(New York, New York) --This story disturbs me on so many
levels and it echoes a real problem in this country; "everything that
glitters ain't gold!" This doe-eyed beauty had the face of an angel,
but behind these dark, mahogany eyes lays an even darker secret. Ashley
Riggitano was a tortured soul.
This week all over the country, pain and heartache give way to
this young woman taken too soon. Ashley Riggitano only lived 22 short
years. Unfortunately, it isn't her LIFE, but HER DEATH that's worthy of national
headlines. This week, on her 22nd birthday Ashley decided she didn't want
to celebrate the milestone of coming into her "womanhood" with her
friends; apparently she hated most of them and found them fake. Ashley was also not interested in a birthday cake, noisemakers or
sharing a toast with her family. Instead, her birthday was the day she
decided to end it all and become yet another statistic.
With one "unthinkable" move this budding New York driven fashionista
decided to end "the competition" and the endlessly "need to
please" by jumping to her death. Authorities found her body after
she laid down her designer handbag on the sidewalk, scaled The George Washington
Bridge and plunged hundreds of feet into the Hudson River to her death.
I cannot imagine the pain and desperation in her final
moments. Ashley Riggitano was torched, but cleverly got in one final jab when
she took the time out to write a suicide note detailing who should and should
not attend her funeral. Apparently suicide was her permanent solution to end her pain with her "so called frenemies;" girlfriends
she identified as "fake" and "never being there." The
New York Post details Ashley "beefing" with her estranged business partner and other friends on
Facebook earlier in the day.
AMERICA WAKE UP! This is a "teachable moment!"
We have to embrace our girls and let them know life isn't about "15
minutes of fame." We cannot all be Carrie Bradshaw or Kim
Kardashian. We've lost the essence of our morals. We've become a
nation obsessed with "who are you wearing and how much did it cost?" Why?
Things don't make the woman, the essence of your soul and character make you unique. You'll never find happiness in the bottom of a bottle or someone else's name written on your bottom! Seriously! Too many of us are literally "dying to live the dream." We'll spend hundreds of dollars on our hair when we don't have a home to call our own. WAKE UP, OUR PRIORITIES ARE TRULY SKEWED!
Ashley Rigatoni's history of depression and attempted suicide
in the past have also been well documented this week. This tragic suicide leaves me sad
asking were the warning signs there? Did anybody take a minute to notice,
"Something simply wasn't right?" We must wake up as a nation
and realize bullying in any form is never acceptable. The airwaves are
saturated with "women behaving badly." The Real Housewives of
Atlanta, Miami and Beverly Hills are a "sad and tragic" sign of our
times. We've become totally comfortable watching women rip each other apart.
Ashley's death echoes a problem VISION/VOICE/VARION
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who watched helplessly as her 15 year old daughter was repeatedly kicked in the
head by an angry mob of teenage girls. Her daughter's crime; she dared to smile
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Bullying is real and it comes in all forms and affects all ages.
My exclusive story comes with shocking, images of a "fight to the
finished" where a young woman so hell bent on striking out--she literally
fights her way out of her own clothes. Why? WAKE UP! IT'S NOT CUTE!
What happened to Ashley wasn't cute either. Hopefully no one would dare show
footage of this young woman plunging to her death, but her demise is a
reminder--"words mean something and they can leave an impression; good or
bad." Some people are strong enough to ignore "mean girls," but
others like Ashley are too damaged and too frail to know "that joy comes
in the morning." Your love for God will see you through anything and in
any season. If only I could have embraced this young woman and personally told
her "you are beautiful and the people torching you don't have a thimble
full to do with you are or who you are destined to become.
Though it's too late for Ashley Riggitano, it's not too late for
the other fashionistas still looking to take New York City by storm. Always
remember Ashley's story and hopefully her short life will include a legacy that
will be full of teachable moments. Her demise reminds us of the lingering pain
of hateful words. Her death also serves as a sobering reminder, “we have got to
do better as a nation.”
CLICK
HERE TO READ JEZBEL'S POST ON "FABULOUSNESS AND FRENEMIES"
