“Queen of Versailles” (or How Documentaries Influence My Life)

I love watching documentaries. I love documentaries about history, acting, curing diseases, almost any subject. I think my love of documentaries influenced me to help create “#140Characters”.

I watch most of my documentaries through Netflix (both instant and DVD) because I find watching them to be such a personal journey and I’d rather do that at home.

Recently, I watched “Queen of Versailles”.

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It’s about the Siegel family who owned several time shares and were in the process of building the biggest house in America when the recession hit. After the recession, their business started to go under and they needed to start living more frugally. Or at least the husband tried to be more frugal. The wife seemed more interested in making sure she looked good (through clothing and plastic surgery). She didn’t seem that connected to their wealth, or lack thereof. She even made a comment in the documentary that should would have to watch the movie to understand their families finances.

There were some funny moments in the documentary. I loved when one of the nannies (yes, nannies) dressed up like Rudolph for the Christmas party and was dancing around while getting ready. Also, seeing the wife show her kids where she came from was nice.

But watching someone in such a bubble about their situation is scary.

The reason I wanted to see this documentary is because the director/producer was also behind another documentary that I love, “Thin”, which is about an eating disorder treatment center. It’s interesting how two documentaries I love are about subjects that I need help with.

I am nowhere nearly as bad as Mrs. Siegel with my spending (she once spent $1,000,000 in a year on clothes), but I should be more aware of my financial situation and how I can better it. And I know I suffer from an eating disorder, and maybe it’s time again to see if I can get some form of treatment.

I remember watching “Thin” and almost being jealous that they had a place that they could go to and get help. It seems much easier for anorexics and bulimics to get help as those are more common eating disorders. But maybe since some time has passed since the last time I was trying to get treated there are more options for me through my insurance.

It’s funny how watching someone with the same problem as you can really help you re-examine your life.

But this was just what I needed now to help me kickstart my journey again and get me out of this slump!

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