 | Bethenny Frankel: I think she is human!posted by RF Club, Group AdministratorSaturday, November 27th 2010 @ 11:08 PM  (1 ratings) |
I have been sitting back watching the Real Housewives Fans for a long time. It is enjoyable to Tweet with fans about their favorite Housewives and their not so Favorite Housewives. We shake our heads at the stupidity of some. We get frustrated by the antics of others. We celebrate the Housewives we like. Of course, just like in REAL life, we tend to excuse the ones we like when they do things that don't make sense or they mess up and we are harsh on the Housewives we do not like for every little thing. We have zero tolerance for the Housewives we do not like. I would dare say just like in REAL LIFE, right?? A person you do not like you tend to not cut them any slack.
Now, I am going to go out on a limb today and discuss Bethenny Frankel with you guys. I am going to take a slightly different stance than most of you. Please click off this post if you are a DIE HARD Bethenny fan. This is not a post for you to read. I like Bethenny but I am not A DIE HARD fan nor do I understand the obsession with Bethenny. Please exit now for your sake and mine. This post will frustrate you!
Alright, Bethenny fans have been warned therefore we can move on.
It seems clear that Bethenny has always wanted to 'make it'. And I believe she is willing to work hard BUT make no mistake Bethenny is no different than any other housewife. Meaning, Bethenny likes the attention and limelight.
Bethenny started on 'Celebrity Apprentice', moving onto 'Real Housewives of New York City' then her own show, 'Bethenny Getting Married?' If you read her books they are 'fluff' books, well, in my opinion. Bethenny doesn't really give us any NEW information in her books. It is all the same information tied up in a Reality Star Bow but hey if it helps someone eat healthier then more power to them. I do think it is sad it takes an ordinary person with no health/nutritional degrees to guide an overweight person?? But, Bethenny is not the first to do this, stars do it all the time, so more power to her. I prefer to get my information from experts not stars and reality stars, but hey that is just me. Others prefer 'someone just like me' to guide them along because they can relate to the person. In addition, Cookbooks sell well! Which is the reason Teresa Giudice's cookbook has done well too.
Bethenny markets herself well. Bethenny ignored the Haters from day one. She never responds to them on Twitter. Bethenny did a nice mix of Tweeting in the beginning of her career and boy did she 'Tweet' her tail off early on. Originally, Bethenny interacted with her fans and now not so much. Her interactive tweets are all answering questions about cooking and if possible a plug for her book. I don't think this is bad. Bethenny is very good at marketing herself. She still continues to throw the fans 'a bone', tweeting about personal stuff here and there which is smart, this keeps the fans feeling connected with her. Bethenny really uses Twitter as a Branding tool. It was obvious when the Skating With The Stars started, Bethenny popped on Twitter a lot more. She tweeted more personal stuff, not a stupid lady at all. Bethenny was making that personal connection with her fans knowing this would garner votes, very,very smart. Honestly, I think Bethenny Frankel has been intelligent in her business decisions but make no mistake they are business decisions. Her tweeting was not just 'fun' and her wanting to be 'real' and hang with her fans. Overall, Bethenny has marketed herself well. I commend her!!!
Now, I want to look at Bethenny Frankel like any other Housewife, if that is even possible. Honestly, it hasn't been possible. I never felt comfortable writing about Bethenny during the last season of Real Housewives of New York City or her First Season of 'Bethenny Getting Married?' BUT, I am hoping that with time passing and fans settling down we can take a somewhat objective look at Bethenny. I shouldn't say objective we all have our favorites so we tend to let things slide but even with our favorites we have to sometimes try and call it the way we see it. You know call a spade a spade!
