Bethenny Frankel is putting out Skinnygirl vitamins, which is weird branding, right?
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Bethenny Frankel is off of the Real Housewives of New York, which seems smart because that can’t be good for your mental health. She’s got her Skinnygirl line, which includes drinks, snacks and clothing, and she’s doing fine. I tend to assume most of her success is from branding. Some women will buy drinks and snacks that say “skinny” in them, and we typically do want clothes to make us look thinner. Will women buy “skinnygirl” branded vitamins and supplements with a stick figure of a character on them though? Bethenny is betting that they will.
Bethenny… is announcing her latest venture, Skinnygirl Supplements, a partnership between Skinnygirl and VirMax to launch a new line of four daily supplements, available at Walgreens.
The four include one to strengthen hair, skin and nails with Biotin, a second (with collagen) to enhance skin, a third for relaxation and sleep, and a fourth to enhance female intimacy and “elevate sensation and improve blood flow,” according to the press release.
“These were all things affecting me as a woman,” says Frankel. “I was looking for something natural. It’s just for honest women’s issues. No crazy claims and unrealistic promises. Just maintenance.”
As for the “female intimacy” supplement, she says, “I feel like things aren’t always as spicy and sexy for woman as they get older. It’s not just about our bodies changing, it’s also about more responsibilities, having kids…”
“It’s more like a better mood enhancer,” notes Frankel. “It’s nothing crazy. You’re not popping a supplement and then rocking the house down all night long, but if you take it regularly, it works.”
As for Frankel’s boyfriend Paul Bernon, the film producer and real estate executive whom she’s been dating for over a year, she says with a laugh: “Let’s just say there have been no complaints.” Bernon, she says, is “all for it.”
“He loves the idea that I’m embracing that,” she says. “That’s one thing as we get older, we don’t lose that [desire] and I think women are embracing their sexuality more and also talking more about it.”
At least she’s realistic about the claims for these vitamins. She’s also trying to address specific issues we have, especially as we age, which is smart. I just bought a biotin supplement off Amazon. My hairdresser tells me biotin does work to increase and strengthen hair, as long as you continue to take it. Plus I’m taking that menopause supplement Amberen which I talked about on an Amazon post. So I’m definitely the target market for this, but I wouldn’t buy vitamins from Skinnygirl! I want vitamins to make me feel healthy and strong, and the Skinnygirl branding seems like “thinness at all costs,” you know? Plus I wouldn’t want to put those on an open shelf in my bathroom. They make it look like it’s not about health and wellness, but just being a thin bitch. I’m not going to lie, I’ve worked on doing that but it’s more about feeling good and being strong for me, especially when I’m buying vitamins or supplements. I’m not saying that these supplements don’t work as well as others on the market, I don’t know about that, just that they’re for a very specific niche of women and that seems short-sighted. Why not change the labels a little?
Photos via Skinnygirl, Instagram
