Fictional Finances: Sookie Stackhouse of “True Blood”
Though its premise may be a little far-fetched, HBO’s “True Blood” has been a hit since its premiere in September of 2008. Set in the tiny (fictional) Louisiana town of Bon Temps, “True Blood” features a star-studded cast of preternaturally attractive people, mostly notably Anna Paquin as the show’s main female lead, Sookie Stackhouse.
At first glance, Sookie is just like every other girl in Bon Temps - lives with her grandmother, works as a waitress at the local watering hole and is content with the simple life her income affords her. However, upon closer inspection, we notice that Sookie’s hair, skin and nails always look perfect, and that when she’s not wearing her waitressing uniform, her clothes are always adorable. Additionally, when her grandmother died, Sookie inherited the house - and presumably all of the maintenance bills, property taxes and upkeep costs that go with it.
So, how does Sookie do it? Well, she’s definitely not putting in more hours at the bar. Though she does do a little telepathy work for vampires for extra cash, dating a vampire (and having to save her town from a maenad) has caused her to lose precious hours at Merlotte’s. Louisiana is one of five states with no minimum wage laws, but federal minimum wage for waitstaff is $2.13 an hour. In a low cost-of-living, low income area like Bon Temps, Sookie can’t be pulling down much more than $10 extra an hour in tips. $12 an hour total isn’t bad for waitressing, but will it keep Sookie in highlights and high heels? Credit cards (and credit card debt) simply must come into play!
Sookie’s blonde tresses have to set her back at least $150 per treatment, and since she never has roots, she probably hits the salon every three weeks. Throw in a mani-pedi, eyebrow wax and maybe a facial, and you’re looking at probably $300 a month just for beauty treatments. Pull out the plastic - that’s all going on a credit card for sure. Clothes, shoes and other accessories add up - and we see her in at least three different cute and fully accessorized outfits per episode! Then there are basic living expenses - even if Sookie’s house and car are paid off, she still needs gas, utilities, food - and renovating the house after that whole Bacchanalian orgy thing is going to cost a fortune. Do I see a Home Depot credit card in Sookie’s future?
Okay, so “True Blood” is slightly unrealistic, both in terms of plot and the financial viability of its characters (don’t even get me started on what Bill’s credit card bill must look like!). That’s just part of the fun, though. With vampires, telepaths, maenads and other mystical creatures abounding, there are better things to worry about than Sookie’s credit report.
