When the euro became bling-bling

Something quite interesting happened three years ago. You might remember. There were lots of media reports that Gisele Bündchen, the Brazilian supermodel who lives in Boston, was asking to be paid in euros for her photo shoots. The message was clear: the dollar was out of fashion.

Around the same time, mega-star Jay-Z released "Blue Magic". In the video, there's lots of the bling-bling that's part of hip-hop culture: gold chains, champagne, Adidas and Gucci clothing, a Rolls-Royce and a Bentley car. But the thing that got people really talking was the money. We see wads and wads of €500 notes. The message was clear: the dollar was not just down, it was out.

Interestingly, when the euro became bling-bling, 50 Cent didn't change to a different currency. Maybe the rapper who promised to "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" knew what was coming.