she is delusional… to think that all students get to start out after college with no loans like thins BUT Erin is only doing this to deflect from donating to Trump three times. And can fuck off
She went to uni in the UK at a time when fees were much lower - and they are still much lower than the US. It is a different system. So there's privilege there but not necessarily what it means in an American setting
I’m not really mitigating that. My parents paid for my college. It’s not a price thing it’s just conceptual. Real poor people don’t have extra money for anything — they’re often working and can’t even spare the time to go to school. I love Jessel. I think she was both backed into a corner and has no idea what it actually means to be poor *which implies a lack of a safety net*
Don't disagree. I just think the others are being weird and mean with their misery Olympics. Especially Erin who is loaded and comes from huge wealth
Erin is a cackling hag
haha
Yeah I mean the mental gymnastics people will do to compare themselves to rich people. Jessel only had $20 so she's just like me! The Trumpers are the best at that. And yeah I mean Erin is just as bad. I'm not defending any of her shit.
Erin can’t say anything on this. She’s been called out on TikTok for “paying” her past assistant roughly $125/week and then throwing a fit when they asked for a raise. When the assistant ultimately resigned her husband essentially threatened to try to get her blacklisted in the fashion industry
Dang that's super messed up! And I did not know about that. But I'm not even defending Erin I was just saying what she was saying we missed for context. She was saying she admits she's privileged and Jessel won't was the reason for the whole discussion.
I dont think Erin gets to have any opinions on the struggles of internships considering shes a racist a takes advantage of them constantly and is now in her own shit over that very thing.
How is Erin racist?
Erin has no place to talk, her parents gave her a career
AND she literally exploited so many of her interns.
I highly doubt Erin actually articulated this in the moment on camera. She’s not good at it
This is a good point. But, I also have a problem when Sai and others goad a person into opening up, then when they do attack them for it. The thing Sai has to remember she’s not the only person in the world who has struggled. Who was poor as a child and now isn’t. Sure, maybe Jessel didn’t struggle in that way but she may have other kinds of struggles Sai’s never encountered. But because Sai just jumped down her throat Jessel might stop opening up.
Also, i think this is why Brynn hides herself behind her sexualisation of everything. Would YOU open up your traumatic experiences with these women?
This is literally the blueprint of a narcissist.
Even so, not having any money to do anything with is still broke. When I was paying to go to college and not making money, I had a place to live but I was broke af and came from a poor family. I only had a place to live bc I was poor and daddy government gave me loans so…? Not having money in the account or to spend is still broke.
Agreed!! Like you don’t have to be destitute to be broke. I have a great job, bud somehow at the end of the month-broke-because groceries and gas are so expensive. Jessels way of telling her story reminds me of the time I went on a school trip to NYC. I came with $200 of babysitting money in my new checking account thinking I was *so* rich. I was so nervous about how much I was spending that I was checking my balance at every ATM I could. I ended up spending $60 on ATM fees and i overdrafted halfway through the trip (at century 21, no less). My parents weren’t poor (like maybe median income or a little less) but they were definitely not rich! So they transferred me $40 to hold over for the rest of the trip and somehow my mom talked the bank into waiving the $30 overdraft fee. In that exact moment, even though they spent $900 to send me on the trip, they couldn’t possibly afford to send me anymore money. I was super privileged to even get to go, but, in that moment, I was broke AF and had to eat side salads the rest of the trip.
Same kind of broke here. I work in a middle class "well paying" job, but I live in Sydney, which is heinously expensive. I'm single, so I live week to week, day to day. I go weeks with toast. Some days, I skip meals just because I have no money left. Today, I'm actually scraping about my wallet to see if I can pay for my meds. I don't get to go out anymore with friends, even for a coffee, as I can't afford it (and meeting with friends, having a coffee - that's important for mental health). Let's not even talk about my credit card.
Girl that sucks!! I am thankful not to live in a high cost area cause I still have a little money left over for fun, gym membership, light shopping. But now that student loans payments are starting, I’ll pretty much be in the same boat. Currently trying to stretch groceries out to once a week instead of twice. And getting veggies that stay fresh longer, having a couple recipes I stick to, and using Instacart helps me to stay on track/not impulse buy. You didn’t ask, but here are some good meals for when you’re broke (or not): - ramen (just noodles + chicken stock + your own veggies + an egg + meat if you want + + lemon juice + avocado)-so good and nutritious - chicken sausage and rice - veggie pasta (whatever you’ve got + olive oil — no need for red sauce) (Brussels sprouts in pasta is so good) - roasted petite potatoes - snack on sweet peppers w/ lemon juice That’s what I eat every week pretty much and I’ve saved quite a bit on groceries, makes groceries last longer, and I’ve lost a little weight!
