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.

Famous Age-Gap Couples: Suede Brooks, Drake & Scott Disick

Eileen Reslen reported for Page Six that "Drake goes ‘yacht hopping’ with YouTuber Suede Brooks in St. Tropez" (July 20, 2022). Reslen's report is relevant, because Drake is 35 and Brooks is 21.

Suede Brooks' TikToks

And per Leah Sarnoff‍'s Entertainment Tonight post "Drake and YouTube Star Suede Brooks 'Having Fun Together' Amid St. Tropez Trip" (July 20, 2022): "They are sweet, whispering in each other's ears and laughing." Aww...

But Drake and Brooks have age-gap associations from the past. For example, in 2018, 31-year-old Drake reportedly dated 18-year-old Bella Harris. 

Marissa G. Muller asked for W Magazine "Who is Bella Harris, Drake’s Rumored New Girlfriend?" In the piece, Muller wrote that: "Drake has a new love interest, but she’s not yet old enough to try his Virginia Black whiskey [...] Who is she? Harris, 18 years old, has known Drake for at least two years." That's correct. The age-gap couple met, when Harris was 16, but didn't, reportedly, start dating until a few months after she graduated from high school. 

And speaking of 16-year-old nymphets, the last time we wrote about YouTuber Brooks, we learned from the Daily Mail that "Scott Disick, 34, keeps his head down as he parties in NYC with teens Suede Brooks, 16 [...]" That's correct. 16-year-old Brooks, along with 18-year-old Madison Beer and 19-year-old Delilah Hamlin, was partying in the Big Apple with the 34-year-old Disick - an open famous ephebophile. 

Interestingly, like Leonardo DiCaprio, neither Drake nor Disick have received widespread backlash for their inabilities to (openly) resist the allure of nymphets. Why? Well, one reason may be that they all similar vibes that exudes that they're, like Hef, unapologetic about their age-gap relationships. 

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981): Indiana Jones Was Not a Pedophile & She Knew What She Was Doing

Kevin Kayhart posted on the Daily Mail (9 June 2021): "Raiders Of The Lost Ark's Karen Allen defends her underage character Marion's relationship with Indiana Jones: 'I don't think of him as a pedophile'"

In the post, Kayhart wrote:

Karen Allen, star of the classic film Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981), has come out in defense of the age gap between her character Marion Ravenwood and love interest Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford.      

Over the last few years, the reunion scene, where the age difference is insinuated, has come under scrutiny enough for Allen to go public and declare Indy is 'not a pedophile.'  

In the scene, Marion punches Indy and says, 'I've learned to hate you in the last 10 years.' After explaining how he never meant to hurt her, she responds, 'I was a child! I was in love! It was wrong and you knew it,' for which Indy shoots back: 'You knew what you were doing.'  

During an interview with Uproxx, Allen weighed-in on the scrutiny and revealed the age she thought her character was during their initial relationship.

'I think I say I was 16. I don't know. That's always what I imagined is she was 16, he was 26. And he was her father's student. And it's left very mysterious,' Allen, 69, said before sharing a couple of potential scenarios about their past.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)

Well, of course Indiana Jones could not have been a pedophile, because at 16, Marion would have been post-pubertal; thus, Jones would correctly be referred to as a(n) ephebophile\nympholept, which is much less ominous. And based on the New York Times Notable Book, The Red Queen, and the (incorrectly titled) documentary Are All Men Pedophiles? (2013), all men are nympholepts. 

We're shocked that there hasn't been particular attention paid to Jone's clapback, "You knew what you were doing." Thereby, to the dismay of middle-aged feminists and teen boys, Jones opined that at 16, Marion was old enough to consent to an age-gap relationship and that he didn't groom or victimize Marion. (We're assuming that Jones observed the local age-of-consent laws.)

However, based on the transcripts of the story conferences between George Lucas, Spielberg and Lawrence Kasdan, Marion was an even younger nymphet:

Lucas: He could have known this little girl when she was just a kid. Had an affair with her when she was eleven. 

Kasdan: And he was forty-two. 

Lucas: He's thirty-five, and knew her ten years ago when he was twenty-five and she was only twelve. 

Lucas: It would be amusing to make her slightly young at the time. [Slightly?] 

Spielberg: And promiscuous. She came on to him.

Lucas: Fifteen is right on the edge [...] it is interesting. Once she's sixteen or seventeen it's not interesting anymore. But if she was fifteen and he was twenty-five and they actually had an affair the last time they met. And she was madly in love with and he. 

Spielberg: She has pictures of him.

