"THE HAMPTONS"

so unless you live under a rock you've heard of "the hamptons". the home to A-list celebrities, the summer home to almost all celebrities, the home of some of the coolest, trendiest night clubs, and the world's nicest beaches. yes, that is all true.

i grew up in the hamptons. when people ask me where i am from i never say "the hamptons". i say long island, ny. if they say..."oh yeah? here abouts on long island? i then say "southampton". and 99.99% of the time i get something like this "oooohhhhhh, your from "the hamptons". wow, we have someone special among us..." this drives me CRAZY! when i was a teenager i thought it was cool, but not anymore.

i have been dubbed "the hamptons girl" in college, at work and along my travels. people say, "oh jennifer you're gonna think my home is like a trailer compaired to living in the hamptons" or when a fashion question arises i hear "go ask jennifer, she would know cause she is from the hamptons". and that is just the tip of the iceberg, i have been asked so many other ridiculous questions and been stereotyped as well. people always assume that i am rich, loaded, have more money than i know what to do with, etc.

well let me tell you about the hamptons that i grew up in...despite what everyone may think the hamptons is not ALL rich and famous. there is a middle class and there are also a few poverty stricken areas. yes..poverty in the hamptons. sorry if i am bursting anyones bubble! i grew up in a struggling middle class family in a struggling middle class community. as property prices went up and the hamptons became more and more famous...things also became more and more expensive. you might be thinking, why didn't they just move to a different area? well, its not that easy. both of my parents were born and raised here and all of us were born in the same hospital. my mom, dad, me, ryan and jason-all born in Southampton Hospital.

in fact, my distant relatives FOUNDED the town that i grew up in. there are at least 10 streets with the name halsey in them. halsey ave, halsey street, halsey neck lane..you get the point. there is even an original halsey house that was built back in the 1600s that is now a historal sight. you have to pay to go in it! you'd think that such a historial name would come with historial amounts of old family money, but it didn't. my parents always wanted to stay here and they truly love it here, so that is why we struggled to make it in the playground of the rich and famous. it was hard, we never had extra money and we often just had enough to make ends meet. some times were better than others. my dad is a builder and he builds gorgeous homes for people with unimaginable amount of money. when work was good we could all breathe a bit easier, but it wasn't always good.

despite what most people think about the hamptons, we did not drive a range rover, bmw or mercedes. we drove chevys. i can even remember my first day at a new catholic school in 6th grade. i was talking to some girls (who turned out to be the cool girls) and one of them said, "So what kind of car does your mom drive?" i remember feeling embarrassed to say a station wagon. her mom drove a jaguar, and i secretly was mad at my parents for not having a car like all the other families we were surrounded by.

my point is that although the hamptons are beautiful and the beaches are great, it is just like any other place you can live. there is a wide range of incomes, nationalities, religions, etc. the hamptons are overrated!!!