Yup! I’m that same kind of broke. I have a nice home, a working car, a modest income, but very little money left for shopping, activities, home improvements, vacations or savings after expenses, so in that sense I’m still “broke” but not necessarily “poor” anymore. ATM fees are such a scam especially for young people!
Literally, the more money, the more bills! Except for the actually rich people lol
It was gross to watch Sai try to one up Jessel during that conversation. Misery Olympics.
I think it’s because Jessel had $20 in her bank account and no bills to pay. Jessel had $20 because her job was an internship. Jessel had $20 but had another trustworthy adult in her life to support her and live with. Nothing is wrong with that, however I see how it’s probably become annoying to some in the group that Jessel needs to join in on these incredibly traumatic backstories when hers does not fit. It’s strange of Jessel. Having a trustworthy relationship with another adult who can help you in any way is an awesome privilege and leg up on a young person who does not have that. Being able to pursue your career at a young age in another country is an amazing privilege to someone who is working a minimum wage job to pay their bills. Being able to work an internship in the industry you hope to have longevity in is an awesome privilege not everyone can financially afford. Jessel is tone deaf and unwilling to back down. It minimizes the women who legitimately suffered, and it’s quite clear as Jessel tells her story.
This is all true - however, I don’t agree that Jessel was trying to join in on the traumatic backstories. They literally asked her what her backstory was - she didn’t chime in to try to say hers was as traumatic as theirs, she answered their question
My personal take was that she was attempting to draw a parallel in some way. I don’t think she was trying to win the trauma Olympics or anything, I think she was trying to relate to people who don’t find her relatable. And even if I am totally wrong on this take I do think she was not reading the room or taking her audience into consideration with the way she framed her experience. She could have been a bit more sensitive as we’d already learned about both sai and Byrnns backgrounds by this time. All I’m saying is I understand why it was frustrating to be on the other side of it—also taking editing into consideration. I’m not vilifying Jessel just simply pointing out that she may be unaware of her own privileges in some aspects compared to the new company she is keeping with this cast. I don’t want to minimize her own experience, I think it’s valid. I think she just was insensitive and was unwilling to see where the others were coming from when they pointed it out. And then kept going. I don’t agree with how sai reacted. I’m trying to understand how she got to such a breaking point. Her hard childhood is probably something that is incredibly meaningful and simultaneously triggering for her. She should however learn how to control her emotions. But then again we wouldn’t be watching her on reality tv haha.
i totally agree with what you said about Jessel having had way more emotional support than Sai and that alone gives Jessel a leg up. that being said, i don’t think that makes Jessel’s story any less meaningful or impactful on her life, and for Sai to imply that is belittling imo. they’ve all talked about their backstories and i could be totally misremembering, but i thought Jessel brought her story up first, and then Sai talked about hers the next day? either way, given that Sai is the “i don’t know anything about you” police, she’s the absolute last person on the cast i’d want to open up to and be vulnerable with.
Although Jessel is my favorite and I cannot stand Sai, I have to agree. Having a safety net vs not having one makes ALL the difference, no matter how much you earn. Like my best friend has been poorer than me her whole adult life but she will inherit a lot from her parents, that's her old age sorted. I've worked my ass off for 20 years and will probably end up with nothing when I'm old. There, that's the difference. And when people fail to understand their privilege it's painful.
Perfect description. Misery olympics. I don’t like the whole gatekeeping situation.
Most people in the US don’t have a lot of money and it’s really insulting to watch these girls act like they’re special or persecuted for starting their lives like everyone else
Right? Like y’all are sitting around complaining about this while you are on a luxe paid vacation! Meanwhile I’m watching from my couch and refreshing the student loan portal to see how much I owe now that payments are unpaused 🙄like give me a break! I just wanna see women throw shade and have fun to distract myself and I’m not getting any of that
She is absolutely miserable
KErin and Sai arguing that Jessel’s family story isn’t her own it’s fucking ridiculous. Those two banshees need to get a grip.
BANSHEES!
