-
.
Worse than the brown chairs (& that’s saying a lot) is that awful faux marble fireplace.
I would have taken one step into the family room &, upon seeing the fireplace, would have noped right out.
Regarding RM1, I think, when she & Don bought the house, Jen was very, very into following Suzanne’s lead & wanting desperately to be an Honorary Melissa. Jen has never been secure in who she is & has never really known what she likes & even less so back then, so I think she let Suzanne take charge when it came to decorating &, in addition to the Pottery Barn catalog, Jen just followed Suzanne’s advice & tried to replicate how Suzanne’s house looked. -
.
When Jen inserted the clip of her unboxing the rug, a Taylor Swift song was playing in the background, & she said something like, “We play Taylor Swift after school around here.”
Which - IF that’s true & she does indeed play Taylor Swift songs after school & the kids enjoy her music, then that shows how much CC (& maybe Donny too) would have enjoyed seeing the Eras Movie & what a fun outing that could have been for them. -
.My 99%er kid’s college apartment has Amazon furniture, Jen.
Your rug is too small and you should have also added a pad underneath.
I bet Don’s wife’s rugs are all the right size.
Because, in addition to having her own personal style & KNOWING what that style is, the new Mrs. Ross has enough sense to spend Don’s money well & wisely.
She hires a decorator friend to help her. -
.
And you could really tell she was nervous about filming this “dining room refresh” or whatever she called it.
Her voice was shaky, she was talking really fast, & she was all over the place going from one thing to the next.
“Here let me prove to you that I have artwork. See! Here it all is! I just can’t decide…”
She KNOWS her house is sad. She KNOWS Tensleigh is a much better decorator & can make a house a very stylish home. She KNOWS she has no sense of style. She KNOWS she needs to do something about her house. But she can’t get out of her head long enough to make any kind of smart decisions & choices.
I’m wondering how the conversation went between her & mother when it came to Thanksgiving - -
Jill: Scott and his family are coming in for Thanksgiving. Your father & I will have just returned from a trip, so I’m thinking maybe a nice restaurant for Thanksgiving this year.
Jen (thinking to herself): I’ll have CC & Donny this year. They don’t do well in restaurants because I can’t discipline or train my own children. Sigh… my life is so hard. I’ll have to volunteer my house even though I no longer like Thanksgiving & have never liked turkey.
Jen to her mom: I guess we can have Thanksgiving here at my house. We can relax & not feel rushed like at a restaurant.
Jill: But your house still doesn’t have any furniture!
Jen: Yes, it does, Mother. I have dining room furniture. And there’s plenty of room for everyone in the family room.
Jill: Yes, but, Jen, your dining room is a little plain, don’t you think? It’s not really set up for entertaining or very festive. And the rug stinks. And I’ve told you & told you that those brown chairs in the family room are awful.
Jen: [offended] My house is just the way the children & I like it. And I’ve spruced up the dining room. A restaurant does’t work for us, so we’ll just have Thanksgiving here.
Jill: [sigh] Fine. I’ll call Scott. Maybe he can do the cooking.
Edited by SmoothiesLikeLily - 11/17/2023, 07:53 PM -
.
Sooooo many things!
1. The rug is too small. Buy the bigger rug.
2. My gosh. Hang the artwork.
3. Going along w/ #2, yes, you kinda got a weird “aesthetic” going on in your dining room, & you’re trying to prove to everyone that you’re in your “Quirky Era,” so those landscapes aren’t really going to go especially w/ that ugly dog drinking coffee print - but, FOR THE LOVE, hang those colorful ones you showed that were some kind of dog abstract art… those would actually kinda work, and how can YOU, a supposed art history major, NOT see that?
4. Also, you’ve had the dog print for a while now. You obviously love it. According to you, the absolutely ONLY place it will hang in your house is on a wall where the fixtures are too high (because your house is an abysmal flip, but that’s another post). You have the money to hire an electrician to fix whatever needs fixing right now. So do it!! What the heck are you waiting for?! Stop spinning your wheels.
5. Your house is echoey. A well-loved, welcoming, & cozy home should not be echoey. You know what would make it less echoey? Proper-sized rugs & artwork on the walls.
