Ekupheleni kweminyaka eliwaka, abaphathi benethiwekhi abanjengoGeraldine Laybourne we-Oxygen kunye ne-WE yejelo likaKate McEnroe babenomdla wokufika kohlobo olutsha olukhanyiselweyo, umabonakude wabasetyhini oyintombazana. Ngo-1999, uPaul Allen, u-Oprah Winfrey kunye no-AOL bathulula ngaphezulu kwe- $ 300 yezigidi kwi-Oxygen, eyachitha iimuvi zeLifetime ze-schmaltzy kwaye yathembisa ukuzenzisa kwengqondo, inguquko ekhokelwa ngabasetyhini kunye nokudibana phakathi kwentambo kunye ne-Intanethi. Kunyaka kamva, ijelo leCablevision's Romance Classics latshintsha igama laba yi-WE: Ukuzonwabisa kwabafazi kwaye bazama umxube olula weeFelicity reruns kunye nolwalamano kunye nemiboniso yokuphila, njengomntu odityanisiweyo kunye nephephancwadi iReal Simple elibizwa ngokuba Lula Ubomi Bakho.
Kwindawo ebaluleke kakhulu engaphantsi kweminyaka engama-50, omabini la mandla amantombazana, amanethiwekhi e-neo-feminist ngoku abethwa lijelo elibuyisela umva: I-Soapnet. Kulo nyaka ukuza kuthi ga ngoku, iSoapnet ikwindawo yesibhozo phakathi kwazo zonke iziseko zekhebula ezisisiseko kwipesenti yababukeli ababhinqileyo abaneminyaka eyi-18-49 etsala ngexesha eliphambili. Ioksijini kunye ne-WE sibeka i-31 kunye ne-41, ngokulandelelana. (Ngamanani esizwe kuphela afumanekayo.) Ngokwe-Nielsen yedatha ekuqaleni kuka-Septemba, nangona iSoapnet ikumakhaya ambalwa kakhulu kunoodade bayo (i-38.9 yezigidi, xa kuthelekiswa ne-52.8 yezigidi ze-Oxygen kunye ne-55.7 yezigidi ye-WE), umndilili wabafazi abayi-107,000. Kwelo banga lobudala obuphambili — xa kuthelekiswa nama-65,000 kunye nama-49,000 eoksijini ne-WE, ngokwahlukeneyo-babukele imali yayo yangokuhlwa.
Yindlela yam yokuhamba, utshilo omnye waba bafazi, uNicole Young, oneminyaka engama-29, intatheli enomdla ehlala eNolita.
I-Soapnet yaphehlelelwa ngeyoMqungu ngo-2000, ngomoya owahluke ngokupheleleyo kukhuphiswano lwayo noNahomi Wolf-derivative. Umphathi omkhulu weDisney uMichael Eisner, owaqala umsebenzi wakhe ukuba ajonge iinkqubo zexesha lasemini ze-ABC, wayefuna ukwakha ijelo elisekwe kwi-nostalgia, eyayiza kuphinda ibambe ababukeli beesepha abaphelelwe lixesha ngokusasaza imiboniso yabo emva komsebenzi. Yongezwa kwimenyu yaseNew York yeWarner menu ngo-Agasti kwaye ngoku idlala iisepha zemini ezine ngobusuku kwiChannel 119, ukuqala ngentsimbi yesi-7: Iintsuku zoBomi bethu, uBomi obunye bokuPhila, iSibhedlele esiBanzi kunye nabo bonke abantwana bam. Kwaye phakathi kwabasetyhini baseManhattan-ubuncinci ngaphandle kwentetho-kubonakala ngathi kuye kwabetha.
Akufani nokuba ndilapha imini yonke ndicinga ukuba uCarly noSonny bazakwenza ntoni, kodwa kuyathuthuzela ukwazi ukuba xa ndifika ekhaya, ikho ukuze ndibukele, utshilo uLauren Brown, 26, intatheli ye-Us Weekly ohlala kwi-Upper East Side, ebhekisa kubalinganiswa kwi-General Hospital, ukuba likhoboka lakhe. Baninzi kuthi kunokuba ucinga, wongeze watsho.
Omnye Upper East Sider, uCori Mardikian, 31, uthe utsaleleke kwiisepha ngokuyinxenye kuba uyakhumbula ukuba wayezibukela kunye nomama wakhe ngelixa bekhula eCleveland, eOhio. Ndicinga ukuba ucinga ukuba uyinxalenye yeli hlabathi ongeyonxalenye yalo emini, oyiphosileyo kodwa oyifumanayo, utshilo uNks. Mardikian, umphathi wezentengiso ophezulu Inkampani yokubukela yaseSwitzerland uJager-Le Coultre.
