Strong Island Girls

By Rachel Sokol/Greenwich Village Gazette

 "Once upon a time, on the north shore of Long Island, some 30 miles from New York, there lived a small girl on a large estate. The estate was very large indeed and had many servants." -- Sabrina Fairchild, "Sabrina," 1954 A common question I get from new people I meet is, "So, where are you from?"

Of course, since this IS Manhattan, and most people here are not actually FROM Manhattan, this seems to be a popular ice-breaking question. And it sure beats, "Hey baby, what's your sign?" (Cancer; if anyone cares) Where am I from? I clam up, put on my best goofy smile, and face that I grew up in a place with a "rep." Both good and bad. And I realize I am ashamed to admit where I was born, raised and still call 'home.'

I happen to be a native of The Empire State; just not the Empire City. I am from Long Island. Lawng-Gui-lund. Lang-Eye-lan. L'ng Illand. The suburbs of New York. Looooong I-LUND. The island that sticks out of the East Coast, like one great big middle finger telling the rest of the state to go fuck itself.

Similar to the attitude of most of the natives. The fish-shaped former glacier made famous from a trashy girl named Amy Fisher, a bad driver named Lizzy Grubman and an awful plane crash called TWA Flight 800.

Whenever I tell people I am from Long Island, they either think:

1) I think I have 4th cousins in Massapequa...or is it Manhasset? Or Medford?

2) I hate Long Island girls; especially the way they speak.

3) Cha-Ching, Cha-Ching, Cha-Ching. Snotty Bitch.

My best friend Shena thinks that growing up on Long Island was an inevitable trap; the solution for living in the suburbs of NYC without living in Queens or Brooklyn. We always blush and quick change the subjects whenever people ask where we are from. Becuase the sad truth is, Long Island girls have reputations. (See above) The more people I meet; the more I realize I don't feel comfortable admitting I'm a Long Islander...because I'm afraid of what this new person will think. I've had new friends tell me all the time that all I had to say way two words, amd they could tell I was from NYC. I mostly got this when I was in Boston, attending college, and acting like NYC was just so much hipper than Beantown. Okay, so I grew up in the boring suburbs.

At least I had the pleasure of telling people, "I'm from New York."

<<Meaning: My state is number one; and you know it. So don't even try and convince me that Boise, Idaho is cooler than New York.>>

Besides, saying, "New York" sure beat saying, "I'm from Utah." (No offense to Utah-ians. I hear it's very pretty out in The Beehive State.) Then I'd silently pray, "Please don't think I'm some Long Island snob. I'm not the rep!" I'd amit to being from NY....but dawdle around mentioning Long Island.

Ever see the indie film, "200 Cigarettes?" (Don't worry, no one else did either except for my friend Jen and I). Anyway, if you happen to catch it on cable, actresses Gaby Hoffman and Christina Ricci play two gawd-awwwful Lawng Gui-lund girls who get lost in Manhattan en route to a New Year's Eve party.

As the theatre laughed at Ricci and Hoffman's impressions of two snooty Long Islander girls, complete with the tough girl 'tude, I felt myself cringe. You know, this movie was not exactly a stereotype. It completely played-up to the reputation that Long Island girls have: Gawdy, loud, obnoxious, obsessed with money and their looks...Jeez, I knew tons of girls like that. I hated girls like that.

Was I like that??????

Most people in my high school drove fancy cars, attended Ivy League Colleges, and spent their winter breaks at St. Lucia or skiing in Aspen. (Their families had houses in Aspen and St. Lucia, of course). I had an actual after-school job in high school and people brandished me as a freak. Why work when mom and dad paid for everything? seemed to be a common attitude among my peers. Raised by parents who grew up dirt-poor in Brooklyn and actually having to W-O-R-K; I avoided those classmates who acted like...Long Island girls. Money was everything; and if you didn't have it; I don't feel sorry for you. That attitude-- It just wasn't ME. I was full convinced there was more to Long Island than mansions, the Long Island Expressway and the beach.

I mean, come on--The Great Gatsby, one of the most famous American novels, is practically an ode to wealthy Long Islanders and their socialite Manhattan friends. I blame F. Scott Fitzgerald for coining Long Island with an ostentatious rep.

I spent my childhood summers in East Hampton. If I tell out-of-towners that, most of them look at me like, "Ummmm...ok...." and think, "Snob." In fact; I have been told this endlessly, and try to laugh it off, considering I can be painfully shy. Since I've moved to NYC I have been told by three new friends, "At first, I thought you were some Long Island snob...summers in the Hamptons; a mall behind your high school...but you're not really like that."

Gee, thanks. Is there a compliment in there somewhere? I then defend myself and say, "I'm NOT like that at all! I can't stand people with that attitude."

My parents love the beach, my siblings and I love the ocean, so it was the perfect place to vegetate. I know the Hamptons fairly well, but you'd never know it. I once worked out East Hampton and know where the celebrity homes are....but I won't admit it; especially if I meet you for the first time.

Because I am scared you will think I am one of them...a 'Strong Island" girl.

Living on the land shaped like a middle finger to the rest of the world.

In high school I knew a guy who crashed his brand new Mustang (from his parents), then got another Mustang from his parents, which he crashed again when driving drunk while they were in St. Lucia. He then got a Mitsubishi GT from his parents and they also bribed a cop to not arrest him for DWI.

Yelch. That's my favorite typical Long Island story. Makes you want to puke, eh?

To make myself feel better about growing up in the land of personal gardners and housekeepers; I just repeat the list of cool, un-Long Islanders who are from Long Island: Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt (believed to be our best U.S. Presidents), Billy Joel, Rudy Giuliani, Natalie Portman, Cornelious Vanderbilt, Mario Puzo, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsece Jonathan Demme, Alec Baldwin, Alice Hoffman, Most of the cast of The Sopranos, Howard Stern, Rosie O'Donnell and Mariah Carey (heehee; I had to put them for a laugh).

I know what you're thinking: Do you really care what others think of you? My answer to that is yes. But the truth is, growing up on Long Island made me the person that I am today...and it made me realize the type of person I didn't want to be. Besides, it had a lot of culture, ethnic diversity and beautiful scenery that quite often overshadowed a snob here and there. And even though I still blush and stammer if you ask me about Long Island; I still ended up back here after college. The people are just full of surprises (and full of themselves); and nothing is better about being a Long Islander than making fun of yourself for acting like it.

Read Last Weeks Article