Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The End as I know it!

As I sit here on this snow day in the middle of April (thanks to winter storm WALDA), I think....what better time for me to write a final entry into my "Confessions of a Flaunt Girl" blog.  It has been nearly 3 months since my last post and many wondered.....What happened to your blog?

I will take this moment to recap the past three months and close this door only to open another.  I hope you enjoy.......

The top is about to BLOOOOWWWWW!

It is the end of January, shortly after my last blog post.  I am sitting in my living room on a Friday night and receive a text message from a PISSED OFF friend/fan.  Turns out, my former teammates have made an announcement on their facebook page that they have hired a new Flaunt Girl and are giving her the name Ivanna SpankYou.  That's right folks......you heard me correctly and in case you didn't, I will quote their post for you.....
 
"Attention all! Due to the increasing popularity of the Flaunt brand (yay) we will be holding Flaunt auditions for 2013! Ps.. We love our fans!!! We will be casting a new Vera Naughtygirl and Lacy Bottoms! Submit your photos and information ...on theflauntgirls.com or message us at theflauntgirls@yahoo.com! Exciting new additions coming to Flaunt! Todays exciting news...Please welcome Sarah! She will be playing the role of Ivanna SpankYou! She is from the great state of Kansas! Give her a big Flaunt welcome and Have a" Flauntastic day!"
My first reaction was one of complete sadness and disappointment that they would be so careless and vindictive to do such a thing.  After all, I had spent 8 years of my life creating the Ivanna Spankyou persona and THAT is a big deal to me.  I was flooded with message, texts, phone calls, emails etc. from fans in outrage.  It was a reaction that was very difficult for me to handle.  On top of being extremely upset myself, I was trying to soothe hundreds of others.  The support was amazing from all of the people that had come to support me over the years....they could all see right through this little tactic.  Flaunt even went as far as having this person create a new Ivanna Spankyou fan page.....BALLSY! (and I don't mean beach balls)
Nothing like throwing the new girl into SHARK INFESTED WATERS!  My opinion, completely unfair to put a new girl in that position.  At least give her a fighting chance.  Bad, bad decision on so many levels.  I guess that's what happens when you act on impulse.
(insert Jaws theme song)

While some people were supportive of the new girl, others were angry and they weren't afraid to show it.  They responded negatively and I'm not really sure what my teammates expected them to do.  It was an outpouring of anger....posts about it non-stop on my facebook page, the other members' pages, the Flaunt page....it was like a facebook riot!

In the end, my belief is, this was a ploy to try and make people "forget" that I was Ivanna Spankyou.  In response to a fan post saying they wish she had a different name....
Flaunt Girls Thanks Nick:) at some point after she is with us for a while that may be what happens but for now she is filling that role. She is going to be GREAT!
They weren't happy with my blog, with me being vocal about the truth and my personal beliefs.  This was their attempt to "cut the head off the monster" as it were.  Let's face it...I was on a roll (can you picture my head rolling across the floor)


A meeting of the minds

4 days later, after 3 months of not being in the same room with ________, I agreed to meet with her in person and discuss things.  The meeting went well and was long over due.  There were a lot of misunderstandings and we both had a chance to tell the story from our side of the fence.  It by no means "fixed" everything but we left it on better terms. 
"How does one know if she has forgiven? You tend to feel sorrow over the circumstance instead of rage. You tend to feel sorry for the person rather than angry with them.  You tend to have nothing left to say about it."
I then proceeded to do my best to right the wrongs of which she mentioned to me.  I am a reasonable, caring person.  If I have wronged someone, I will do what I can to make it right.  I am a believer that even if you didn't intend to wrong someone, if they felt wronged that is all that matters.  So, fix it!  I took down the blog and discontinued future posts.  I personally contacted several people that had been mentioned in our discussions.  Apologies were made and reciprocated by everyone and the world moved on.    

Nothing like setting the bridge on fire!


One short week later, I received a "certified letter" notice in my mailbox.  Hmmmmmmm, one can only wonder when they get that notice.  IRS? Letter from an Attorney? I almost didn't pick the letter up, trying to avoid it altogether.  As it turns out....that's exactly what I should have done.  One of my inclinations was correct.....as disappointing as that is.  I will let you guess which one.  Without divulging all of the gory details of the letter, my response was simple........this is RIDICULOUS and not worthy of a response.  So, I suppose you could say I called the bluff. 

"The hardest tumble a man can make is to fall over his own bluff"


Will you ever return?

Do me a favor and don't hold your breath.  The last installment of this fiasco has drawn a line in the sand and you won't be seeing me step across it. 

For those of you who are holding out hope that I might some day rejoin the group......my sincere apologies.  I have moved on.  Over the past few months, I have been happier than I have been in a long time.  It's amazing the difference it can make when you remove a major stressor in your life.  Do I miss it? Of course I do but all of the heartache and frustration that was attached to it is not something to be missed.  I am a much stronger person now.  I am seeing the world through fresh eyes and starting my new adventures.  When you spend so much of your days and nights thinking about the same thing it starts to take over your life as you knew it.  In the end, I'm not sure if I knew where Ivanna ended and I began.

And the period at the end of the sentence?

Think before you react.  When life throws an unexpected curve ball at you try to take a step back and let it simmer for a little while before responding.  Put some thought into what your reaction should or should not be.  Often times we are reactive instead of proactive which many times can cause more harm to an already volatile situation.  I think we need to ask ourselves, is it really THAT big of a deal?  We are often more worried about what others are doing than what we ourselves are doing.  Don't let your own insecurities make situations worse.

Until next time.....Lay it out and ROCK IT!
Nichole

Watch for my new blog on life as I know it!

4 comments:

  1. I, for one...am grateful to have benefited from your mad ballroom skills. Your limitless talent and grace can never be diminished.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words Nora :) I appreciate your continued friendship and support.

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  2. The glare of fame is sometimes blinding. I am one who believes in friendship over things. Had they worked to put in a new Fanny as quickly as a new Ivanna, it would have held more merit.

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    1. I also believe that Nick. At no point should attorneys ever get involved between friends...if they do then it wasn't really a friendship to begin with.

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