I found myself deep into a hole on Hulu these past few days with one of my first loves: "The Hills." As a middle schooler with braces and a wardrobe that consisted of the same five Hollister Co. T-shirts, I could hardly relate to the scene of nightclubs, grabbing drinks at Geisha Houses, hooking up with Hollywood's "It Boys" and balancing a Teen Vogue internship with school. Still, week after week, I sat there entranced by the everyday life of Lauren Conrad who, let's be real, was everyone's favorite at the time.
Now I'm 21 and preparing to graduate college... I'm still not really relating to Lauren Conrad, but this time relating to Lauren's friend, Whitney. If you didn't notice this girl has got it together.
On the show we saw her go down a path that most girls preparing to enter the real world are going down now.
Let us not forget...
1. Whitney went to Paris and Lauren didn't (still shaking my head at Lauren for choosing a boy over a great opportunity).
2. Kind, sweet Whitney was able to apply what she learned at "Teen Vogue" and work hard to survive working for the cutthroat PR legend Kelly Cutrone.
3. Whitney also fell on her butt while appearing on "Good Morning America," but proved she's human and handled it with such grace when she got right back up.
And while you watched some of her finest moments go down, you probably found yourself saying a little something like this:
"SAME."
"Lauren, just listen to Whitney..."
"TRUE."
and the most common of all:
"Whitney is always asking the important questions!"
- Because she always did.
Whitney was known as the nice, reliable and honest friend. If you watched the show, you also know she was not afraid to help LC realize the sometimes harsh realities of life while offering some much-needed advice. She didn't involve herself in the drama of her friends, she didn't let boys distract her from her goals and she always had a positive and calm outlook on a variety of issues. Whitney did her own thing and didn't run with the rest of the pack which allowed her to shine and grow as an individual. This is so important for girls to realize as they're discovering what they want and who they want to be.
Let's just say if it was 2007, I'd seriously be walking around with an "I'm a Whitney" shirt on (you know, because those shirts aren't cool anymore). Whitney Port is the ideal representation of a driven, confident and responsible girl who a lot of other girls can learn from. Being cool doesn't always mean going to the coolest parties or being friends with the coolest people. Being cool can also be making your dreams and goals a reality by taking the time to work toward them. #WWWD
