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American Morning
Interview With E. Jean Carroll
Aired February 13, 2004 - 09:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's February 13 which of course means it is the day before Valentine's Day. Romance is in the air, Cupid in the house. In other words, E. Jean Carroll is joining us. She of course is the popular advice columnist. Her new book is called "Mr. Right, Right Now: How a Smart Woman Can Land Her Dream Man in Just Six Weeks."
Joining us this morning. Nice to see you.
E. JEAN CARROLL, AUTHOR: You look amazing.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much. I appreciate
CARROLL: You look very healthy and dazzling at the same time.
O'BRIEN: Well, thank you very much. You're so sweet.
Let's talk about Valentine's Day and the pressure and the stress. When did it become so pressure filled?
CARROLL: I loathe Valentine's Day.
O'BRIEN: I don't love it either.
CARROLL: Because if you don't have a sweetheart then the media makes you feel like a big loser.
O'BRIEN: Oh, blame the media, because People often just feel like losers if they don't have a sweetheart.
CARROLL: Of course because they're getting all the pressure.
And if you do have a sweetheart it's even worse because then you have the pressure of getting the right gift, going out and spending a lot of money in a restaurant. Plus the fact you're supposed to feel romantic and sexy. And of course it is death to feeling sexy when you have to feel sexy.
O'BRIEN: Like a big event.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: You've got practical advice. We'll start with the guys. I know Jack and Bill Hemmer are taking notes on what to get me. Maybe I shouldn't say me. You start off with things not to do.
CARROLL: That's right. Do not give that lady lingerie because if you like it, I guarantee she won't. She gets that box, how nice. She's knowing in the back of her mind, I'm going to open it up, it's going to be red net undies.
And then when she sees it, she knows he expects her to put those on and cavort around like Janet Jackson at the halftime. It is bad. No women likes that.
O'BRIEN: Don't give lingerie at all.
CARROLL: No.
O'BRIEN: Even though everyone thinks it's sexy, it's not sexy at all.
CARROLL: Nobody wants -- you pull out the pushup bra, your chest is up to here. It's horrible. We don't like it.
O'BRIEN: Don't give supersize box of chocolates. Why not? I love chocolate.
CARROLL: First of all, you'll be in a sugar stuper by the time Anderson Cooper comes on.
And second of all, a small box is lovely. If you give her a big box, she will eat it and she will hate you.
O'BRIEN: That's so true.
CARROLL: The rest of week: do I look fat? Do I look fat? She just hates that.
O'BRIEN: Here's the best advice. Whatever you give her, send it to the office. At the end of the day, I hate to say it, but it is a competition, isn't it?
CARROLL: It is. The only reason for going to the office today is to flaunt the fact that you have a sweetheart.
O'BRIEN: Oh, honey, roses. Thank you. How sweet.
CARROLL: If your husband is thinking of sending a fur handcuffs, that should be done at home.
O'BRIEN: Girl, I don't live that kind of life -- at this stage.
Let's talk about the women. You say don't take this day seriously.
CARROLL: Do not give a big flying fig doodle about this marketing conspiracy.
(CROSSTALK)
CARROLL: You know, stay home. Get into the bed. Have your stack of fashion magazines, some great movies, your Haagen Daas, your bottle of wine, your phone, talk to your girlfriends. That's the way to do it.
O'BRIEN: Just get through it.
You say don't judge a man by the size of his gift.
CARROLL: No. And don't care if he gives you a gift. Don't expect him to give you a gift.
As a matter of fact, if you want to lower your frustration level on Valentine's Day, don't expect a man to do anything. And then don't be resentful when he does give you a present because then it's festering angst. Not the way to spend Valentine's Day.
O'BRIEN: Your final tip is, being yourself is sexy. Does it mean that you blow off the restaurant and hang out in your sweats with your hair back in a scruncie?
CARROLL: That is so much sexier than putting on some red leather job, don't you think? Don't you think? be yourself.
O'BRIEN: Personally, yes, I would agree with that.
CARROLL: I think most men would rather get up in the morning with their wives looking how she looks in her flannel nightie than in a getup. It's not sexy.
O'BRIEN: Just get through it. Doesn't come again until next year.
CARROLL: If you want to be a real heartthrob, go take some Chocolate Kisses down to the homeless center for the little kids. Do you know there are 17,000 homeless children in New York right now? Just in New York.
So that way you can have a really big heart. Give a little treat where it's really appreciated.
O'BRIEN: Do something meaningful.
E. Jean Carroll, excellent advice. Nice to see you as always.
CARROLL: Thank you, Soledad! You look incredible.
