| "It's so great to boss people around." | | | | ladies, as well as all attending, must contribute a |
| "It was awesome having cameras follow me...I'm | | | | certain sum of money to the cause at hand," |
| awesome and I deserve it." | | | | according to Wikipedia. |
| "This is how it should be every time I enter a | | | | Maybe MTV could take the hint...but doing good |
| room." [teen as she is carried in on a litter] | | | | works doesn't make for good TV; spoiled, |
| "I had to show people how rich I am." | | | | privileged, selfish brats do. Indeed, Cox says, |
| Do these comments make you want to throw | | | | "What used to mark the end of childhood now |
| up? Of course, and what's worse, they're real! | | | | seems only an excuse to prolong the whiny, |
| These bratty statements are actual quotes from | | | | self-centered greediness that gives infantile a bad |
| the latest MTV reality stars: girls and boys whose | | | | name. Far from joining polite society like the |
| super-rich and apparently super-tactless parents | | | | debutants of the past, the kids gleefully rip |
| give the little darlings anything they desire for | | | | through social graces, alienating friends and |
| their sweet sixteen parties. Throwing elaborate | | | | sacrificing tact all in the name of creating a VIP |
| televised bashes that cost upwards of $200,000 | | | | room filled with people too young to drive |
| and indulging every whim of their prince or | | | | themselves home." Yuck. |
| princess, the parents show who rules the | | | | So what's the parent of a teen to do when he or |
| household (the kids) and what really matters | | | | she doesn't have a few extra hundred thou lying |
| (getting your fifteen minutes however you can, in | | | | around? How about inviting a few close friends |
| this case, by buying it). What a great life lesson: If | | | | and family for an intimate, meaningful sweet |
| you've got it, flaunt it, and it's okay to trash | | | | sixteen party? Make the day extra special by |
| people in your quest for pseudo-fame. These kids | | | | presenting your teen with some nice traditional |
| make Paris Hilton and Omarosa look like beacons | | | | sweet sixteen presents that won't break the |
| of etiquette and accomplishment. | | | | bank, will be appreciated and won't be tossed |
| Sure, MTV's newest reality show, My Super | | | | aside the moment something better comes along. |
| Sweet Sixteen, which premiered last January, is | | | | Here are some timeless sweet sixteen gift ideas |
| designed to be over the top and outrageous. | | | | to celebrate this important right of passage for a |
| That's the whole point. It's the reality TV | | | | child who actually deserves the recognition: |
| equivalent of a bloody train wreck: You are | | | | Pearl Necklace: This timeless classic can carry |
| appalled, but you just can't avert your eyes. The | | | | your teen from high school to college to her first |
| kids are so obnoxious and so clueless as to how | | | | job and even to her wedding. She'll treasure it and |
| awful they sound, that you stay glued to your | | | | pass it on to her daughter some day. Round |
| tube just to see what horrifyingly selfish thing | | | | freshwater strands are affordable and can rival |
| they'll say or do next. | | | | the quality of saltwater akoyas. |
| Never seen the show? It centers around a spoiled | | | | Pearl Ring: Another timeless treasure, the pearl |
| teen or two, trailing them as they plan their | | | | ring is sweet and demure...and unique. Unlike a |
| sweet sixteen party, make outrageous, selfish | | | | diamond ring, which has wedding connotations, or |
| demands, shed tears, throw tantrums, and | | | | a gold ring, which can be too flashy, a pearl ring |
| torture their peers with lines like, "You're not | | | | gets just the right kind of attention. |
| important enough to be invited." Oh, and then | | | | Pearl Jewelry Set: Why not get her a complete |
| there's footage of the actual party, where the | | | | pearl jewelry set? She'll be ensured of having a |
| guest of honor may enter riding on a litter, behind | | | | matching bracelet, pearl earrings and a pearl |
| the wheel of a luxury car, pulled by horses, or | | | | necklace that she can mix and match for any |
| shuttled in a helicopter. The featured | | | | occasion. |
| entertainment might be Kanye West, Ciara, | | | | Diamond Studs: A little pricey, but worth it, as |
| Rihanna, or Diddy, the king of nouveau rich | | | | diamond studs are a jewelry staple she'll wear |
| tasteless excess himself, to name a few. At the | | | | forever. If responsibility isn't your teen's |
| end of the night, the kids are presented with | | | | strongpoint, CZ studs can look just as good, and |
| sweet sixteen gifts such as luxury vehicles (some | | | | at $40 or so a pop, it won't matter much if she |
| get two!), jewelry and even homes. Their | | | | loses them. |
| overindulgent, self-satisfied parents, portrayed to | | | | Charm Bracelet: A teen favorite for decades, |
| be every bit as awful as their kids-the truth, or | | | | charm bracelets are special because they can be |
| the result of careful editing we don't know-gloat in | | | | personalized. Add a slipper charm for your |
| the background. I guess money can't buy | | | | ballerina, a horseshoe for your equestrian, a pearl |
| happiness, but it sure can by popularity. | | | | charm for a June birthday girl... keep adding |
| Before you get too jealous of these pampered | | | | charms on every special occasion and soon she'll |
| kids, consider how tough they have it, with their | | | | have an unforgettable keepsake. |
| every whim catered to, their every | | | | Frame: A beautiful frame made of brushed |
| foot-stamping demand met. As one teen put it, | | | | stainless steel, wood or mother-of-pearl makes a |
| "Being rich is hard work!" Indeed. | | | | great gift. To personalize it, fill it with a photo of |
| The materialism and extravagance of MTV's | | | | you and the teen, a poem that reminds you of |
| show is a far cry from what the average teen | | | | her, or her birthday horoscope. |
| can expect. Thank goodness, or we'd have a | | | | For boys, magazine subscriptions and gift |
| nation of brats, which couldn't be farther from the | | | | certificates to the teen's favorite store, or even |
| truth. (TIME magazine's Anne Marie Cox wrote of | | | | sixteen of something (16 CDs or 16 movie |
| MTV's teens in a recent article, "Their blingy flings | | | | passes, for example), can make the day special. |
| are not celebrations of accomplishment; they're | | | | Best of all? No Diddy required. |
| celebrations of self.") Even debutantes, those | | | | A graduate of the Gemological Institute of |
| clichéd well-to-do southern belles, hold a | | | | America's Graduate Pearls program, Amy |
| coming out ball ostensibly not to show off, but to | | | | Drescher is a fashion writer and accessories |
| be formally introduced to polite society. What's | | | | buyer for Check out her daily blog, Amy's Style |
| more, these debutante balls are often charity | | | | Café, at She welcomes your comments |
| occasions, "in which the parents of the young | | | | and questions. |