NINA BANKS
campus editor
nina.banks@my.tccd.edu

Netflix’s reality TV show “Bling Empire” is now bicoastal, with a new spin off in New York. 

The show follows socialite Dorothy Wang in her move from Los Angeles to New York. Dorothy was featured in the Los Angeles “Bling Empire” in a few cameos, and as the TV genre suggests — drama. 

The show differentiates itself from other reality shows as it features an all Asian cast, and is often referred to as a real life version of the movie “Crazy Rich Asians.” 

Though both the casts from Los Angeles and New York are indeed crazy rich, there are major differences in the attitudes, fashion and even argument techniques —  reinforcing the rivalry between the two cities in a unique lens.

The drama in New York is much more subdued than in Los Angeles. Disputes are far and few. But when they do occur, Dorothy is at the center of them. Rather than problems about an unfavorable lie detector test to determine whether a couple wanted to become boyfriend and girlfriend, the issue in the first episode was that there were no hors d’oeuvres at a function.

The fashion is a focal point of the show. Almost every person is friends with a designer, is in the fashion industry or wears luxury clothes. New York fashion is avant garde and while undoubtedly in your face, is not about brand status. The art of the clothing is appreciated and outfits are well thought out. Upon realizing this fact, Dorothy revamped her closet to keep up.

In a time where we are more critical about overconsumption, overindulgence and other ‘overs,’ it seems almost hypocritical to enjoy this show — and yet many viewers, such as myself, do. Though I may scoff at them for being frustrated for having no in-house cleaners at their multi-million dollar vacation home, it’s certainly a struggle I could only dream of having.

Bling Empire New York is unlike any other reality show I have seen. Not only is the cast all Asian, they are all unapologetically Asian. Before tuning in, I feared their wealth would mean they would have to sacrifice their identity to fit into the world of power in New York, but I was pleasantly surprised when they created their own sphere of influence in which they embraced being Asian. 

Regardless of if the drama is ridiculous, everyone deserves representation in all facets of media, including trashy reality TV.