Bethenny Frankel Skinnygirl: Is She Using ‘RHONY’ Too Much For Product Placement?

Bethenny Frankel has become a wildly successful businesswoman, as she took an idea and turned it into an empire. Bethenny had the idea of creating a skinny margarita, where she would create an alcoholic drink without a huge amount of calories. It was a cocktail that allowed women to consume alcohol without feeling guilty. Fans of The Real Housewives of New York and Bethenny Ever After watched her create her business, meet with people and grow her empire. She reportedly sold parts of the company for $100 million and her Skinnygirl business is a big part of her life and her storyline on The Real Housewives of New York this season.

According to a new tweet, Bethenny Frankel is apparently facing some backlash for using The Real Housewives of New York to market her products, even though it was the show that made her successful. It would only make sense for Bethenny to market her products on the show, as The Real Housewives of New York that helped her find the massive success she has. So when people start being rude to her about showcasing her products on the show, Bethenny Frankel doesn’t feel bad one bit.

“Why do ppl give Bethenny Frankel s**t for SG product placement? Show me 1 business person who would say no to free advertising. Ridiculous #RHONY,” one person wrote on Twitter after watching The Real Housewives of New York, to which Bethenny Frankel added, “It’s what I do for a living every day vs people who promote fake businesses for show content.”

Of course, Frankel runs a business on a daily basis, and she’s using the show to market her products. While some people may be bothered by it, she doesn’t feel bad at all. Frankel needs to market her products for her business to be successful and she knows that millions of people watch the show every week. It would be crazy for her to pass up the opportunity. It is possible that people are upset about her comments in regards to Luann de Lesseps’ wedding, where Bethenny Frankel said that she would only go to the wedding if she could provide the drinks, which would create another product placement opportunity. But who is she referring to when she’s talking about fake businesses? Is she talking about Sonja Morgan, who she called out last year for creating a copy brand?

“I really do work like a dog, and it is so challenging running a business and a brand. Most of it isn’t glamorous but more like a grind. It is my mission to help women in business and give them inspiration and guidance but also to not fool them into thinking you go on TV and voila you have a business,” Bethenny wrote in her Bravo blog for The Real Housewives of New York last year when Sonja Morgan had tried to launch a cheaper brand of her Skinnygirl business.

“Sonja has had: an event company, a jewelry line, toaster, Nigerian football team, fashion line, and now a Prosecco–none of which have come to fruition. It is laughable but more sad. Women, this is not how it works. This is the problem when being a reality star is your actual job versus having a career the show follows. People create imaginary businesses to stay relevant,” Frankel continues, adding, “Dorinda is right that there is room for everyone. I single-handedly cracked the code and invented a category in the spirits industry, and it was next to impossible.”

What do you think of Bethenny Frankel’s comments about using the show to market her business?

[Featured Image by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Skinnygirl Candy]