Initially, Lucas and Kasdan suggested that Marion be 11 and Jones be 42. Then Lucas suggested that Marion be 12 and Jones be 35. And Spielberg added that Marion should be a nubile nymphet - both promiscuous and a seductress. Interestingly, Lucas opined that a 16 or 17-year-old nymphet is not as alluring as one 15 and younger. And Lucas suggested that Marion be 15 "right on the edge" and have a (sexual) affair with Jones while being "madly in love". 

Jurassic Park (1993)

Lastly, Kayhart's piece reminded me of a scene from Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993). In the scene, when a Vegasaurus happened upon Dr. Grant, Tim and Lex (Ariana Richards), Tim said, "It looks like it has a cold." However, since there are no visible signs of a cold, it's not apparent from the film how Tim was able to make that diagnosis. 

Thus, my question is, did Spielberg spew the rich viscous fluid from the phallic Vegasaurus upon Ariana Richards' 14-year-old face as a sexual innuendo, as an attempt at comedy, or both? 

Netflix's WHAT LIES BELOW (2021): A Teen Touched By Her Mother's Lover

I heard about What Lies Below (2021), "the wild No. 1 movie on Netflix", from the "Sleeps With The Fishes" episode of Slate's Culture Gabfest podcast. Here's Netflix's plot summary:

Back home at her lake house, [Liberty] a teenager begins to suspect that a sinister force lurks beneath the surface of [John] her mother's too-perfect new lover. 

Stephen Metcalf mentioned on the podcast that Liberty's, "[...] age is never specified, I think, in order to keep some of the movie's genuine creepiness at bay." However, IMDb clarified that Liberty was 16. 

The movie opened with Liberty peering over Exploring Lost Worlds to peek at the camp counselor before an even younger camper snapped a picture of Liberty's cleavage. "Perv!"

Upon returning to the lake house, Liberty watched John, her mother's lover, emerge from the lake in barely a speedo. Impressed and passive-aggressively "groomed", Liberty whispered, "Holy crap." Then Liberty's mother overshared with her teen daughter, "I know right? I'm riding him constantly."

While John hugged Liberty's mother, he kino escalated Liberty's shoulder. (Would feminists consider John's behavior a fatherly touch or grooming? I say, at a minimum, passive-aggressive grooming.) Consequently, the teen masturbated while touching the spot that John rubbed. #pun

However, even the most open nympholept\ephebophile would agree that John's sniffing the shower curtain while Liberty showered was "creepy". 

I won't spoil the ending, but let's say that, in terms of his relationship with the mother and the daughter, John shared the same fate as R., the famous writer in Nabokov's Transparent Things.

[Update] Famous Ephebophile | Scott Disick: I Don't Look for 'Young Girls' But They're 'Attracted to Me'

[Update 07/01/21] Chelsea Hirsch of Page Six shared in the post "Scott Disick: I don’t look for ‘young girls,’ but they’re ‘attracted to me’" (June 20, 2021):

Scott Disick knows his recent lady loves have skewed young, but he swears it’s not his fault.

“Everybody gets this wrong — that I look for young girls,” Kourtney Kardashian’s ex told Andy Cohen on Sunday’s “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” reunion. “I don’t go out looking for young girls.”

“They happen to be attracted to me because I look young,” Disick quipped. “That’s what I’m telling myself.”

That's what Disick tells himself, but young girls are not attracted to Disick, because he looks young; however, it appears that Disick possesses a high level of self-confidence, self-esteem, and similar attractive characteristics that are spelled out in Steele's Date Young Women For Men Over 35.

In the Daily Mail exclusive "Keeping up with the Kardashians! Scott Disick, 37, goes house hunting in LA with new girlfriend Amelia Gray Hamlin, 19, touring $115M mansion" (21 December 2020) it was posted that: "Scott Disick was spotted in Los Angeles looking at houses with his new girlfriend Amelia Gray Hamlin, 19. The 37-year-old Keeping Up With the Kardashians star viewed four mega-mansions around the luxury neighborhood of Holby Hills." #inanagegaprelationship

[Update 11-17-20] There has been a lot of speculation on social media, but Glamour's Abby Gardner may have confirmed the rumors with her post "Scott Disick, 37, Is Reportedly Dating 19-Year-Old Amelia Hamlin". Gardner wrote:

Disick is 37, and Hamlin, the daughter of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin, is 19. His last relationship with Sofia Richie also began when she was 19. [The Disick\Richie age-gap affair lasted for approximately three years.] The age difference between the reported couple has sparked a lot of conversation on social media.

And TMZ caught the age-gap couple on a beach in Santa Barbara - the 19-year-old in cheeky thong.

