New Yorkers have been fawning over Chiara de Blasio ever since her punky-haired, flower-headbanded visage first made itself a mainstay of her father's campaign so many months ago. And not without reason—at 19, de Blasio has emerged as an intriguing personality of her own, perhaps even trumping her beloved 16-year-old brother and his adjoining afro.
Young though she is, Chiara speaks intelligently on issues about which she's passionate. She masterminded a potently awkward yet ultimately charming family dance called the Smackdown. Most recently, she revealed in a 5-minute video her former predilection for booze and weed, which she used to inure herself to the effects of clinical depression. She has yet to express regret about her decision to gauge her ears.
And now, Chiara's appeal has attracted attention outside the vacuum of New York media, with a profile in Teen Vogue conducted over an egg sandwich at Park Slope greasy spoon 7th Avenue Donuts. What did we learn about Chiara that we didn't already know? Frankly, not much: In addition to her visible eyebrow and nose piercings, she also has a belly button ring, which she's had since she was 15.
Despite attending school at the somewhat isolated Santa Clara University, she has yet to acquire a driver's license. Musically, she favors metal—old school metal, thrash metal, death, viking. She eschews social media, a wise move considering her place of prominence in her father's image and the tendency of even the savviest among us to blow it in off-the-cuff remarks.
The lack of earth-shattering revelations is consistent with the de Blasio's apparent ability to get ahead of a story before it's contorted into splashy tabloid grist. And why not? Ray Kelly groupie and Daily News columnist Mike Lupica wasted no time wrinkling his nose at the video, slamming it as "old-time politicking." Perhaps—but is "old-time politicking" really less preferable than forcing the incoming mayor to squander his already divided attention rectifying bloated half-truths spat by the tabloids? As phrased in one letter to the Daily News:
To Mike Lupica: Have you ever read the front page of your newspaper? Maybe that’s why Bill de Blasio felt he had to get out in front of his daughter’s story. You call it “spin” because he got the opportunity to frame her story, as opposed to you guys splashing it on the cover like the National Enquirer. So, I’m very sorry the family did not allow vultures like you to get to the story and use some kind of salacious headline to sensationalize what is a very sad story. Stop wagging your fingers and shaking your head, and leave them alone.