Ukujonga nokuba yi-Oxygen, WE okanye iSoapnet kukuntywila kwindawo ye-estrogen embindini: enye indawo apho iimveliso ekuphela kwazo zithengiswayo ziingxowa zefriji zeZiploc, ipolishi yesikhonkwane, iBotox, iSuvaril (ithebhulethi yemihla ngemihla yokunceda ukunciphisa umnqweno kunye nokwenza ngcono imetabolism) , I-cream-wrinkle night cream, iipilisi zokulawula ukuzalwa kunye neenkonzo zokwenza umdlalo (i-AOL igama elingundoqo: uthando).
Kodwa ngelixa yabelana ngabaphulaphuli ekujoliswe kubo kunye ne-WE kunye ne-Oxygen, iSoapnet iphumelele ukuhambisa uvakalelo oluvakalayo ngelixa abo bakhuphisana nabo besokola. Kubonakala ngathi abasetyhini abafuni ukuba babethwe ngengqondo de babulawe, baxhaswe ngentetho ngobukrelekrele babo beemvakalelo. Abazinikeli beSoetnet bathi baziva bengaphantsi ngokungathi bathenga kwi-ethos kune-trashy, i-escapism eyiyo kunye nokuzonwabisa.
Ndiva nje ukuba aba bafazi bahlukumezeka kakhulu kwezo zikhululo, utshilo uRachael Ferranti, 32, Upper East Sider kunye nomphathi wentengiso kwinkampani yeempahla eManhattan, ebhekisa kwi-Oxygen ne-WE. Bangaphezulu kokubonisa inqaku endaweni yokuqengqeleka ngomgca webali. Kum, iwela kwiingcamango zoluntu malunga neenkolelo zabantu basetyhini.
Xa uLori Segal, oneminyaka engama-25 ubudala, efika ekhaya kwi-Upper West Side evela emsebenzini onzima wosuku eCosmoGIRL! Iphephancwadi, apho angumhleli wophando onxulumene naye, akaziva ngathi ucela umngeni kumajelo kamabonwakude alungiselela ngokukodwa ubukrelekrele bakhe besetyhini. I-Soapnet ijolisa nje kwiisepha; omnye uzama ukuba ngu-Oprah-y omncinci, utshilo. Ayikukubaleka kum. Andijonganga ukujongana nemicimbi ebalulekileyo xa ndibukele iisepha.
Ukutyibilika kukalisho, nangona kunjalo, ngumba obaluleke kakhulu kwi-Oxygen nakwi-WE. Ioksijini iphendule ngokutshintsha isini sayo kunye nokuhlekisa, isusa intetho kaCandice Bergen kodwa igcina ukuphindwaphindwa kweXena: IQhawe leNkosazana kwaye kuthiwa liqhubela phambili ngezicwangciso zokuphuhlisa ii-sitcoms zalo zokuqala. Okwangoku, nathi siyabothusa. Sifuna ukuba ngumjelo weSini kunye namantombazana esiXeko ukuba bahlala kwisiXeko saseKansas, utshilo uKathleen Dore, umongameli weenkonzo zolonwabo kwinkampani yabazali iRainbow Media Holdings, ethetha ngokwahluka ngoMatshi. SIQESHE inkwenkwezi yesepha, uRebecca Budig we-All My Children, ukuba abambe iFull Frontal Fashion.
Ngokusebenzisa abameli beendaba, UNks Laybourne kunye noNks Dore balile ukunika izimvo kolu tshintsho lwenkqubo. Kodwa owayesakuba ngumphathi omkhulu we-WE uKate McEnroe wabachaza njengotshintsho olukhulu kumqeshi wakhe wangaphambili. Batshintsha iimveliso zabo; Bayalitshintsha ilizwi, watsho kowabo ePlandome, eLong Island. Oko kuziva kwahluke kakhulu. (UNks. McEnroe ushiye uthungelwano kwihlobo elidlulileyo emva kokufunyanwa kwezitenxo kubalo-mali ngexesha lophicotho-zincwadi lwangaphakathi; uphando lwe-S.E.C. luyaqhubeka.)
Ngokuphathelele ioksijini, UNks. McEnroe ucebise ukuba bazakusuka kubukrelekrele baye konakele kwaye banesini…. Bebezama ukutshintsha abantu basetyhini, kwaye uyazi ukuba kukho abaphulaphuli abathile abasisiseko abafuna ukuzinceda, kwaye bakho nabanye abonwabileyo ngokwabo, uqhubeke. Xa uqala into, xa usakha uphawu, kunzima. Kwaye izama ukufumana ela lizwi-ayenzeki nje okomzuzu xa ucima iswitshi. Ndicinga ukuba ioksijini-ayikuko ukuba ayisebenzi- Ndicinga ukuba ulindelo lwaluphezulu kakhulu, unikwe ukuba ngoobani abaniniyo kunye nezithethi ababenazo.
