Amanda Beard: From Olympian to Playboy

I wanted to share a letter with you that I submitted via Amanda Beard's website.

I would love for this message to be passed on to Amanda. I was so disappointed to see Amanda on the cover of FHM as well as posing nude both in Playboy and in the PETA ad. What surprises me is that she is an accomplished athlete and still chooses to degrade herself. Usually women who take this route aren't talented and they have nothing else to offer the world except their bodies. Athletes like Amanda typically don't take the easy way out. I would hope that Amanda would see the importance of being a role model to young girls who should learn that athletes (or anyone else for that matter) don't have to sell their bodies to get ahead in the world. If women are ever going to reach equal ground with men, these types of things have to stop. Women have to take a stand and say, "I'm better than exploiting myself. I don't need to do this." When sexuality is used to sell something and money is exchanged, it becomes degrading. Amanda certainly does not need to degrade herself for money. It ruins the reputation she has worked so hard to build and diminishes her athletic appeal and most of all, she loses the respect so many people had for her as an athlete and as a person.

The Girls Next Door

In one of the episodes of the much watched E! television series, The Girls Next Door , the "girls" make a personal appearance in Las Vegas and it is with little surprise that there is a huge line of people anxiously awaiting a one-on-one with them. You would think that this line would consist only of men, but I found almost as many women as men were in line. Each woman not only showed an adoration for these women, but a longing to be like them. One woman in line brought her infant son and asked one of the girls to put their autograph on his leg. This is just plain sickening. Poor baby. How is he going to grow up if his mother admires women who exploit themselves and do the equivalent of selling their bodies for money?

What is important to point out here is that these women have low self esteem and no one should strive to degrade themselves like these women do.

I also find it is interesting that no one really talks about how strange it is that these three women in their 20's are not only dating the same man, but dating someone who is the age of their grandfather. It's not to say that this age difference could never work or that a woman in her twenties couldn't possibly truly love a man in his 80's. However, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize "the exchange" that is taking place inside the Playboy mansion each day. If you sleep with Heff, he'll give you fame, fortune and opportunity. So my point is that this type of relationship is unhealthy and on top of it, you have a 60 year age difference between the man and woman, which almost lends itself to fulfilling a paternal need that these women may have lacked growing up.

It would be so refreshing to see these women utilizing their strengths and talents to make something of themselves that doesn't involve using their body as a tool for making money.

Poor customer service and arrogance all rolled up into one

I was strolling along Lexington Avenue the other day when it occurred to me that nothing could top off my leisurely walk in the city better than a delicious cobb salad at Swifty's. For those of you not familar with this Upper East Side staple, it is known as one of the Page 6 hot seat restaurants frequented by such designers as Ralph Lauren and Carolina Herrera.

I was on the run and opted for take-out. I paid for my lunch at the bar and noticed that the owner took it upon himself to give my change to the bartender. I quickly placed my hand out as if to say, "I want my change back." My change was returned with attitude.

What happened to customer service? What type of arrogance allows for a restaurant owner to treat its customers in this way? Remember: It is up to us, the customer to speak up and not tolerate this type of treatment. It is wrong and must be stopped. If you don't patronize establishments like this, then they lose business and must eventually change their attitude in order to stay in business.

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Class is a trait that so few people seem to have these days. We live in a time in which money and greed seem to overtake manners, morals and common courtesy. I'm here to create a little corner of earth right here in The Big Apple where sophistication and elegance still exist and above all, where class prevails.