O'BRIEN: You are too nice.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 13, 2004 - 09:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's February 13 which of course means it is the day before Valentine's Day. Romance is in the air, Cupid in the house. In other words, E. Jean Carroll is joining us. She of course is the popular advice columnist. Her new book is called "Mr. Right, Right Now: How a Smart Woman Can Land Her Dream Man in Just Six Weeks."
Joining us this morning. Nice to see you.
E. JEAN CARROLL, AUTHOR: You look amazing.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much. I appreciate
CARROLL: You look very healthy and dazzling at the same time.
O'BRIEN: Well, thank you very much. You're so sweet.
Let's talk about Valentine's Day and the pressure and the stress. When did it become so pressure filled?
CARROLL: I loathe Valentine's Day.
O'BRIEN: I don't love it either.
CARROLL: Because if you don't have a sweetheart then the media makes you feel like a big loser.
O'BRIEN: Oh, blame the media, because People often just feel like losers if they don't have a sweetheart.
CARROLL: Of course because they're getting all the pressure.
And if you do have a sweetheart it's even worse because then you have the pressure of getting the right gift, going out and spending a lot of money in a restaurant. Plus the fact you're supposed to feel romantic and sexy. And of course it is death to feeling sexy when you have to feel sexy.
O'BRIEN: Like a big event.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: You've got practical advice. We'll start with the guys. I know Jack and Bill Hemmer are taking notes on what to get me. Maybe I shouldn't say me. You start off with things not to do.
CARROLL: That's right. Do not give that lady lingerie because if you like it, I guarantee she won't. She gets that box, how nice. She's knowing in the back of her mind, I'm going to open it up, it's going to be red net undies.
And then when she sees it, she knows he expects her to put those on and cavort around like Janet Jackson at the halftime. It is bad. No women likes that.
O'BRIEN: Don't give lingerie at all.
CARROLL: No.
O'BRIEN: Even though everyone thinks it's sexy, it's not sexy at all.
CARROLL: Nobody wants -- you pull out the pushup bra, your chest is up to here. It's horrible. We don't like it.
O'BRIEN: Don't give supersize box of chocolates. Why not? I love chocolate.
CARROLL: First of all, you'll be in a sugar stuper by the time Anderson Cooper comes on.
And second of all, a small box is lovely. If you give her a big box, she will eat it and she will hate you.
O'BRIEN: That's so true.
CARROLL: The rest of week: do I look fat? Do I look fat? She just hates that.
O'BRIEN: Here's the best advice. Whatever you give her, send it to the office. At the end of the day, I hate to say it, but it is a competition, isn't it?
CARROLL: It is. The only reason for going to the office today is to flaunt the fact that you have a sweetheart.
O'BRIEN: Oh, honey, roses. Thank you. How sweet.
CARROLL: If your husband is thinking of sending a fur handcuffs, that should be done at home.
O'BRIEN: Girl, I don't live that kind of life -- at this stage.
Let's talk about the women. You say don't take this day seriously.
CARROLL: Do not give a big flying fig doodle about this marketing conspiracy.
(CROSSTALK)
CARROLL: You know, stay home. Get into the bed. Have your stack of fashion magazines, some great movies, your Haagen Daas, your bottle of wine, your phone, talk to your girlfriends. That's the way to do it.
O'BRIEN: Just get through it.
You say don't judge a man by the size of his gift.
CARROLL: No. And don't care if he gives you a gift. Don't expect him to give you a gift.
As a matter of fact, if you want to lower your frustration level on Valentine's Day, don't expect a man to do anything. And then don't be resentful when he does give you a present because then it's festering angst. Not the way to spend Valentine's Day.
O'BRIEN: Your final tip is, being yourself is sexy. Does it mean that you blow off the restaurant and hang out in your sweats with your hair back in a scruncie?
CARROLL: That is so much sexier than putting on some red leather job, don't you think? Don't you think? be yourself.
O'BRIEN: Personally, yes, I would agree with that.
CARROLL: I think most men would rather get up in the morning with their wives looking how she looks in her flannel nightie than in a getup. It's not sexy.
O'BRIEN: Just get through it. Doesn't come again until next year.
CARROLL: If you want to be a real heartthrob, go take some Chocolate Kisses down to the homeless center for the little kids. Do you know there are 17,000 homeless children in New York right now? Just in New York.
So that way you can have a really big heart. Give a little treat where it's really appreciated.
O'BRIEN: Do something meaningful.
E. Jean Carroll, excellent advice. Nice to see you as always.
CARROLL: Thank you, Soledad! You look incredible.
O'BRIEN: You are too nice.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
