The Champagne Life

On faking it until you make it

In short, don’t do it. Don’t max out the credit card. Don’t flex. Don’t buy the follows.

If you look back on my social media, there’s a short period of time where I’m fabulously thin, traveling, and sporting many luxury fits. I was working in fashion and producing runway shows, being paid in clothes, and subsisting on hard boiled eggs and unsweetened black coffee—not a difficult way to maintain a size 2/4 (not recommended either.)

Social media is a curated experience. Everyone puts their best self forward. As brash and honest as I am in essays, I do the same. I’ve put on some weight and all I do are portrait selfies. Vain? Sure. But I’m not alone. I just readily admit I’m faking it.

On New Year’s Eve, twitter trends exploded with classist takes on one of my favorite sparkling wines, prosecco. Everyone was suddenly an expert. I’m sure google searches for Vueve Clicquot and Dom Perignon surged as most people don’t have a clue.

How many people know that champagne is only champagne when from the region of Champagne, France? Many, I’m sure. But do they know Madame Clicquot was a widow and her deceased husband, a failed vintner? Or that the Russian army was responsible for her fame? Her servant perfected the English method of adding effervescence and she was a master marketer. Your favorite branded influencer wouldn’t be able to compete. Who doesn’t know that legendary yellow label?

How many of you know that Moët and Dom are practically brothers (not in price point— unless you’re foolishly hyped on that club “VIP” package.) Fun fact: VIPs rarely ever pay. I had many fabulous nights along with my friend Jennifer with just $5 on my metrocard (if you’re wondering, yes, that was only a one way into Upper Manhattan from Jersey. My girl always handled the return trip home.) That phase is over now. She’s a wonderful event planner and I’m an indy writer.

Am I flexing my knowledge and access with this post? Yes. Certainly. But you still don’t know what station I’m at in life. And while social media may seemingly have the feel of intimacy, it is impossible to really know what is going on even within your irl inner circle and much less with a stranger. Let’s make a communal pact to be more present in 2021 and allow social media to occupy just an entertainment space and not another online obsession. À bientôt, dear readers! ;-) Feliz Reyes.