We've all heard of her, or have at least seen her meme -- 14-year-old Danielle Bregoli, the infamous redhead behind "cash me ousside, howbow dat?" She visited the Dr. Phil show during summer of 2016, her mother complaining of Bregoli's totally unmanageable behavior. Just like that, Bregoli went viral and is now a millionaire. She can't stay out of the news; she was in a plane fight, she's frequently modeling for music videos and shoots for prominent personalities, and she even bought a Porsche last week. Now she has a drug charge and a grand theft auto on her record.
I've had a lot to say about Bregoli on my social media, none of it being good. When Bregoli graced Dr. Phil's stage at just 13, she was a loud mouthed, bratty, immature little teenage wanna-be who should have been in school learning about the globe and how to use a semicolon, not doing the things her mother was complaining about. It perplexes me how a young woman -- who clearly has an acute business sense -- could become a viral sensation just for being a little brat.
Bregoli doesn't deserve an ounce of the fame she has for acting the way she does. I continue to watch her rise higher than the stars, making more money than I ever will, and for what? Sassing Dr. Phil and a live audience? For acting like an entitled, spoiled child to her mother? For doing everything that society tells us not to do, which is act like we've never even been to school?
I used to treat my mother the way Bregoli treats hers; I didn't get my own reality show, a new Porsche, a million dollars, endless modeling contracts, or an appearance on live television. I was sent to my room every damn time. Since the show, it almost seems like Bregoli's mother is excusing the behavior because her daughter is now raking in the dough. By the looks of the endless videos that we see, she hasn't changed at all. She's still getting in fights, getting banned from places, and acting like a fool. Is her mother still worried about her behavior, or is she now excusing it because it's making her and her little girl a star?
This fame that Bregoli is endlessly receiving is perpetuating the idea that it is okay to treat the world (and your parents) this way. It's not okay to talk like a trucker at 14-years-old. It's not okay to make an entire image around being a "hustler" when you can't even drive your own Porsche yet, or live on your own.
Bregoli has an acute business sense like I said. She clearly knows what she's doing right now. It's not too late for her to reverse her course, stop the antics, finish up school, and make something out of her life away from that "bad girl" and "hustler" image. She doesn't need to act like the world's most entitled child to make a future for herself. She can be something else. While it may not pay $1 million, people will at least have some respect for her.
