9 minute read
Christine Quinn cover interview
THE BOSS HAS ARRIVED
Selling Sunset’s Christine Quinn talks motherhood, what empowers her, and owning being TV’s biggest villain
ELEGANT,
on-time, and unafraid to say what she thinks. Christine Quinn is exactly how you’d expect as we get acquainted via
Zoom - This is the first interview she’s done in preparation for the release of her new book: How to be a Boss Bitch.
Since the latest season of Selling Sunset was released, the 33-year-old glamour queen has inevitably taken a lot of heat from fans, as she’s regularly depicted as the show’s
villain with a fiery attitude and a willingness to burn bridges to get what she wants. It’s something she doesn’t mind at all, and the basis of how she’s written the tell-all-meetsself-help-guide book on being the best version of yourself. “I love being the villain, I do. And with that, also comes a negative connotation, which I don’t understand,” she tells us. “Being the villain means I can have fun being a bitch and saying outrageous things and having the balls to say what everyone else is already thinking. But you know, that’s what being a boss bitch is all about.” Chri 18 BLUSH | SUMMER 2022
The real estate agent’s book was inspired by viewers of the Netflix show who also shared Christine’s attitudes - that it’s ok to play by your own rules and smash society’s expectations of women. She cites that confidence is definitely something she’s had to learn, and having to adapt to the Los Angeles lifestyle wasn’t as seamless as it may seem. It’s taken time – and more so pressure - to get to where she is now. “How I am now was through years of rejection and being told no, or thinking that I’m not good enough,” she adds.
“I grew up in a below-average household and I just wanted so much more. I knew I was good, and if someone would give me a chance, I would do great things.”
“I was engaged to someone at 21 years old back in Texas and I know if I’d stayed there and lived that life, I wouldn’t have been authentic to myself. My dreams were the most important thing to me.”
Coming from a small-town background, becoming a real estate agent was never originally in the cards for Christine, after she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career, although selling houses might not be on the cards forever. Davina’s $75 million listing will undoubtably be devastated.
“I would love to do, gosh... so many things” she laughs. “But I think for me, the next thing would be a fashion line. I’ve always wanted to create a swimsuit line. I would love to be a Creative Director for a fashion brand too, like Moschino or Diesel.
“I don’t think we’ll be in LA permanently forever. I love Los Angeles. But my husband is European - he’s from France, and we both love Europe. I love the UK.
“I want to be able to be here when I have to work, but then be able to escape, so that’s kind of our plan.”
One of the biggest talking points across any season of Selling Sunset was undoubtably Christine’s shock baby announcement, particularly as the mumto-be wasn’t feeling the support from her co-stars.
That, of course, didn’t stop her throwing an ultra-lavish baby shower that set the tot up for a great start.
Now, at eleven months old, Christian (or Baby C for short), is thriving.
“He’s really, really smart. He’s just so advanced, I can tell for his age,” she dotes of her first child. “He has a lot of friends in his age group - he’s tall too.
“My husband’s 6’2 and I’m 5’10 so he’s really tall and seems athletic. He was actually riding horses the other day – he loves horses and I ride horses as well, so maybe he gets his athletic gene from me!”
That being said, the new mum still often takes time to reflect on the turbulence filming created during her pregnancy, and the way her welldocumented near-death birth experience has changed her perspective from the Christine who loved drama we used to see on-screen.
She adds, “I’m 33 years old, and I never thought I would have an experience where I would be close to death - I never even thought that was possible, let alone for my baby.
“Now I make sure that I’m only around people that I want to be with, I’m only in situations that make me happy. I’m only doing things that make me feel good, and if I’m ever in a situation where I don’t feel like it benefits me energetically, I will walk away.
“My post-partum depression was definitely brought on by the show. After we got done filming, I took time to really revaluate what my triggers were. I knew I had depression, I knew it was from my pregnancy, and I knew it was heightened because of the office situation, and the girls treating me really, really, really horribly.
“So, I said I’m not watching the television show. To this day. I have not seen the new season, and I won’t.
“I took a detox from social media. I didn’t want to see any negativity, I just I needed to be just in my own element. My husband and I were travelling with our baby and I needed a mental break.”
