Being Kendra_ Cribs, Cocktails, and Getting My Sexy Back - Kendra Wilkinson [11]
We are obsessed with parks and getting Hank Jr. outside and exploring. It’s his world!
Our new home in Calabasas is what I like to call “celebrity-ready.” Lots of actors, producers, and families in the entertainment business live in Calabasas. They couldn’t care less if the Basketts move in. We are no different from anyone else. Right now I’m in the process of getting to know my neighbors. It’s funny because in my head I always assume they know who I am, and they probably think, “Oh God, Kendra.” That’s just my insecure side, but I feel I need to show them who I really am, not just who they see on TV. I feel like I have to really work to have people like me for my real self. That’s my real job right now, showing my neighbors I’m not a stripper. I’m more than just an outgoing, outspoken blond girl on a reality show.
Sometimes people don’t know who I am and I love that. My new neighbor across the street kept saying she didn’t know who I was. She doesn’t watch TV and had never heard of me. The first time I went over there I stayed until one A.M. and we just chatted about everything. She didn’t ask one question about a sex tape, or Hugh Hefner, or Dancing with the Stars! She didn’t know anything about that stuff. Of course, in the back of my mind, I’m thinking she must have Googled me. But even if she did, she didn’t act any differently toward me, and I love her for that.
That’s my biggest fear: that everywhere I go, especially among my neighbors, everyone has Googled me. The first things that come up about me on Google are disgusting. It’s like my résumé, and it’s not a good thing—links to a sex tape, pictures of me in compromising positions from Playboy, etc. So I have to make sure I talk about who I am so they know that’s not me. I party for a living, not in real life, and I need my neighbors to know that. Last May, I was hired by a company to go down to the Kentucky Derby to host a party. My job was to look hot, drink, and party—so that’s what I did. But believe me, if that wasn’t my job, I probably wouldn’t have just randomly been there. But you know what? I’m going to have fun while I’m doing it. A lawyer doesn’t come home to his family and talk about the law all day. I don’t come home to my family and party all day. But a lot of people I meet think I do.
For my fans, I feel like I’m the link to the celebrity life and people can live vicariously through me to know what that lifestyle really is like. I’m a completely normal person who gets to experience some of the perks that come with fame. And, of course, the downside. Most Hollywood stars aren’t going to say how it really is. They’re going to say they can do as they please, and it doesn’t bother them. But do you ever see Hollywood stars fly coach? They don’t.
I can still fly commercial (oh, wouldn’t it be nice to have to fly in private planes all the time!) but I do need some security assistance to get through the airport. I totally get it; you see someone you are a fan of and you go approach them to say hi! I still do that myself. So we hire airport greeters to take us through the lines and straight to our gate and stay with us. They greet me right when a car drops me off, with my ticket, and then they’ll rush me through the lines. It’s not bad to avoid the security lines and airport aggravation, but it’s not free.
Balancing celebrity life comes with a high cost. You pay extra for everything you need to ensure a little privacy and safety. And balancing personal life comes with a lot of exhaustion, guilt, and effort.