(Image via)
“Princess” is a show hosted by one of my finance gurus – Gail Vaz-Oxlade. It follows a similar format as Gail’s first show “Til Debt do us Part“, but focuses on (mostly) single women who feel they are entitled to spend money they don’t have on anything from make-up, clothes, cars, condos, eating out, entertainment, amongst other “luxuries”.
I’m not sure why I am so captivated by these “Princesses” – I guess a part of me is giving myself a pat on the back for not being “that bad”, but I guess that’s the lure of reality television.
Although I don’t consider myself a Princess, I can see how I can become one. A nice haircut here, buying a nice outfit there, oh, and stocking up on some make-up — rinse, wash, and repeat — and tada.
A Low Annual Salary
Most of the Princesses make an income that is nowhere near sustaining their lifestyle, and they supplement their income with their parents’, siblings’, friends’ and boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s income. Some Princesses are unemployed or work very minimal hours.
The income range of most Princesses range between $20,000 – $35,000 annually, but spent as if they earned much, much more – usually between $50,000 to over $100,000 annually.
What’s with these guys???
I know there are a lot of things that I don’t understand or know about these girls, but what always boggles my mind is that there is usually guy in the picture and he has been putting up with it.
In last night’s episode, one of the Princess’s boyfriend was giving her an “allowance” of $250.00 a week. This Princess is unemployed, and wasn’t even looking for work. Instead of taking public transportation, she was — get this — hiring a private driver!! She was making about $6,000 a year and spending like she made $97,000 a year.
Maybe it’s because I’m biased and know so many great, smart and single females. But why are these great women single, and why are these ladies just mooching off these men? (Check out Mochi’s article – it really struck a chord with me.) It just seems so off balance to me.
I’m not so naive to think that these types of guys would even be compatible with these women. But it just seems unfair to me, you know?
Do you watch Gail Vax-Oxlade’s shows? What do you think of the Princess show?
Cheers,
fabulously fru-girl 
I love this show! I cannot get over how some of them treat the people in their lives. It’s shocking. I can’t fathom even having that much time to spend that much money!
I saw that episode too! I love the show and this was by far, the worst “princess” i have ever seen. Hiring a driver, a masseuse, and cleaners for the apartment?! I’m of the belief that if you can afford these things, then go for it but if you are asking people for money to support your basic needs (food, rent, etc.), that’s when its unnecessary. I never understand how the parents and the boyfriends enable them so much. With the boyfriends, I wonder if spending their money on their girlfriends is their way of showing their love and if they aren’t spending money on them, the girls will leave for another guy who will spend the money? An insecurity thing?
Being financially independent, smart and single is something that I think guys are intimidated by (in my experience) while being financially dependent on a guy to the extreme like these princesses are, does more harm by showing that women just want to sit back and be pampered 24/7 and not work. Its unrealistic and definitely way out of balance.
I LOVE Princess and I’ve been waiting for this episode since people started talking about it on Twitter! I have to wait until it gets posted to Slice 😦
I’m with you in that Mochi’s article struck a chord with me as well. It absolutely boggles my mind that men will willingly drop down on bended knee to propose to spoiled brats who want little more than to blow through their money and then some! Meanwhile smart, independant women would like to settle down with someone end up being single for years to decades. What gives?
Hearing about the show for the first time in your post. I looked at the list of episodes – did you notice there are 3 Ashleys? Kind of fulfills a stereotype…=P
These women piss me off. I once met this 30 yr old (same age as me) who had her 45 yr old hedge fund manager bf paying for her $5,000/mo. apt. in NYC. She was carrying an orange Hermes Birkin, which I highly doubt she paid for herself.
I’m too scared to watch this show, as I’m afraid that the people would be too similar to me. Although, reading this, it sounds like they’re me exaggerated to a crazy level. I’ve never had to get financial help from my boyfriend, for instance. Still, though… I think I’d cringe through the whole episode with my hands covering my eyes!
