Saturday, April 13, 2024

Talia Lichtstein on Hooking Up with a Married Boss: “Hot”, “Sexy”, “Salacious and Bad” but “Fun”!


On the “My Best Friend Is Hooking Up With A Married Man” episode of the Basic Training podcast (November 20, 2023), a caller left a “juicy” voice message for co-hosts Jake Cornell and Talia Lichtstein. In the message, the caller asked for advice concerning her 23-year-old best friend from high school whom was “hooking up” with her much older married boss. The caller “cut things off with her”, but she wanted to know if she were being “too harsh”. Here are the “juicy” parts of the message:

“She was 23 and started hooking up with her boss who was probably low 40s. Her boss is a married man [...] But they would, you know, eventually hook up when she was working or after work or whatever [...] I cannot respect this thing that she’s doing as a child of divorce. Um, and I basically cut things off with her just because I couldn’t keep her secret anymore.[...] But sometimes I wonder if I was being too harsh on her [...] I’m I being too harsh on her?”

In response to the message, Lichtstein opined, “Such a good call.” And Lichtstein immediately took sides, “I’m on the side of the friend that she’s dissing.” Why did Lichtstein take the side of the 23-year-old who is\was having an affair with her “low 40s” married boss? Lichtstein did so because the 23-year-old sounded “[...] fun as fuck!” So much so that, Lichtstein shared, “I would like to be her [...]”

Interestingly, Lichtstein admitted, “Of course, it’s wrong - no shit [...] She should stop. She’s doing a very bad thing. But also, that’s life and what are friends for? [...] I think that, honestly, you are being too harsh on her.”

Lichtstein stated that having an affair with a married boss is wrong; however, that didn’t stop her from seemingly insulting the concerned best friend by calling her a “prude” and a “fucking loser.” Lichtstein advised her to “[g]et a grip” and to stop “assert[ing] your moral high ground”.

“You’re a moral person. Congratulations. You have the moral high ground.”
“I think you're being a little bit of a prude [...] a fucking loser.”
“[...] don’t you want shit to laugh about when you’re old with your friend. Get a grip. Have some fun with this.”
“I think that a lot of what doing here is trying to assert your moral high ground and make yourself feel better [...]”


But why did Lichtstein condone the age-gap affair if she considered it to be “wrong”? Lichtstein related that it may be wrong, but it’s “hot”, “sexy”, “salacious and bad” but “fun”:

“[...] it’s so hot to be fucking a boss.”
“It’s, like, so sexy.”
“It’s so salacious and bad.”
“It makes any job more fun. Imagine going to work everyday and you're so annoyed that you have to go to work but at least you get off and you get to go ‘do a little flirty’.”

Previously, in the Substack, “Talia Lichstein and Sydnee Paige: NYC Influencers Who Prefer (Much) Older Men”, we wrote about Lichstein’s affairs with (much) older men. However, despite her best effort, Lichtstein confessed that she has not been able to have an affair with one of her (married) bosses. Lichtstein admitted, “I’ve tried so hard to have that, but it hasn’t happened. I have wanted that.”

As an example, Lichtstein shared that she was “obsessed” with her summer camp boss whom wasn’t even her type, but intriguingly, his position as her boss made her “obsessed” with him and the, ordinarily unattractive, man transformed into a scary-hot-boss whom took over her life. In the end, Lichtstein admitted, “I can’t blame your friend - honestly.”

“I was obsessed with one of my bosses that I worked for when I was working in a summer camp. Not because he was hot. He’s actually, like, really gross. [...] Oh my God! He wasn’t really gross. He was, just, like so not my type. [But] the fact that he was my boss. Oh, I was obsessed. [...] it actually is scary how hot that is. It takes over your life. I can’t blame your friend - honestly.”


Lichtstein’s statements are revealing, because the common sentiment (among feminists) is that an employee could never be in a consensual affair with her boss and that a boss, by his higher status, has the (magical) ability to turn an employee into a non consensual sexual zombie. Of course, there are instances where bosses have abused their power (of attraction), but it’s not uncommon for employees to welcome affairs with bosses that in some cases, to the delight of (ultra) Orthodox Jews and Muslims, has led to marriages.



For example, on CBS News, Constantine von Hoffman posted “Survey: Many employees date the boss” (February 14, 2013). Hoffman wrote that 29% of survey respondents shared that they had dated a superior and that over one-third of women were more likely to date a boss:


Perhaps more surprisingly, nearly the same number -- 29 percent -- said they had dated someone above them in the company hierarchy, with 16 percent saying they had dated their direct supervisors. This could be why just over a third of workers reported they had to keep the relationship under wraps. Women were significantly more likely to date someone further up the organization chart -- 38 percent, compared to 21 percent for men.



