You don't owe me, but you don't own me either

Okay, there have been a couple of posts about this New York Magazine article which supposedly uncovers the truth about the lack of reality show winners' success. Everyone has an opinion on this and you can bet your bloomers you're about to get mine.

There are two separate issues here. And I'm gonna deal with them separately.

#1. The reality show contestants are never promised a career in fashion. They are promised a car, some money, and basically an internship. They are not promised their own label. They are only promised money that can help them START their own label. They are not promised a head design gig at a major fashion house. So in essence, the designers really got everything they were promised.

As far as Jay goes, he does have a right to be pissed (for a reason I will cover in point number 2) but not for the reasons he seems to be. It seems to me Jay is most pissed because he never got someone to hold his hand and explain what he needed to do, step-by-step. And I'm sorry to be the one to point it out, but even if they had, who's to say Jay would have taken their advice to begin with? I watched Jay both on PR and on PJ. He never struck me as someone who was willing to tow the line if it meant doing or saying something he didn't like.

Jay is a brilliant designer. But even he admitted that he wasn't so hot in the business line of things. And fashion is a business. Honestly, Jay needs to try and find someone he respects and can work for (and is willing to work with him) and learn the ropes from the bottom up. Jay was never formally trained at a design school and so he has a lot to learn. Yes, he is naturally gifted in design but there is a LOT more thank just design going on in the world of fashion.

#2. I do think that it is unreasonable to ask someone to "sign themselves over" to a company "body and soul" to be able to compete in a reality show competition. I enter cake contests all the time and the people that run the cake contest don't expect me to give them a portion of whatever I make on cake sales if I win. Why should this be any different?

Weinstein makes plenty of money off these contestants while they are on the show. That's all they have a right to reasonably expect. They don't really invest anything in these designers individually, so why should they expect a return on no investment?

Weinstein also does not have the right to dictate to contestants what career path they choose after the contestants have fulfilled their contracts. If Laura Bennett wants to do a tv series then she should have the right to. She was never promised a job with the Weinstein company so she should have the right to look elsewhere. Weinstein shouldn't even get first refusal in my opinion.

So, in closing I just want to jump on the "quit your bitching" bandwagon because whether these contestants received what they felt they deserved or not, they did receive what was promised to them, and for the final 4 contestants, so much more in my opinion. The opportunity to show at Bryant Park is no small deal, and many designers would never complain about anything else in their lives ever again were they given that one chance.