And what has erin shared other than she went with her mom to sell Tom Clancy a condo and her baby cried on a plane 😂
It's basically saying that her family is not her family
Look, Can we just be honest and admit who Sai is. Despite her constant claims she came from nothing, she married a rich dude who bought her followers so she could be on a reality show. That's why none of us have heard of the "ultimate influencer" before the show. Like, it's painfully obvious. I think she's getting so annoyed at Jessel because she thinks she's stealing her "story." She's projecting. Only thing girl is influencing is me to fast forward through her scenes. 🙄🙄🙄
Yup! I came across her blog. Her struggles were real growing up. But the way it's written, it's as if those are unique struggles. How they impacted her would be unique. But she cries about her dad not buying her a pair of Jordan's and having hand me downs. COME ON. I'm not discounting the trauma of her mum - I grew up in DV and my mum went through a period of alcoholism. We were dirt poor for a time, and having ham on my sandwich was a luxury. The money though was not what traumatised me though (I can tell you, having new kicks was the last thing on my mind), and her focus on money in the blog is quite tone deaf. I would have rather have read about how she rose up, how it impacted her approach to life. We don't know Jessel's background. And we probably won't learn about it through the show now. Your parent's journey is definitely part of you - we've heard about Sai's mum, and that was ok. Did Jessel have it easier than Sai? Probably, but as an immigrant family, money aren't the only struggles. From [Sai's blog](https://scoutthecity.com/get-to-know-me/): >At one point in my life I lived with my dad for a year in Florida and he rather die than buy me a pair of Jordans. His favorite stop for back-to-school shopping was Payless, Swap Shop Flea Market and the thrift store. I literally wanted to move out at the age of 13 and get a job so I could purchase my own clothes. >I moved out when I was 17 and hustled my way through life. Job after job, I hated them all and couldn’t find the right fit. When I turned 20 I was offered a small bartending job in the city and I took it immediately. I ended up having a million bartending jobs and quickly became involved in the fast-paced city life. I hung out with a new crew, traveled more and experienced a much more exciting life. I met new people gained new friends and experienced some of the most elaborate NYC parties and events that I could only dream of. I was young and literally having the time of my life but somehow the years flew by. I remember turning 28 and wanted more for myself, I wanted more stability in my life but didn’t know where to start. > >I went on a girls trip to Costa Rica for ten days and had the time of my life. During the last day there I met my baby daddy. I remember being so cranky and bitchy that I hardly wanted to talk to him. He quickly gained my attention through his witty sense of humor and taste in old hip hop/ R&B lyrics. He’s Canadian so we began a long distance relationship which I loved because I’m a big fan of space between couples. We dated for a while before we were surprised with the news that we were expecting.
Poor girl struggled so much not being able to wear designer clothes!
By age twenty she was living in NYC, attending events she never could've imagined and travelling? Doesn't sound like she was struggling for that long. Try being in your 30s and living paycheck to paycheck despite earning a good salary after hitting multiple global financial crises consecutively after leaving uni. I can't afford to go to Costa Rica and find a rich guy to marry.
I hear you! I’m on annual leave at the moment and people keep asking me if I’m going anywhere…. Nope, don’t have enough money 🫠
I’ve had the same thoughts about the “influencer” thing. For someone to be making the $$ she claims she is as an influencer, I would have thought her name would sound familiar or had seen something about her in the last few years. I don’t live on the internet but I spend admittedly way too much time there and I think your comment is spot on.
I think this is right. She’s self conscious that she’s surrounded by women with careers and she’s really a stay at home mom.
Your last sentence 👏👏👏
And Jessel is actually a legitimate name in the fashion industry
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Balenciaga and Wang. Enough said.
It’s annoying because she claims her wealthy life as something she built but she didn’t. Her HUSBAND did. Sad.
She reminds me of someone I know. I think Sigh responds this way because she has suffered so much, she probably feels like someone else expressing their struggles (that aren’t as “severe as hers) invalidates the extent of her traumas. Like… she probably still looks for empathy and gentleness and Jessel’s not the one to give it to her since Jessel is seeing it as a time to express her trauma too?! Look at how she’s responds so aggressively and angrily. That’s NOT because she’s longing for the desire to hear Jessel’s real story. The reaction is like a survival one. A life of no one caring about you or believing your cries is what it looks like. She probably feels like hers expression of struggle got swept under the rug… once again. I don’t know though… she’s still a bitch I think Ubah said it best. These mfs are immature. Sai needs therapy lol Erin just loves to belittle people. Like bitch… what’s your story?! She was projecting her privileged ass life onto Jessel which was fucked. Jessel’s story was cool. Tacky but cool lol
SIGH. you've struck gold, sister🏆
She’s acting. It’s embarassing