Now, Let's start with the 'Bethenny and Jill fight'. Oh, my what a mess. I have always said that there are two sides to every fight and somewhere in the middle is the truth. Meaning, they both had a perspective about 'the fight'. But this so called fight played out on television and Bravo had a vested interest in making sure that Bethenny looked good. Bravo had already signed a deal with Bethenny and her own show. If Bethenny came off looking bad this would have hurt the new show. I found it amazing how women seemed absolutely fine that Bethenny dumped Jill for her business and her new love??? Yes, we all understand when a woman falls in love and the woman gets all caught up in the guy but Bethenny turned on Jill. If I allowed a friend to live at my home for a summer, gave her apartment a makeover and spoke with her several times a day and then 'poof' nothing I would be hurt. Sorry, just being honest. My feelings would definitely be hurt. In addition, if my husband was ill I would be worried and if my so called friend barely checked in, once again, I would be hurt. Now, do I think Jill was innocent? No, Jill was mad and out to get even. She made some bad choices but so did Bethenny and Bravo helped magnify the issue. Then, you throw into the mix a couple of housewives that needed a storyline and you got an even BIGGER mess. I always found it interesting that Jill asked Bethenny to speak off camera and Bethenny refused and yet Bethenny seemed to understand Jason's need for intimate conversations off camera? I have a very dear friend and if she turned to me and asked for privacy I would grant the wish, especially if I wanted to salvage the relationship?? Later, there will be more on my thoughts about Bethenny and her slippery slope of drawing lines of what to share on camera and what not to share! Oh, and just a side note: I never liked it when Bethenny said to Jill "Jason doesn't like you and I just don't know if I can have you in our lives." That is mean and immature. I guess I am blessed to have a husband of 23 years that has never told me who I could be friends with and mind you one of my oldest friends from school he cannot stand but he understands we have our own friendship and he let's it go.
Okay, let us drop the fight. Many of you want to nail Jill Zarin to a Cross for two women having a spat. So be it. You don't like Jill and you see Jill Zarin as an evil person. I will state upfront that I don't see Jill this way at all. I think Jill got the wrong end of the stick and then she could not handle the press and things spiraled way out of control for Jill Zarin. Once again, I don't think Jill was innocent. I do not think she helped matters but I do not believe she is a horrible,evil person. This is my personal view. I truly believe there are always two sides to every story when it comes to silly women fights.
Back to Bethenny Frankel. Let us take a look at what I call Double Standards or hero worship or obsessive love or starstruck or die hard fan behavior, just label it what you want! It is the little things that I find interesting that fans seem to let go of when they like a person and yet if they don't like the person they jump all over that person for every little incident.
Here are just a few of my Bethenny Frankel Gripes!!!!
Scary Island trip- Why did Bethenny go?? Many fans of Bethenny claimed that Kelly should not have 'attacked' Bethenny because she was pregnant. That is such a double standard. You certainly can't claim that Kelly needed to be more sensitive to Bethenny because she was pregnant and yet be fine that Bethenny was on the trip??? If you claim that Bethenny needed to be handled more gently because she was older and pregnant then Bethenny herself should have been more careful about going on the trip??? Correct? I mean she was barely pregnant and she had just traveled for her father's funeral and if she needed rest then I am thinking a true rest at home would have been the best thing for Bethenny and her unborn child. Right?? Not filming a reality show with women whom she knows anything can happen?? Bethenny went for airtime and rightfully so. As a business decision it was the right one. Bravo devoted three episodes to Scary Island, probably because it became Scary Island (LOL)!!
Bethenny and her 'gift bags'. I don't know about you but I just love it when I get a gift bag filled with products from my friend's company, NOT! Once again, that was promotional. The camera panned in on her SKIINNY GIRL bags and all her products, free advertisement for Bethenny. I am sick to death of ALL the housewives promoting themselves on the shows and Bethenny is no different and yet many, and I mean many people tweeted and wrote on their blogs how they thought the gift bags were great and thoughtful, please let me put my finger down my throat. Why?? I need to throw up from all the double standard crap!