6. Since you’re celebrating Thanksgiving in your house next week, you could have left those ceramic painted pumpkins out w/ the lighted Christmas trees on the buffet. That would have looked nice. And, heaven knows, those pumpkins were $$$$, & you should get your money’s worth by having them out when actual people are over to see them.
7. Speaking of money, you don’t blink an eye when it comes to dropping Don’s dollars on Disney Fun Runs, the ridiculous Everesting thing, tickets for events you may or may not actually attend, Disney t-shirts, a rumpus vehicle, more stickers, Mickey ears, pricey pottery… so WHY are you hesitant to spend money & cheap when you do spend money on your house? Why buy a cheap, poorly made bar cart? Buy a quality one.
8. In your situation w/ all your hangups & perceived patriarchal trauma, I get not really knowing what your own personal style is & maybe taking a while to find it, but it’s been long enough… you just look ridiculously indecisive & weak-minded now & definitely NOT like a fierce, independent single woman you claim to be. Happily independent women who are secure in who they are don’t hem & haw & procrastinate on silly, small decisions & choices like “Am I going to paint the mirror or not?”
9. Put the dog bed away. It’s time. You don’t even care any more, & your kids never did.
10. A table covering hung sideways is still a tablecloth. It’s ok to still have some of the things you had in your “old life.”
BONUS - .Throw that stupid metal Christmas wreath away. It’s completely wrong in your house. Just because Christopher Allen had it in his house one Christmas doesn’t make it a good look for your house either THEN when you 1st purchased it or NOW when it’s not even really in style any more.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Also, Jen makes me stabby.
A lot of women have all kinds of ideas for their homes, things they want to do, things they’d like to purchase… they procrastinate & put it off though because they’re spending the money they have on other things like their kids or groceries or unexpected repairs or medical expenses, & they also maybe don’t have the time to redecorate because they’re busy w/ things like their kids or their jobs.
In Jen’s case, she has the money. She has the time.
And her house is still empty & gray & echoey. And just sad.
Like I said above, I totally get, after years of being married (& basically going from your parents’ house to a house w/ your husband), it taking a while to figure out & develop your own personal style.
But any woman, who claims she was thrilled to be finally be single after years of contemplating a divorce, w/ an unlimited amount of money & time, should just be thriving & having a ball setting up & decorating her house & making it “just so”. -
.
This past summer - with the Barbie movie & the Eras Tour - was the perfect “Girl Summer.”
She had so many fun opportunities w/ CC that she completely wasted.
Yes, CC is a little young to have gotten all the nuanced layers in the Barbie movie, but getting dressed up to go see the movie together w/ her mother would have been so fun for a little girl CC’s age.
And, yes, there is some language that’s probably not appropriate for children in some of Taylor’s songs that are performed during the Eras concert, but, again, I think most of of it would have gone right over CC’s head. I also don’t think Jen is too concerned w/ language.
So, again, the fun of getting dressed up together, making friendship bracelets, & going to the Eras movie, if you couldn’t get tickets to an actual concert, would have been such a fun mother-daughter experience.
And, I can’t believe Jen, who is supposed to be all “Girls Rule - Down w/ the Patriarchy” now, was so dismissive of both the Barbie movie & the Eras Concert.
I think, her condescending attitude w/ both was probably due to the fact the she realized most women were attending these events w/ friends & making fun “girls nights” out of both experiences. And, Jen, since she doesn’t have any friends, instead, decided to be all “I don’t want to go because it’s really not my thing.”
But, if she could get out of her own head for one second, she could have such fun w/ CC at both - those are the kinds of things that little girls just soak up. -
.I saw this video when looking for the TWO video. September 2011 https://rumble.com/vkj9cn-see-jen-run-my-r...2011-09-04.html
It’s been a while since I’d watched this video, so thank you for finding it & posting it!
What struck me so significantly is the HUGE difference between that Jen & today’s Jen. I mean, we all know how different she is - but, every now & then, something comes along that just reiterates exactly HOW MUCH she’s changed.
And, for me, today, it was this video.
She was just so much… nicer. And genuine.
She called her bunions bunions. She admitted that her body wasn’t really made for running but it was something that she really wanted to do so she was trying really hard. She talked candidly about her anxiety & how exercise was key for her to help w/ the anxiety. She mentioned how her freshman year of college was really rough for her. She admitted that exercising helped her feel better about eating sugar. She said she exercised to lose some weight so she could look good & feel confident on her wedding day - which was relatable. And, yes, some of her thought processes were perhaps misguided & even a little detrimental, but she was being honest & didn’t feel the need to hide or make herself appear to be someone she wasn’t.