Christine met husband and tech entrepreneur, Christian, through a mutual friend who had been on a date with him previously but wasn’t feeling it - and luckily for her, they had an instant connection. It also helped that he was looking for a house, and Christine’s credentials made her the perfect woman for the job.
Three years and a Hollywood Hills wedding later, the pair are stronger than ever, with the blonde speaking of her beau: “What I love about him is how we’re able to just be ourselves with each other. If we have days where we’re not feeling good, I’ll just say ‘hey, I don’t feel good today, let’s just hang out and watch TV’ and he’s totally accepting of that.
“I really think that’s what relationships all about, it’s not about everything being perfect all the time. Sometimes, things are going to happen but it’s just being able to go with the flow, and really being there for the other person. I love him for how caring and thoughtful he can be.”
“We’re actually working on a business venture now, together. It’s the first time his tech industry world and my world will collide.”
The couple have come up with an innovative solution to disrupt the real estate market, allowing anyone to buy and sell homes using cryptocurrency in a firstof-its-kind platform - raising questions about whether this is the start of the end for needing actual agents.
But, having had a roster of careers – from her younger acting and bartending days, through to being one of LA’s best real estate agents, it’s difficult to wonder how Christine remains so calm and collected in life. Sure, we’ve seen her flexing her yoga skills on Netflix, but refusing to stick to the status quo is what keeps her on top of her game.
“I definitely do feel a lot more pressure, but that pressure is what lights my fire inside. I always thought I’d be a really great lawyer or litigator or therapist.
“However, I see it as a positive because I’m able to use my platform to help people and make them a better person and let them know that really anything is possible. You know, when I was growing up, we didn’t have any money for college. Sometimes we didn’t have any money for food. And I want people to know that no matter your position now, anything is possible.
“Our intuition as women is never wrong, you get this feeling in your stomach when you’re in a situation that isn’t right for you.
Photographer: Sarah Orbanic | Hair - Glen Coco | MU - Josie Melano | Stylist – Kat Gosik “I think the hardest thing to learn is how to say no. It takes power to be able to say no. No is walking away from relationships that no longer serve you, no is standing up to your boss who wants you to work when it’s your daughter’s birthday. No is the most powerful word.
“Don’t apologise for what you say, who you are, how you act and how you feel.”
That being said, she insists her turbulent relationships with her colleagues isn’t just for show.
“Before the cameras were rolling, the people that were organically at the office - Mary, Maya, Heather and then Davina later - we got along really well. And we loved working together.
“We had a really good time, but I think we’re in a weird position where some of these women view things as competition but really the only competition you have is yourself.
“I’ve started to separate my work life and my friendships and my friends are people that don’t work in real estate.”
Something that is for show, however, is the mystery surrounding Christine’s love of painstakingly high heels. The selfdescribed dominatrix Barbie never misses a beat when it comes to office attire, but as she’s settling into motherhood, she’s trying to tone it down a little.
“I have always loved sexy; I’ve always loved leather and it makes me feel really confident. But then I love pink and being a Barbie girl and you know, sparkles and jewels,” she admits.
“My secret is I don’t wear heels all the time. I always have flip flops in the car, or even when I’m at the office. I’m a mom. I always have a huge bag that I carry which I put them in – you can’t wear heels all day! It’s physically impossible.”
Christine is always dripped out in the latest collections from some of the most high fashion brands on the planet. And whether it’s a Chanel two-piece or her iconic Balenciaga logo knit, there’s one piece of her wardrobe she’s always championing – and it’s the one that keeps her most humble. “One item I will never ever get rid of is the first purse I ever bought myself – a Louis Vuitton Monogram Speedy. It was at a time when I was bartending and had not a single dollar to my name, but I had a credit card. I’m a big manifester and I wanted to see what it would feel like to own a Louis Vuitton purse, and it was so unachievable at the time. So, I bought it to just stare at in my apartment, and then tried to return it after two weeks but the guy wouldn’t let me. It was the scariest moment of my life, because I didn’t have $2,000 at that time and I had to work my ass off to pay it off.
“It’ll always remind me how hard it is to earn money. And no matter how much money you have, it’s still is a constant reminder to be grateful of everything.”
