Going back to the fact that it seems that everyone in the Club came from well-off families, I was curious if anyone noticed this reading as a kid. Now, it seems quite obvious to me, but as a child I didn’t notice it at all. I was fooled by the sneaky “pay-for-half” schemes of the parents into ignoring the fact that everyone was a lawyer.
My question: did you notice that the girls were erring on the side of rich, or were you, like me, ignorant to the subtle indicators of richness–i.e., Stacey’s dad taking her to super-expensive restaurants all the time?
Did you know that Watson Brewer is a real, live millionaire? Of course you did–it’s mentioned in every book at least once. It’s not clear why, exactly, they decided to make such a big deal about Watson being a millionaire, as none of the other sitters’ families seemed to be really hurting for cash. Sure, they may have had to pay for half of the cost of their Hawaii/Europe trips, but the attempts to make the BSC appear more middle class, more average in terms of relative wealth fall flat when one examines the facts.
First, professions.
Claudia: Dad–investment banker; Mom–head librarian
Mary Anne: Dad–Lawyer
Stacey: Dad–sometimes executive, sometimes lawyer; Mom–SAHM/professional shopper then buyer for Bellairs
Dawn: Mom–some sort of business person; Dad–I think one time it is mentioned he is a lawyer but it’s never really clear
Abby: Mom–important person in publishin.
Mal: Dad–lawyer; Mom–SAHM then temp worker
Jessi: Dad–some sort of business guy Mom: Advertising executive
Shannon: Dad–lawyer, but we know that shannon’s also rich
Logan: Dad–sporting goods distributor. I have no idea how much sporting goods distributors make, but Addie’s dad on Unfabulous is also one and they have a really nice house.
Much joking has been done about the proliferation of lawyers in the Stoneybrook area. Lawyers generally make a lot of money. So do investment bankers. And advertising executives. And executive-executives.
It seems to me that so much emphasis was placed on Watson being a millionaire to distract from the pack that the BSC all seemed to be upper middle class. Abby lived in Kristy’s neighborhood, yet no one ever said, “Hey, Abby’s rich too!” Stacey’s dad took her to all the expensive restaurants in New York and her clothes all came from Bloomingdales, which as far as I know does not have a “juniors” section al a many other department stores–think Marc By Marc Jacobs/Theory/Diane Von Furstenburg prices. Adjusted for inflation, a dress like Stacey would have worn would be about 200$ in today’s prices. Mal’s dad’s salary, before he lost his job and Mrs. Pike also started to work, supported eight children and a wife. Kristy’s mom at first didn’t have a lot of money, but then she married Watson, so Kristy only wasn’t rich for the first five books of the series.
So why so much emphasis on Watson Brewer’s millionaire status? I think Ann just didn’t really have any exposure to people with less money, and by putting so much emphasis on Watson’s wealth and having all the parents make their kids do stuff like pay half for school trips, it made it seem like the girls’ families weren’t that wealthy. But looking at the facts, especially when it comes to Stacey and Abby, it is obvious that Kristy wasn’t the only girl in the BSC from a wealthy family. I think that instead of just including some token minorities and a variety of family situations, they should have also done more to show economic diversity.
ETA: Ashley has informed me that Kristy’s mom, like Jessi’s, works in advertising. I guess in Ann’s world, men are lawyers and women are advertisers.
