Is it a coincidence that in the fall/winter of 2003 two shows aired about pairs of wealthy heiress best friends? In our first episode of the two part series on Eat The Rich television, Helen and guest Hannah Becker discuss MTV's Rich Girls, a reality television show starring Ally Hilfiger (daughter of designer Tommy Hilfiger) and Jamie Gleicher (daughter of a different rich guy). The show is perhaps best remembered today for its depiction of the New York City blackout in August '03 — much less impressive upon rewatch sadly — but it's a time capsule show about friendships, early reality programming, and caprese salad. Unlike The Simple Life, which starred fellow heiresses Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, Rich Girls didn't have a format, but what it lacked in structure it made up for in heart.

LINKS

Song of the Week: Dandy Warhols We Used To Be Friends

Income Inequality in the United States 1913-1998 (Quarterly Journal of Economics, Feb 2003)