She talked about Don as if he was one of the only ones she felt safe to confide in. She talked about him like he was her biggest supporter.
There was no smugness or conceited tone - beyond the usual “our family home” & all the traveling & her access to doctors & training programs & the baby talk… but just normal old school Jen.
She even, mostly, knew how to pronounce words. She had the books she mentioned w/ her while she was filming. She was able to immediately find the running quote. She talked relatively knowledgeably (for her!) about her body.
EDITED TO ADD - And, yes, she was still super-focused on her body to the minute detail. And no one but Jen has a team of doctors to consult for every little thing - but, still, there was a difference from then to today in how she went about presenting & talking about herself.
But, the huge key difference is that there was NO BITTERNESS. There was no scolding. There was no hiding.
And she looked put together. And happy.
And y’all know what? I’d root for that Jen.
I wanted to tell that Jen - “Go for it! I’m cheering for you to be able to make it to the Disney Princess Half. You can do it!”
And, now, to today’s Jen, I say - “Gosh, Jen. You really blew it, didn’t you? You let your innate selfishness take over your life, & now look at you.”
Edited by SmoothiesLikeLily - 11/16/2023, 07:15 PM -
.I think I had a moment today or actually felt sorry for her. She’s almost 40 years old, and is asking for help deciding how to handle dinner. In January. I just don’t have a lot of hope for this woman.
She was not asking because she needed genuine help.
She was asking -
1. To brag (w/o being obvious) about going to Disneyland… again
2. To act like she was asking for input because she appreciates & values everyone’s advice so much
Spoiler Alert: She does NOT appreciate and/or value anyone’s advice because she considers all her followers beneath her on the socioeconomic scale. Jen will do whatever Jen wants to do, no matter what anyone advises, because that’s what works for her. -
.
Honestly, what kind of advice would Jen even give?
“A rumpus vehicle makes an excellent Christmas present for your loved ones.”
“DVC is great. But only purchase it if you have the money. If you’re poor, too bad for you.”
“You wipe when you pee? Girlfriend, that is SOOO patriarchal of you! You need to stop that right now.”
“Even if you think you won’t go or won’t stay long, go ahead & buy the tickets for the special after hours party at Disney - but only if you have the money.”
“You can TOTALLY put your kids’ plates next to the trash. Just get your handyman to build you a partition.”
“The best way to avoid having to volunteer at your kids’ school is to literally leave town every time it’s your ex’s turn w/ the kids.”
“I don’t care what the doctor says. You do you, boo, & do what works for you! You’re a living, breathing miracle.”
“You don’t need furniture in your house. Just tell everyone it’s the ballroom.”
“I don’t care if you already have 583 Disney t-shirts, you sooooo need a new Disney t-shirt. Get you some more Mickey ears while you’re at it.” -
.How totally unoriginal and pointless to make a gift guide video and then just fill the time with the sort of basic, uninspired ideas that everyone already knows about. Tea, throw blankets, a pine-scented candle, a journal, gift cards. Those types of things are my go-to gifts for when I need to buy something for someone I don’t know very well and can’t think of anything more creative.
That’s EXACTLY what I was thinking!
Who needs a gift guide w/ tea, blankets & candles as suggestions?
I suppose one could say that she’s suggesting SPECIFIC brands of said items that may be new to some people, but, still… don’t most people already know where to get tea, blankets, & candles?
And, if I’m gifting tea, I’m probably NOT gifting loose tea, unless I know the person likes that kind of tea & already has the equipment needed to brew loose tea.
I will say, one year, per Jen’s gift guide, I purchased for several Christmas gifts a specific Pottery Barn blanket she recommended. I also got one for myself, & that blanket turned out to be AWFUL… after one wash, it looked worn & had pills all over it. I’m embarrassed that I gave it as gifts.
The only thing that makes gift cards slightly better than cash is that, if you give a person a gift card to a place you know the person likes, the person will (hopefully) use the gift card to choose something special for himself/herself, whereas, w/ cash, lots of times that cash just ends up being spent willy-nilly on whatever random items like groceries or takeout, which is fine too, of course if that’s what the person needs… but the gift card is more specific. -
.