More recently, Emily Sundberg posted a link in Feed Me to Alexandra Molotkow’s Business Insider piece “Your secret work crush: Half of everyone you work with has an office crush” (April 8, 2024) where Molotkow profiled Karis, a married architect in her 20s, whom had a crush on Stefan, her married boss, which lasted for five years.

Subsequently, Sundberg took a(n) (anonymous) survey of her readers about their potential work crushes, and she got: "[...] hundreds of remarkably vulnerable, albeit anonymous, responses" some of which she posted on "Nothing sexy happens on Slack." For example: 

"He was a VP at the firm, I was an intern."

“We secretly dated for 4 months. It was hot but the power dynamics weren’t healthy. I was like barely 21 and he was 10 years older & my boss. It was worth it for the plot though. Pretty sure everyone knew besides his superiors.”

Sunday, April 7, 2024

Famous Age-Gap Couple: Aoki Lee Simmons (21) and Serafina co-founder Vittorio Assaf (65)

Tamantha Ryan posted on "Page Six": "Aoki Lee Simmons, 21, kisses Serafina co-founder Vittorio Assaf, 65, on romantic trip to St. Barts" (April 5, 2024) Ryan wrote that 21-year-old Aoki didn't let her 43-year age-gap with 65-year-old Assaf stop her from having a "romantic vacation" on St. Barts with the grey headed restaurateur. 

A 43-year age difference didn’t stop these two from having some fun in the sun.

Aoki Lee Simmons, 21, was spotted kissing restaurateur Vittorio Assaf, 65, during a romantic vacation to St. Barts on Tuesday.

In photos obtained by Page Six exclusively, the youngest daughter of Kimora Lee Simmons and Russell Simmons packed on the PDA with the much-older Serafina co-founder while enjoying time at a beach.

However, the pictures of the vacationing age-gap couple were obtained exclusively by Page Six, because neither Aoki or Assaf posted vacation pictures of them together on their respective social media accounts. Ryan wrote:

On Friday, Aoki posted some snaps from her trip to the Caribbean island on Instagram — but she notably did not include her beau in any of them.

And on March 27, she shared a video of herself on a beach wearing the same bikini as she did in the photos we obtained of her and Assaf together.

The Milan-born businessman also posted pictures from his trip, featuring one of his friends whom he said he has known for “25 years.”

However, Aoki, an apparently unabashed teleiophileposted an Instagram Live video with Assaf (off-screen). In the video, Aoki referred to Assaf as her "boyfriend", and she said that she was "happier" and "more chilled out". And the age-gap couple referred to each as "baby".

Vittorio Assaf and Nya Gatbel (Getty Images)

In addition, Ryan shared that prior to Aoki, Assaf was "linked to 24-year-old model Nya Gatbel." However, Francesca Bacardi reported in the "Page Six" piece: "Serafina restaurateur Vittorio Assaf makes full recovery after week-long hospitalization" (June 28, 2023) that Nya was 22 when she was Assaf's girlfriend.

Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee (Getty Images)

Connectedly, per Barnaby Lane's Business Insider piece "A complete timeline of Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons' marriage and divorce", Aoki's parents, Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons, met when Russell was 35 and Kimora was 17. Lane wrote:

Simmons, the cofounder of Def Jam Records, first met Lee while she was modeling at New York Fashion Week in 1992, according to People.

Despite Simmons being 35, and Lee being just 17 and still a sophomore in high school when they met, they soon began dating.

In 2020, Simmons said that they didn't begin dating until Lee turned 18 and that Lee's mother approved of their relationship.

"She was legal at 17 but she turned 18 that may her mother and her manager Bethann Hardison approved supported and rushed us (we really didn't need a push)," he wrote on Instagram.

Per Lane, Russell and Kimora Lee were in their age-gap relationship for approximately 14 years. 

In the end, it appears that Aoki and Vittorio won't be having an age-gap wedding, because, per the Atlanta Black Star, shortly after their affair went public, they went their separate ways - at least publicly. But interestingly, in 2023, Aoki warned her father that if he didn't raise her budget, she would, like a number of NYU students, get a Sugar Daddy

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Did Bethenny Frankel Sexualize Teen Daughter?


