You know, I was a fan of Whitney Houston's music. I also thought the Bodyguard was one of the most romantic movies I have ever watched and have seen it several times. That is how I remember her, not the worn, drawn, drugged out looking woman that came after.
I never watched the show with her husband, BB and didn't follow his career. What I know of their marriage, toxic relationship, and drug use is what I have picked up here and there from the media.
But today I wasn't feeling well and watched some of the shows "On Our Own". I wanted to see BKB and hear her voice. The programs I watched online left me feeling very empty and sad for this girl. It seemed that not only was her mother's death and fame exploited by this production, but her grief and coming to terms with it in a natural way were too.
I know enough about reality shows to realize that much is scripted and staged. But even if a bit of it is true, from the episodes I watched, I was left wondering if she had any real meaningful relationships after her mother was gone.
She talked of texting her daddy and getting no response from him, said their relationship was "complicated". They did not seem to be the center of each other's world or even close to it. If what I watched on the show is close to reality, then her relationship with her grandmother Cissy was also distant and strained.
I am not sure what she had with NG, but I do think she has been seeking security and love and a sense of family and somewhere she belonged. Maybe he filled that void for her or at least she looked for it to.
She wanted a career in acting or singing but to be honest, I don't think she had the natural talent that is sometimes expected of famous offspring. Maybe she was realizing that she was not going to make a name for herself in that direction but felt the pressure to do so. I don't know if she was prepared to do anything else with her life, I've read nothing about her education or her childhood, other than that she lived with and was on the road with her mother.
If her relationship with NG was not working out, I don't know who she had in her life to turn to. She has this huge extended family but many of them were supported by her mother's career from what I can tell. Perhaps there was a lot of pressure for her to continue that legacy and it was just too much for her. I was left just feeling like this girl had been exposed to a lot of things as a child and teenager that left her unprepared to cope.
I think instead of calling their show "On Our Own" they should of called it "On Her Own".