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I am really conflicted in writing this. I am a big fan of Bethenny Frankel, from the Real Housewives of New York City. In fact, the New York series is (surprisingly, considering my tastes) the only of the Housewives Franchise that I watch. On top of that, Bethenny is my favorite of the ladies. She is humorous, engaging, brassy but never malicious, and most pertinent of all, has built an incredibly successful business empire that seems to have helped (mainly) women all over to become happier with themselves, and lose weight by, as her book states, becoming “naturally thin.” My only fear is, and the reason I’m writing this, is I don’t necessarily think many of the tips that Bethenny proclaims are healthy ways of becoming “naturally thin.”
The now-pregnant Frankel has stated that she struggled with eating disorders when she was younger and has overcome them. Which is great. But tips like ” Taste Everything, Eat Nothing,” are classic eating disordered behaviors. It sounds good at first, but as reviewers have mentioned, she advocates tips such as having “three bites of everything” you want and then pawning the rest of your food off on your dining companions. Disclaimer: I have not read Bethenny’s book, but I am a follower of her on various sources and have come across, time and time again, statements that make me pause. Make me think, should this be the woman giving advice to people on how to become “naturally thin”? Talk like this isn’t new, and I’m not the first one to bring it up. There was buzz in the blogosphere a few months ago in early July that she is addicted to laxatives, when the New York Post wrote a blind item “Which unnaturally thin celebrity chef credits her bony frame to good eating habits, but really is addicted to laxatives?” Aside from blind items that point suspiciously to the BRAVO star, there are other statements that Bethenny herself makes that don’t necessarily prove she still struggles with disordered thinking, but seem to suggest it’s certainly possible that she might.
Take this YouTube video for example, where she gives you a recipe for her famous skinnygirl margaritas. Near the end, if you skip to 2:20, she says, ” When I go out to dinner and people order a Margarita with salt, I cringe, because really…And everybody gets mad at me because I’m such a stick in the mud, I’m annoying and I should be having more fun…I have a lot of fun, but I cringe when people order a Margarita with salt. It’s like I feel like my ankles are swelling and I’m bloated thinking about it.”
Doesn’t exactly sound like the thoughts of someone who has stopped obsessing about food, dieting, and her own weight. It seems like Bethenny doesn’t live by the central idea that her empire is based on: That you can live a naturally thin life, by making lifestyle changes, without “dieting” and without being neurotic about food.
Again, I am hesitant to even bring up this topic because she has clearly helped many women and I only wish the best for her. I just also wish that many of her tips, were, well “healthier.”
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