Mommy Wine Culture & The Skinny Girl Virus

Alcohol does nothing to empower women

Besides dollar signs Bethenny — what were you thinking?

I saw this coming a mile away — I just didn’t know how bad it would get. The year was 2008, and my now ex-wife — who I currently have a great co-parenting relationship with — was a big fan of The Real Housewives of New York City.

Personally, I was never a fan of the show, and while I know it’s marketed toward women, its appeal was still confounding to me. I had to ask her, “Why do you want to watch other women screaming, backstabbing, and insulting each other?”

My ex-wife is a self-employed, high-profile personal trainer, who inspires women (and men) and lives on positive affirmations. Constant negativity is her kryptonite.

Neither one of us liked arguing or yelling (I created this Medium account to vent all of my worldly grievances) so I just couldn’t figure out why she liked the show. When I pressed her on it, out of sincere curiosity, she said that Bethenny Frankel — the show’s biggest “star” — was inspiring to her.