The Fate of Socialite Rank & SocialiteRank.com (2024)
Archived website
The Socialite Rank website was a rudimentary blog that gossiped about the social scene in New York City. It was only active for about a year, and it was a precursor to Park Avenue Peerage. The site, essentially, ranked the popular heiresses of the NYC social scene from 2006 to 2007 when it shut down.
Who founded www.SocialiteRank.com?
FAIR USE: Click to Enlarge
There was much speculation in the beginning who established the SocialiteRank.com platform, which added greatly to the mystique of the website.
Some speculated that one or more of the heiresses in the social scene were behind it, but that turned out to be false.
A European couple who were living and working in New York City at the time eventually confessed to being responsible. They were featured in the documentary titled Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl.
Socialite Rank was featured in many domestic and international publications and was a sensation well before Perez Hilton and TMZ were household names.
Some speculated that one or more of the heiresses in the social scene were behind it, but that turned out to be false.
A European couple who were living and working in New York City at the time eventually confessed to being responsible. They were featured in the documentary titled Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl.
Socialite Rank was featured in many domestic and international publications and was a sensation well before Perez Hilton and TMZ were household names.
Legal Action & the Demise of Socialite Rank
The couple who started Socialite Rank claim the site was a sort of social experiment inspired by Andy Warhol and his "Factory" in the 1960s; however, the website went beyond mere gossip and several of the multi-billion-dollar families who were offended by the website's insults took legal action.
The couple behind the site were low-level workers in the NYC scene and didn't have the financial means to hire a lawyer to litigate, so they quickly shut the site down to appease the angry heiresses. Many speculate that some of the low-ranking socialites like Olivia Palermo (ranked #20 of 20) were angry that Tinsley Mortimer consistently ranked #1, but there is no evidence to support that claim.
The couple behind the site were low-level workers in the NYC scene and didn't have the financial means to hire a lawyer to litigate, so they quickly shut the site down to appease the angry heiresses. Many speculate that some of the low-ranking socialites like Olivia Palermo (ranked #20 of 20) were angry that Tinsley Mortimer consistently ranked #1, but there is no evidence to support that claim.
Is there a Socialite Rank archive?
Yes, there is a Socialite Rank archive on the Wayback Machine website. There are many socialites you can read about, including but not limited to:
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Many of these same heiresses were featured on the Park Avenue Peerage website, but the stories on that platform were more constructive.
The Aftermath of the "Socialite Age"
Many reputations were made and destroyed in New York's socialite scene in the 2000s as the internet became ubiquitous. Several scripted and unscripted TV shows were born from the trend, including "Gossip Girl."
VIDEO: Here is the trailer for Queenmaker (2023) on Hulu.
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