Bethenny Frankel Discovers Elitism!

On Wednesday, Bethenny Frankel showed up at one of Chanel’s retail locations in Chicago only to be turned away because she didn’t have an appointment. Now, plebeians know this to be a very common occurrence in most luxury stores, but because we’re talking about a former Real Housewife here, she was outraged (and clearly, bored) enough to turn it into an entire social experiment for her Instagram audience.

“I’m like, ‘No, I don’t have an appointment. I have a credit card. I have a bag of Garrett’s popcorn, a basic bitch purse. Am I not allowed to come in at 3:54 on a Tuesday?” Frankel, standing outside the store, raged in a video posted to Instagram. “Evidently not.”

“To be treated like you’re an interloper…I didn’t realize we weren’t allowed to walk into stores anymore. Gotta get a pap smear appointment and also to walk into Chanel. No big deal,” she ranted. Tell me you’ve never been treated like you didn’t belong in a space without telling me you’ve been treated like you didn’t belong in a space. I mean, shit. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve been denied entry from a luxury store I’d actually be able to enter one and buy…a keychain.

In her caption, Frankel specified that “security is critical” because “crime is at an all time high” in the Windy City (OK!). Even still, she felt the store’s security guard’s behavior was “elitist and exclusionary” and wondered whether her appearance (a “sweaty tshirt [sic] and not dolled up or looking wealthy”) was what cost her another new bag in her collection.

“In business, first impressions are lasting. I would never want anyone to feel lesser than, particularly from a luxury brand making billions off of people buying into the hype,” she added.“Chanel is a beautiful brand with timeless classic pieces. Being kind to customers of all socioeconomic backgrounds is also timeless and classic.” That’s a sweet sentiment but I’m pretty sure the entire point of a luxury brand is that all socioeconomic backgrounds are very much not welcome.

Of course, any other person might’ve just gone home and let this one go but again, we’re talking about a former Real Housewife, so, she went back. And not only did Frankel return to the store, she did so in full glam and what very much appeared to be head-to-toe Chanel. Activism, am I right?

“If they let me in because of how I look, Christmas is canceled,” Frankel told the camera in a second video of her “Chanel Field Trip.” Naturally, she strolled right in (and bizarrely, right back out again). Hey, you’re already there—might as well buy something! “No problem today,” she remarked upon exiting.

So, I guess since her reality television show union failed, this is Frankel’s latest attempt at relating to the working class???