Now, Bethenny likes to claim she keeps it real for us?? Really?? Her peeing on the pregnancy stick helps with the illusion. I don't think it is necessary for us to watch her pee on a stick but once again just me and my opinion. It is funny how her fans are very accepting of what she claims is 'keeping it real'. Bethenny claimed Jason wouldn't propose on camera because that was personal and intimate. I happen to agree but for a reality star where do these lines really get drawn?? In addition, with each reality celebrity isn't it different??? Meaning, each person has a different comfort level. Frequently, Bethenny makes statements that are judgmental of the other reality stars and their choices and I think that is hypocritical. She insinuates other Reality Celebrities are not as real.
Bethenny, who just had a child was giving advice to the D.C. Housewives about having their children appear on the show?? I found it funny that a woman who hadn't even begun to raise a child was dishing out advice to mothers. If anything these ladies should have been the ones offering advice. In addition, Bethenny was claiming it was okay for her to have her child on the show because her child was unaware. How long can Bethenny make this claim??? Children become aware quickly. Her child is already aware of all the camera crew in her life?? Bethenny needs exposure to keep her BRAND alive and it will be interesting to see as her child grows how she handles the limelight?? She will find as the child grows her child will not want tweeted about (LOL).
More Gripes:
Max! Having Max pack her underwear and shop for underwear??? I am curious if women would have found it funny if a guy had a woman doing the same tasks???
The scene where people were coming to look at the apartment as perspective buyers and Bethenny tried to sabotage the sale?? If this is portrayed as a REALITY show then the scene is not funny. It is immature. As a person who owns rental properties I would be beyond upset if my tenants, who were not willing to buy the place, would deliberately try to ruin a sale for me, especially in this market. If Bethenny claims they were having 'fun' for the show then it isn't a REALITY show anymore. She isn't being REAL, nope, she is being phony and putting on gag for the camera?? Either way, Bethenny lost points for me with that scene. Of course, Die Hard fans will come to her rescue and yet they ripped Jill for fooling around when Ally was interviewing for a college?? Same type of scene, correct???
I thought it was odd that Bethenny planned her own baby shower?? Typically close friends or family do this event. I think Bethenny is controlling and wouldn't allow it OR worse she wanted it filmed and therefore she had to plan it?? It was funny that people commented negatively about the same fact, that Phaedra Parks had her own shower. Many stated it was tacky and inappropriate, so what gives? Why not tacky and inappropriate when Bethenny planned her shower?? I don't care that Phaedra's was over the top it was still odd that both women planned their own showers and I will be honest I wouldn't want to have a massage at a shower, I thought that was a bit weird that Bethenny had offered massages at her baby shower???
But, let us back up a bit. It is even stranger that they showed Bethenny and Jason practically naked while heading to the hospital the day she delivered?? Jason claims to not like reality television??? Personally, I think he is having no trouble jumping on the bandwagon which is probably good for the marriage because I don't think Bethenny will give up Reality Television until she securely segues into something bigger and better.
I have no problem with Bethenny Frankel and her ambitions but I think people need to see her for what she is, a middle aged woman using Reality Television to build a BRAND and NOW she is also trying to move out of Reality Television ,if at all possible.
Like I said in the beginning, I like Bethenny Frankel. I think she can be funny and witty. BUT, just like all the other Housewives she has her moments of irritating me. There is not ONE HOUSEWIFE or REALITY STAR that I adore or believe shares their lives with us totally nor do I believe they should. I do hope things work out for Bethenny. In my opinion Bethenny is devoting a lot of herself to her BRAND. I hope she gets her 'EVER AFTER' but your first years of marriage are some of your toughest and with a new baby it can be even tougher. I can't help but wonder how many Thanksgivings her husband will tolerate her working. Bethenny did not spend it with family, she spent it skating in LA and then popping in with her family??? For a show she claimed she did for fun?? Many of the other housewives tweeted about their Thanksgiving Day and they were spending it with family, friends and even visiting 'soup kitchens'.
Make no mistake Bethenny Frankel is a driven lady and her actions are calculated!
Oh, heads up, for now on I will be writing more posts that include my views about Bethenny too!
Please take a moment to visit the Homepage and watch the Video about Reality Television. It is very interesting indeed!!
Lucy
RFclub
