Even established celebrities like to show off every once in a while on social media, balancing out those posts with more relatable, normie-like content. For reality stars, striking the right balance between the two is essential because much of their living depends on their following on the socials.
Bethenny Frankel is probably not a name familiar to auto enthusiasts, though she's a low-key car enthusiast herself. She's more famous with reality TV fans, female shoppers looking for anything from low-calorie alternatives to popular snacks to shapewear and makeup products, and celebrity podcast fans.
The same Bethenny Frankel came briefly but heavily under fire last weekend after a post about how she bought a new car just so she could have something to match her outfit to. Even her loyal fans took issue with that, criticizing her for being completely out of touch and for being cutesy when the rest of the world was struggling financially, so Frankel did a celebrity's version of backtracking. She edited her post.
The post included three photos of Frankel looking her usual gorgeous self, all glammed out for a dinner party in the Hamptons. Wearing a baby blue long knitted dress accessorized with brown leather mules and a wicker handbag with leather accents, Frankel also stood by a 4-door Bronco in the same shade of blue, with a black and brown interior.
Photo: Instagram/Bethenny Frankel
"When you buy a car to match your outfit…," she wrote in the caption, suggesting that she'd bought the 4-door Bronco, a Heritage Limited Edition model, just so she could play match-match with her outfit. Even for a woman who lives for expensive handbags like Frankel, casually splashing some $60,000 for that seems a bit excessive.
It was even more so for her fans, many of whom started following Frankel on the socials and even buying her products because she likes to "keep it real." Getting into online feuds with Chanel is one thing, but this felt out of touch – and they made sure to let her know it.
In a matter of hours, Frankel heard reason and most likely realized she'd ignored the unwritten rule of never showing off too much. "Baby blues," reads her caption now, hinting that she picked the outfit just so it would match her car. Like a regular person would do.
Photo: Ford
The funniest part is that she most certainly didn't buy the car for the reason she claimed to, though that wouldn't be unheard of with certain A-listers. Frankel has owned the Heritage Bronco at least since early June, and it even made a brief appearance in a garage tour she posted at the time. Since her online fame doesn't rely on her being a car girl, Frankel never got into the specs of the vehicle – or any other, for that matter – so the appearance must've flown under the radar for her fans.
The takeaway from this storm-in-a-teacup celebrity story is that, number one, Frankel has good taste in cars and that, number two, things are never what they seem on social media. The latter shouldn't really come as a surprise.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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