I have seen it once, and it was great seeing Gail get up in their business and telling them how the world really works.
No, even if I had the time, I really couldn’t watch that show because I would probably spend too much time yelling at the television and getting heartburn. Watching people act functionally insane by my definition is not my idea of fun anymore. 🙂
I LOVE Princess. I think my favourite part is Gail showing them what’s up and exactly how much debt they have. I feel better about my spending habits and little slip ups compared to the giant pile of doo-doo those girls (and one guy!) are in. I can’t believe how the people in their lives just keep digging into their wallets to help them out, and give in to their manipulations. It’s a study in psychology for me! And I love screaming at the TV.
Thanks for the link to the post 🙂
I can’t figure it out either. I do kind of live vicariously through them so… 🙂 Hard to say. Love hate!
haha was that the same one that was throwing out her bedsheets & duvet every month? I was completely speechless, she is out of control! I get pretty uncomfortable when I relate to a lot of the princess behaviour, but I do make more money + have less debt than most of them… oh and no one is paying my way!
My first time commenting, although I’ve been lurking for a while 🙂
I watch Princess every now and then – most of the girls seemed willing to change once Gail showed them how much debt they had an how their family and friends really felt about them – but this one girl (I forget her name) was SUCH. A. BRAT. She went to school, but she bummed around afterwards, without finding a “real job” in her field. She quit her “job” at the gym as a receptionist because she didn’t like working 40 hours (not trying to put down these jobs, but I’m just pointing out the inappropriateness of the lack of initiative to find jobs), called her boyfriend’s job “dirty” (he owns a construction company) – while she mooched off of him and forced him to buy her a condo, lied and sweet talked her parents into paying her bills (while her parents’ went unpaid), while she shopped kept spending. Her excuse? She’s “special” so her parents and boyfriend should hand her everything on a silver platter.
She just infuriated me – I’m not going to lie, I did a lot of spoiled brat things until I got my first job and learned how hard it is to make $1 – I’m happy Gail told her to get off her lazy a** and smarten up (not that she did – she complained and whined and slacked off through the whole episode, I don’t think she learned anything). She was the first one I saw, I think, that did NOT get a single penny from Gail at the end of the show. She had me shaking my head and CRINGING IN EMBARRASSMENT – if I’d done the same thing in my family after I’d graduated, my uber-Asian parents would have given my ears a good boxing and told me to GTFO.
Anyway, I love Gail and her shows, but this episode just got me ranting, because even the mighty Gail Vaz-Oxlade couldn’t help this girl – I would suggest that the guy run the other way (hopefully the condo is in his name and he won’t have legal problems, I’m SURE she would try and get her lazy manicured hands all over the ownership of the condo if he tried to break up with her). Women like this make me so angry – what era are they living in? Jeez.
I saw that episode too. What a loser! Absolutely NOTHING going for her other than her store-bought looks. What’s worse, though, is that people around her enable her pitiful behaviour. The boyfriend is a fool! Does he not see how badly she treats him? I felt embarrassed for him. Her parents are also fools. Who lets their bills go unpaid while they spend money on their lazy, useless grown-up daughter’s frivolous wants? Her condo is nicer than their house. How can she sleep at night? No wonder she has to spend so much money on her looks because she has a lot of ugly inside to cover up! She’s almost too horrible a person to be real and it made me question to what extent the show is staged.
Fabulous show; Gail continues to give these princesses a heavy, much-needed dose of reality. But will it last? I wonder how many princesses there really are “out there”; probably more than anyone could imagine. The self-entitlement is terrifying and often the result of a lifetime of pampering. Sad, really …
This is the #4 search result for “princess slice”. I love this post
I just watched a show where Gail referred a woman to Doug Hoyes, a trustee of bankruptcy. It was very obvious that Gail is not educated about all repayment options. It was also very obvious that she did not know the difference between a consumer proposal and bankruptcy and the impact on credit reports.