At first glace, it’s hard to differentiate Glamour magazine blogger Shallon Lester and her crew in Downtown Girls from every other reality TV cast. The sky-high stilettos, the teensy skirts, the perfectly coiffed hair, the crazy boy drama … we’ve seen it before.
Then I got to chat with the New York HBIC and I instantly tumbled into girly crush mode. What separates Lester is that she’s real, and I actually learned a thing or two from her about what it takes to be a true Downtown girl.
TVGuide.ca: Hey Shallon, how are ya? Thanks for taking some time to chat with me.
Shallon Lester: Oh, I love Canada. I am a Canada fanatic. My ex-boyfriends were Canadian and I’ve played hockey my whole life. I’ve only been to Montreal. But I’ve been there in my mind so many times.
TVG: Oh, you will have to come up and visit us in Toronto. They say it’s like the New York of Canada.
SL: Yeah, everyone says that. My ex-boyfriend’s from Thunder Bay, [Ont.,] and he liked to say he was from Toronto. I’m like, ‘You’re not.’
TVG: Thunder Bay is a bit up north, to say the least.
SL: He doesn’t seem like he’s from the New York of anywhere.
TVG: I wanted to start by saying congrats on your show, Downtown Girls. How did you like breaking into the world of reality TV?
SL: It was great. It was nerve-racking to open your whole life and put it out there. Our show is totally real. It’s not scripted and if you see me cry, I’m definitely crying. All the bad ideas I come up with in terms of dating, and the good ones when I have them, they’re all real. It’s scary, but I think people are gonna like it and I think girls are gonna connect with it.
TVG: What made you want to start the show, or what made you want to open up your life to viewers across North America?
SL: I realized that I get myself into these weird kinds of dating situations. For example, we all have bad dates where guys reveal too much information. My guy decided to tell me he gets drunk and makes out with his best friend … who is named Steven. But the core of the experience is really relatable. I also didn’t think there were enough smart, funny, ambitious girls represented on TV and my friends are all those things. So I wanted to (kisses teeth) give those smart chicks a voice.
TVG: Heck yeah, represent!
SL: Represent, right? I mean we’re not all trying to date Flavor Flav.
TVG: So for young professional women trying to make it in the big city, what would be some advice?
SL: Set your priorities. We all move to the city, graduate and move out of our parents’ houses and we think, ‘I’m gonna have it all.’ And we put these expectations on ourselves like, ‘I gotta have the Prada shoes and I gotta have the Gucci bag and I have to have the corner office and the headstrong boyfriend.’ And you can, but everything has to come slowly. Just cut yourself some slack. If your priority is your career, then go for it and don’t stress that you’re not married at 27 when your friends are.
I’ve always been so career-focused and my friends have always been like, ‘Shallon, you’re still single.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I don’t hate my job like you people do.’ It’s also really important to have a good, solid group of friends around. No matter what city you live in, you’re far from home and you really have to find girls who bring out the best in you rather than make you feel competitive or jealous or bad about yourself.
TVG: What would you say are three things a Downtown Girl never leaves home without before a night out on the town?
SL: (Laughs.) Sunglasses. ‘Cause you never know when you’re gonna be out all night and never really know when you’ll be coming home. A $10 bill pinned inside of your bra, that’s something my grandmother taught me, so even if you lose your purse or something, you can at least have cab money home. Also, I guess a camera, ‘cause your parties are only as much fun as you can prove via Facebook.
TVG: What makes your show different from similar MTV shows like The City?
SL: Our show really focuses on the camaraderie rather than any sort of friendship drama. We all love The Hills and The City, but ours is a little bit more lighthearted and it just shows five girls that really bond with each other and the drama comes from our other experiences and not from one another. There is plenty of drama, just not always with one another.
TVG: What would you say to those who compare Downtown Girls to Sex and the City?
SL: (Laughs.) We have been getting this so much. I can definitely understand the comparison. I’m a writer, we are young girls in the city, we all have the same personalities, but we’re real and people will knock us for that. A lot of people have been saying, ‘Uh, she’s Carrie Bradshaw without the wardrobe.’
Yeah, I know. I don’t wear $10,000 outfits. I’m a single girl making not all that much money living in the city – crucify me because I don’t carry Chanel. I don’t think people can really identify with that in this economy; it’s just kind of silly to be that lavish. That’s not what makes a truly successful person, anyway.
TVG: Looking back at the season, what was the highlight for you?
SL: I’m going to say Klo’s bachelorette party. It’s amazing and it’s the season finale. Also, the pole-dancing class. I wish people got to see more of that because I’m good at it.
Tune in to Downtown Girls, Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on MTV
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Janine has been a devoted critic of cheesy TV ever since her inaugural Paradise Hotel episode. Five years, long hours and a considerable lack of beauty sleep later, her passion has earned her a Rolodex of useless knowledge.
Tackling shows other professionals cringe over such as Flavor of Love, The Real World and Celebrity Fit Club, Guilty Pleasures’ subtle complexity deserves more than just a snap judgment. Janine’s unique talent to celebrate a worthy “trash-show” is a launch pad for fans of cheesy TV everywhere. |
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