Ukulunga, umsantsa ophakathi kweSoapnet kunye nabo sikhuphisana nabo uyacotha kancinci. Ukuthelekisa iziphumo zonyaka ukuya ku-2004 kunye neze-2003, i-Oxygen ibonakalise ukuphuculwa kwepesenti ezi-5 kwinani lababukeli abaneminyaka eli-18 ukuya kwengama-49 belungiselela ngexesha eliphambili, kwaye SIPhucule iipesenti ezi-2; Okwangoku, ukubonwa kweSoapnet kwehle ngepesenti ye-11.
Ukanti ababonayo bakholelwa ukuba kusekho indawo yokukhula yejelo; ubuncinci, kusekho iisepha zeentsuku ezintlanu ezinokuthi zongezwe lijelo kwimenyu yalo. Ekuqaleni, bekufanele ukuba ibe likhaya eliphambili kwimidlalo yeABC, utshilo uSimon Applebaum, umhleli-omkhulu weCable World, imagazini yezorhwebo. Ngoku ufumana iiKnotsing Landing, iDallas, kwaye kukho intetho abanokuyifumana Njengokujika kweLizwe kunye naLutsha kunye naBangenakuphumla. (I-Soapnet ayizukuqinisekisa la marhe akhwankqisayo.)
Kwabanye, kuyamangalisa ukuba imiboniso yesudy iyathengisa kubafazi abaqeqeshiweyo baseNew York, ukubamba ubulumko obuqhelekileyo malunga nomlindi wesepha njengomfazi odikayo, ohlala ekhaya otya iibhontsi kwilokhwe yakhe yasekhaya kunye ne curlers, awash kwi-mystique yobufazi . Kule minyaka mihlanu idlulileyo okanye njalo, uthungelwano luye lwafumana ukwanda kokujonga ababonisa ukuba batshintshe indlela yokuphila yabasetyhini. (I-Soapnet ithi abafazi abasebenza ngaphandle kwekhaya baquka malunga neepesenti ezingama-50 zababukeli besepha emini, ngelixa ama-81 eepesenti ababukeli babo ababhinqileyo abaneminyaka eli-18 ukuya kwengama-49 benza njalo.)
Kwaye ikamva lolo hlobo aluqinisekanga. Thetha ngeesepha phakathi kwamashumi amabini anamashumi amathathu anesithathu into ekuthiwa yi-cognoscenti, kwaye kuhlala kucingelwa ukuba uya kubhekisa kwimiboniso efana ne-O.C. kwiFox okanye iSummerland kwiWB.
Kodwa le miboniso iyayityeshela indawo ebalulekileyo-leyo uSoapnet anoyolo ukuyizalisekisa.
Ndimdala kunabo-andikhathali, UNks. Young uthe ngokulula.
I-O.C. izama ukuba yisepha ekrelekrele; iisepha zasemini azizami ukuba yinto, utshilo uNksk. Segal, One Life to Live fanatic. Abanayo incoko kaDawson's Creek okanye isimilo esinjengoAdam Brody. Ndiva ngathi abantu abaninzi bacinga ukuba kupholile ukuthi bathi bajonge i-O.C. Kuyadinisa ukuva wonke umntu ethetha ngayo. Ukubukela kwam isepha-opera yeyona nto ndingathethi ngayo.
Abalandeli be-Soapnet bakwatyhola ngokunyuka kwenyani yokubonisa ngokubabuyisela kwiisepha zabo.
Ndiyakholelwa ngokunyanisekileyo ukuba likhoboka lam laqala xa inkqubo yokwenyani yomabonakude yaba yinto entle kakhulu, watsho uAlexandra Cohan, 30, umphathi wolwazi kwi-Old Navy ehlala kwi-Upper East Side. Uloyiko, ugqatso olumangalisayo, ubhuti omkhulu -ayinto nje engenamdla kum. Ibonisa ukuba umabonwakude womnatha ongalunganga uba njani. Akukho nto imnandi kuyo; ngabantu abakruqulayo nje.
Umtshato kaLuka noLaura ubaluleke kakhulu kunomtshato kaTrista noRyan, UNks. Ngoku zininzi iinkqubo ezibubudenge, ukuba uza kundixelela ukuba ubukele uloyiko, andinantloni zokuvuma ukuba ndibukele isibhedlele iGeneral Hospital.