Disclaimer: If a person doesn’t have Christmas decor all over the house yet, that’s fine. It’s not even Thanksgiving. (And, if a person DOES have all the Christmas decor out already, that’s fine too.)
That said, most content creators who have started posting their Christmas reels & videos DO already have their houses fully decorated - because lifestyle content creators need to be a bit ahead seasonally.
So it’s hilarious to me that Jen has to slide an undecorated tree across the room to be behind her in her video shoot to give her “Christmas Gift Guide” even a little bit of a seasonally appropriate “feel.”
Her empty house is grey & uninspiring.
Her house is poorly lit &, instead of lighting some lamps for a bit of warm ambience, she insists on filming in the gray light coming in the windows.
Her skin tone is grey & lifeless. She’s not wearing any makeup at all to brighten up her face.
She’s wearing a grey sweatshirt w/ a Christmas Minnie Mouse.
She’s sitting in one of those awful brown chairs.
And she’s presenting dull, boring items as her ideas of great Christmas gifts.
All in front of one, lone, undecorated Christmas tree.
And this is supposed to be a special video for her special Patreon members because the YouTube followers are too mean. -
.
Even IF (& that’s a really big IF) you decided to gift a special person w/ a silver-plated word charm for a watch, WHY would you go w/ a company whose products you know from personal experience don’t stand up to wear & tear?
Jen: Here’s a word charm for a watch. I ordered the rose-gold, &, as you can see, the rose gold has worn off. But, it’s still a really good gift, you guys.
No, it’s not, Jen!
It’s a poorly made, stupid, ridiculous gift. -
.
WHY does she need so many Disney t-shirts?!
Does she not realize how ridiculous it is for one person to have that many?
It’s absolutely crazy. She’s absolutely crazy.
Also, I don’t get buying dated Wine & Dine Disney Ears & then storing those ears in your Owner’s Locker. The ears are dated 2023. Like, Jen is going to wear ears that are dated 2023 next year in 2024 or like she’s going to wear the ears when it’s not Wine & Dine.
Jen is never wearing those particular ears again.
I’d actually had a little respect for her if she had realized she was never going to wear those ears again & she passed them on to someone else as she was leaving. -
.
Jen lies.
Don, a lover of food & drinks, never once restricted Jen’s diet in any way & never cared what she ate or didn’t eat.
And, in fact, because he seemingly loved good food & drinks so much, he probably was thrilled when Jen enjoyed eating those good meals w/ him.
(In my own personal opinion, I think food is probably one of Don’s love languages.)
At most, when she went “plant-based,” he probably grumbled a bit or threw passive-aggressive shade back at her.
In her revisionist history, Jen probably looks back & thinks how she always preferred lighter fare like salads or more vegetables but, since Don was always wanting to eat heavier dishes w/ more meat & potatoes/pasta, she’d eat what HE wanted instead of what SHE wanted in order to keep the proverbial peace & because, poor little people-pleaser Jen always kept quiet, she never was able to establish a diet that worked for HER. -
.I was seriously thinking about this ... I don't like body comments directed at myself, to her, to anyone else
I try not to go there on here but Jesus she focuses on her body non stop Publicly... Everyday it's I'm wearing this even though I wouldn't in the past or I'm in a small or my little shirt or I'm struggling with body lately, I've accepted my body, I'm in a good place with my body, I have body desmorphia, let's talk body acceptance even though I have none and can't have a scale in the house and I exercise 7 hours a day or I went to trader Joe's and bought all the food that I don't eat just to toss
Just stop ...and then everyone else will stop
Along w/ this, I’ve also often thought that, if any of her followers have/had body image issues, eating disorders, etc., A LOT of what Jen says & talks about & the WAY she says all the stuff could be very triggering & anxiety-producing.
And I actually don’t really like the word “triggering” because I think it’s overused & used too flippantly - but, in Jen’s case, I really do think all her body talk & hyper-focus on her body could be triggering in the actual, clinical, intended definition of the word for a lot of people.
I mean, sometimes, I find myself getting fidgety, nervous, & anxious while listening to her, & I don’t think I have any real (beyond the normal) body issues.
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