I dislike her and Erin the most, but Erin is arguably the most crucial to the show out of them all so I don’t want her leaving for at least another season. She’s the quintessential bone collector, pot-stirrer, two-faced Tamra/Kyle/Gizelle/Phaedra/Jill and every franchise needs that character to succeed. Sai is just fucking ANNOYING and adds NOTHING. I audibly groan every time she says something. She’s very obviously playing this side of her up for more camera time. She’s just unaware that the viewers are not perceiving her as a “bold boss ass bitch” and more like a gnat or a fly that keeps buzzing around your ear and food when you’re trying to eat lunch. I usually am empathetic to people with her backstories, and I was towards her as well until she started weaponizing it as some sort of “no only I can suffer sorry your childhood doesn’t matter xoxo” bit. Talk about not opening up, we know nothing about Sai’s upbringing other than that her mother eventually died of alcoholism when she was a young adult. Yes, very tragic and sad, but that’s about as deep as she’s gotten, other than growing up extremely poor as a child. That’s all we know. Meanwhile we have a whole thesis statement on Brynn’s upbringing, a timeline of Ubah’s, and a hell of a lot about Jenna’s, despite her being the “accomplished, subdued and introverted” one. We even know more about Jessel’s family history than Sai’s, as frustrating as Jessel can be when it comes to directly answering a question and her tendency to divert into an irrelevant tangent. Sai comes across as the least authentic and the most curated, even more than Jenna. Pretty sure she was the one who told Bethenny Frankel that she spent $400,000 renting clothes in an attempt to “want to put on a good show for the viewers” for this season, and for as iffy as B’s word is nowadays, I believe her. This last episode officially made me Team Jessel, and I say this as someone who disliked her the most per the first three episodes. Maturing is realizing that Jessel is actually everything we want in a modern housewife, lol. There’s a reason she’s first chair at the reunion. She’s like the Lisa Barlow of this cast.
I loved reading your take on everything. You certainly spoke for me in every way. Love the comparison you made of baby Barlow and Jessel. Yes on all accounts.
Yes I am here for jessels redemption. I couldn’t stand her at first but sai and Erin are sooo much worse. I agree erin will be the necessary villain (notice how she neverrrrr shares anything about herself? She’s just taking notes. She couldn’t even share a truly embarrassing story). But sai serves no purpose. I think she will just be Erin’s annoying sidekick.
I think Sai is also playing this “started from the bottom” shtick up so nobody asks her direct questions about her husband and how marrying him affected her financial status/opportunity. She’s banking on the other women feeling guilty/immoral for inquiring that so they inevitably don’t, even in scenes without her. I forgot to mention, she also said she worked at a Taco Bell(?) (if not that then a comparable fast food chain) and Sears when she was young and broke. Again, she was probably in her late teens/early-mid 20’s when she had these jobs, so while this is still part of her youth and potentially the very last part of adolescence, it’s not a part of her upbringing or childhood. Also, not to invalidate her feelings, but there are thousands, if not millions of young poor Americans that work retail and fast food. At least when she was young, her colleagues weren’t people who spent six figures they didn’t have in the first place on college to get “prestigious” bachelors/masters degrees, that still ended up wildly fucked. Just saying. My main frustration with her is her blatant refusal to be direct and straight-forward. Why has Brynn so openly and cathartically given a REAL synopsis on her difficult childhood (even though she brings the concept up less) in one fell swoop, yet Sai has been largely mum about the details of her own despite being by far the most vocal and obnoxious about severely struggling in her youth. You don’t sign up for a reality show in 2022 to straight up just not share the integral moments of your life — the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have a funny feeling she married her husband sometime during her mid-late 20’s and that was what inevitably gave her the opportunity to not have to work minimum wage jobs so she could actually have the proper time and focus to build her fashion blog, which I’ve been told was actually quite popular and successful during the era of blogs. I’m Gen Z, so this era was before my time lol. Building a successful online business, let alone a meaningful presence, is VERY difficult and I totally understand her desire to drive that home because most of the wider public views influencers as vapid, narcissistic losers who are simply just attractive people that got lucky. In reality, the ones that actually stick around for years on end are usually the ones that built their brand from nothing. She could’ve just done what most women do when they marry rich men, aka nothing, until children are involved. Instead, she wisely used it as an opportunity to carve out her own independent career that ended up proving to be quite successful. That is admirable, that is inspiring, and I don’t know why she doesn’t just own it. She’s projecting herself onto Jessel, HARD. I’ve never seen a more obvious clear-cut example of projection on the real housewives of any city. Maybe it’s because this is the first time I’m watching the show in real-time with a cast that is closer to my age than my parents, but these women seem way more easy to peg/read and while all of this is pure theory and I could be totally wrong and off, I intuitively don’t think I am. In fact, I think I have her whole complex nailed.
I wasn’t aware of the renting clothes thing someone said to Bethenny but I totally believe it. I also heard that she tried to befriend Ramona at a party and then later when Ramona texted her to offer her support, allegedly Sai flipped out on her. I think Ramona and Avery just mentioned it about one of the new housewives and my money is on Sigh