COMMENTARY | Despite the often brash, over-sharing personality of Bethenny Frankel, the details revealed on Wednesday of her recent miscarriage place her in a new light. Fans finally get to see a very raw, serious side to the reality star that is devoid of her usual sarcastic humor. With all of the media attention on the empire that she seemingly is building, it has been easy for some (like myself) to become uninterested in her never-ending quest for fame and fortune. But a miscarriage stops you in your tracks, whether you’re the person living it or the fan watching it. For the first time in over a year, I again feel a bit of a connection to the woman who wants it all.
In a moving interview with Glamour magazine, Frankel recalls her loss, from unexpectedly finding out she was pregnant to learning of the miscarriage one day after hearing the heartbeat. Although I have not experienced a miscarriage, I have gone through pregnancy as recently as last year. And, I vividly remember the doctor appointments, seeing/hearing the heartbeat, and having the same type of spotting that Frankel speaks of. Those first few months are a trying time as your body adjusts to the life growing inside of you. And, whenever there is something off about your pregnancy, it makes you worry all the more.
We all know that Frankel has a million balls in the air at any given time. She stars in her own reality show, she founded the Skinnygirl Cocktails brand, she wrote a novel, she participated in “Skating with the Stars,” she has her own talk show, etc. There is never any down time for the girl, and that’s a struggle that she deals with on her show: the elusive balancing act. Upon reading about her second pregnancy, it was nice to see that she actually listened to her doctor and took it easy each day. Anyone who watches Frankel knows that she’s not one to do what’s expected of her.
I feel sad for Bethenny’s loss. I have grown jaded by her constant presence in the media, and it’s not because of jealousy. I truly wanted her to succeed and be the person she wanted to be. But, with the latest season of “Bethenny Ever After,” I lost interest in her. It was painful to watch her life unfold after the success she found. But, as a new mom, I am heartbroken for what she must have gone through with her miscarriage. As much as I don’t care to watch her on television going forward, I hope that she can heal from this miscarriage. And I certainly hope that people respect what she’s gone through, enough that she doesn’t have to answer the question of whether she plans to have another baby.
