Bodyguards Are The New Ugg Boots

Far be it from me to openly question others’ self-aggrandizing behavior, but I have to say, this seems a tad self-aggrandizing:

If you want to flirt with Darcy Smith, beware. You’ll have to get through her personal bouncer first.

Brendan Reed, a 6-foot-5, 315-pound tough guy Smith affectionately calls “the medium-sized one,” is one of three muscle-bound diplomats Smith uses to ward off admirers when she goes clubbing with her friends.

For $10 an hour plus expenses, Reed ensures that unwanted Romeos don’t start dirty dancing or asking for the women’s phone numbers.

“Some men can be really aggressive,” said Smith, a 30-something entrepreneur from South Orange, N.J. “It makes the experience a lot more pleasant. My bodyguard’s my most valued accessory.”

Just to be clear, as far as we understand, it’s not like Ms. Smith is venturing too far out of the green zone here — she’s no celebrity, either — just your average everyday clubgoer:

Smith is married and owns the West Village restaurant Andavi with her husband David Kokakis. But waving her ring does little to dissuade cocky New Yorkers.

The final straw came last February, when she was having a drink with a friend, 27-year-old Elicia Castaldi, in a hotel bar. Two groups of men kept offering to buy them drinks, and wouldn’t be put off by their refusals. Eventually, the manager allegedly told the women things might be better if they left.

The admirers “were getting really mad!” Castaldi said, adding that rich, eligible bachelors often feel “entitled.” Smith was livid that the barman seemed to blame the women more for attracting attention than the men who crossed the line.

The next day, with her husband’s encouragement, Smith put an ad on Craigslist looking for a security guard who would join her and her friends when they went out. The ad netted a moonlighting security guard named Victor and two other bouncers.

Not only does a bodyguard’s presence help Smith to let loose when she goes out, it also gives her husband piece of mind when he’s working or at home.

“It’s not about fending off guys who may want to flirt or hit on them — that’s fine.” Kokakis says. “It’s about keeping the drunken, aggressive pr–ks [pricks] away from them. Many guys mistake when a woman says ‘no’ for ‘try harder, be more persuasive.'”

“If you’re a woman who’s been driven out of bars or clubs because guys just won’t leave you the hell alone, then you’ll understand that it’s worth the money to have a bodyguard watch your back for the night,” he added.

Of course there’s always the option of — gosh, I don’t know — simply refusing to patronize bars populated by bridge and tunnel trash (present company excluded, of course)?