Within the past three months, Bethenny Frankel has been accused of sexualizing Bryn - Frankel's 13-year-old teen daughter. 


For example, on December 29, 2023, Leah Bitsky posted on “Page Six”: “Bethenny Frankel blasted for posting bikini photos of 13-year-old daughter: ‘So inappropriate’” Bitsky wrote:


The mom-shamers are mentioning it all.


Bethenny Frankel was ridiculed for sharing bikini photos of her 13-year-old daughter Bryn on social media.


The former “Real Housewives of New York City” star posted a carousel of snaps showing the mother-daughter duo enjoying the white sandy beaches of Turks and Caicos on Thursday.


She also shared multiple snaps of Bryn soaking up some sun while wearing a light-blue bikini — angering several of Frankel’s 3.3 million followers.


Bethenny Frankel & Bryn (13)

Consequently, Bitsky related that some of Frankel’s followers accused Frankel of exploiting Bryn. For example, one follower commented: “Swimsuit shots of your daughter are so Inappropriate and exploitive [sic]” And another follower commented: “She’s only 13 might want to put some clothes on or on social media.!” 


However, some of Frankel’s followers opined that Bryn’s teen bikini pictures were appropriate. One follower commented: “STOP THE MEAN COMMENTS [...] What she [i.e., Bryn] wears is totally appropriate.” And another supportive follower commented: “To me, these pics look like a mother and daughter bonding [...] Bikinis aren’t allowed?”



On March 19, 2024 Emily Selleck posted on “Page Six”: "Bethenny Frankel sparks outrage after buying phallic dessert with daughter Bryn, 13: ‘Make better decisions’" Selleck posted: 


Bethenny Frankel caused a stir on social media when she shared a snap of the phallic dessert she purchased with her 13-year-old daughter, Bryn.


Over the weekend, the “Real Housewives of New York City” alum shared a glimpse via social media of her Australian vacation with her daughter ahead of her “In Conversation with Bethenny Frankel” panel.


In the pics, the mother-daughter duo explored Melbourne along the Yarra River, before indulging in a multi-colored, glittery dessert from Mykiki, which resembled a penis.


Bethenny Frankel, Bryn (13) and Mykiki Dessert

Referencing to the large “glittery dessert” penis, Frankel posted:


“Exploring all that Melbourne has to offer [...] We are so happy here! PS. The food scene here is incredible and let’s just say we got more than we bargained for…👀🙈🌈” 


Consequently, some of Frankel’s followers were outraged. For example, one follower commented: “Confused about the last pic and trying to set an example for your young daughter”. And another asked: “Why would you post that with photos of you and your daughter!”


However, and unsurprisingly, some of Frankel’s followers condoned the dessert d*ck pic. For instance, one supportive follower commented: “Bethenny I am so sorry all of these people are being haters – you’re a fantastic mother, your daughter is beautiful and these trolls just need a hug and some healing”


Kylie Jenner’s 17th Birthday (Big) Penis Cake

(The last time we wrote about a teen and a penis shaped pastry was when we related that 25-year-old Tygy gifted Kylie Jenner a penis shaped cake for her 17th birthday.)


And on March 21, 2024, Riley Cardoza posted on “Page Six”: “Bethenny Frankel threatens to ‘f–k up’ trolls criticizing the way daughter Bryn, 13, dresses" Cardoza posted:


Bethenny Frankel wants the parenting police to back off.


The former “Real Housewives of New York City” star warned social media trolls against criticizing her 13-year-old daughter Bryn’s clothes, telling naysayers to “keep f–king walking” in an Instagram video Wednesday [March 20].


“Some people think it’s their business how I parent and how my daughter dresses,” Frankel said. “I have the most beautiful, thoughtful, caring, loving, spiritual, sensitive, darling, loving, smart human being for a child, and that takes work.”


Bethenny Frankel & Bryn (13)

It appears that some of Frankel’s followers commented that Bryn should avoid cleavage revealing crop tops - with cherries on top, which the 13-year-old modeled in her mother’s March 19th social media post. However, andy_todd299 commented: “Love Bryn she [is] so adorable 😍” (Like Charlotte of And Just Like That, should we assume that Andy's an ephebophile.)


Interestingly, if Bryn were 18, Frankel would not have had any or many detractors; however, Orthodox Jews and Muslims would argue that 13-year-olds and 18-year-olds (and older) should avoid wearing bikinis and cleavage revealing crop tops with red cherries on top - in public.