Columnist Proposes New ‘Deserving Housewives’ Show, Says Lawyer Should Star
The new Bravo television show Real Housewives of D.C. annoys columnist Robert McCartney.
In McCartney’s view, the show glorifies snobbery, pettiness and social climbing. Writing at the Washington Post, he suggests a follow-up show, “Really Deserving Housewives of D.C.,” and proposes three women for a spot on the program.
One of them is Layli Miller-Muro, a former lawyer at Arnold & Porter who left to advocate on behalf of women fleeing human-rights abuses abroad.
“Reality television thrives on drama and conflict, and Miller-Muro’s career offers plenty,” McCartney writes. “In the mid-1990s, she helped call international attention to the horrors of female genital mutilation in Africa. She co-wrote a book on the subject and used her proceeds to create the Tahirih Justice Center, which provides free legal services to persecuted women.”
Miller-Muro is now executive director of the center. She told McCartney that, in her experience, a social life doesn’t make you powerful. “Doing the work, and talking about the issues intelligently, makes people turn to you as an expert,” she said.