 Madison Beer (18), Suede Brooks (16) & Delilah Hamlin (19)

I happened upon an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians some years back. I did not watch the entire episode, but I caught a scene where Scott Disick had been paid to attend a teen's birthday party. Or was it a bat mitzvah? The teens went crazy for Disick, but he was wrongfully berated by some of the Kardashian clan for the nymphet's bawdy behavior. However, Disick was just as shocked as the others by the nubile nymphets. Disick defended himself by claiming innocence, but he clearly enjoyed the attention.

Fast forward some years to 9/11 2017 when The Daily Mail's Heidi Parker reported that thirty-four-year-old Disick partied in New York City with three teens: 16-year-old Suede Brooks, 18-year-old Madison Beer, and 19-year-old Delilah Hamlin.

But three teens aren't enough for Disick - a self-proclaimed sex addict. For example, The Daily Mail reported on September 8, 2017, only a week earlier, that Disick went on a second date with Justin Bieber’s ex - 18-year-old Audreyana Michelle.

Audreyana Michelle (18) & Disick

The Daily Mail's Cassie Carpenter reported on September 7, 2017 that Disick dined in NYC with Sofia Richie, Lionel's daughter, who only recently turned 19.

Sofia Richie (19) & Disick

Hollywood Life posted on June 21, 2017 that: "Bella Thorne [19] was caught hanging out at Scott Disick’s house after their Cannes fling on June 21."

Disick & Bella Thorne (19)

And Joanna Crawley reported in 2015 for the Daily Mail that 18-year-old Lindsay Vrckovnik: "barely left Scott Disick's side during a party tour of Manhattan and Miami".

Lindsay Vrckovnik (18) & Disick

Famous Ephebophile: Peter Arno | The NEW YORKER Cartoonist and the Nymphet Debutantes

Peter Arno and a young model in his (dining-room) studio (1949).

We shared in The Allure of Nymphets that J.D. Salinger was enraged  after he learned that Oona O'Neill, the love of his life, left him for Charlie Chaplin. O'Neill married 50-year-old Chaplin only days after her 18th birthday.

"You cad! You're not fit to touch the hem of her skirt." 

"Please sir! This isn't my table."

But before O'Neill married Chaplin, she dated Peter Arno - the New Yorker cartoonist and (open) nympholept. 

Ben Schwartz wrote in his Vanity Fair feature “The Double Life of Peter Arno, *The New Yorker’*s Most Influential Cartoonist” (APRIL 5, 2016): 

“In 1942, [38-year-old Peter] Arno dated his last “Debutante of the Year,” Oona O’Neill, 17-year-old daughter of Eugene O’Neill and future wife of Charlie Chaplin. “Oona only slept with two men before she married Chaplin,” says her biographer, Jane Scovell—“Peter Arno and Orson Welles. She was looking for older men [...]”  

"Do you have the same thing in a cook?" 

"Gee, Mr. Payson! Mere words can't express my appreciation - I guess."

And Schwartz shared that prior to O'Neill, 34-year-old Arno dated 17-year-old Brenda Diana Duff Frazier - the original celebutante.

But despite Arno's highly publicized age-gap affairs, he was more famous for his cartoons that often depicted old(er) men with lovely young women. 

"Why, George Carter! What keeps you in town?"

"Good Lord, Hawkins! You might at least have said, 'Ahem'!"

Ansel Elgort is NOT a Pedophile

In 2013, we went to Times Square to see a teen horror film. We noticed that there were a number of upper-middle class looking middle-aged couples on line. They looked like the type of moviegoers we would normally see at the Lincoln Center for films like Lazy Hazy Crazy (2015), The Diary of a Teenage Girl, or Anthony Weiner's documentary Weiner (2016) but not Carrie (2013). And especially not in Times Square where a raucous audience can supplement a moviegoers viewing experience. 

Upon taking our seats, we learned that the middle class looking patrons were friends and family members of Ansel Elgort, the film's co-star, who was sitting three rows in front of us.

As I was perusing this afternoon's trending on Twitter list, I was surprised to see Ansel's name. Ansel was trending, because Gabby accused him of sexually assaulting her "a couple of days" after she turned 17. "And he was in his 20s"

The nymphet admitted that she initiated the contact with Ansel. "I had dmed him on [sic] when it was two days before my 17th birthday and I got his private Snapchat."

But then she opined: "[...] I was just a kid and was a fan of him [...] I WAS SO YOUNG AND HE KNEW THAT [...] I was fucking 17 [...] I was only 17. As well as asked to have a threesome with me and one of my "dance friends" they were as well underage [...]"

Consequently, a number of people tweeted "Ansel Elgort is a pedophile". But that's not true. 

The accuser admitted that she was 17, which is the age-of-consent in New York. (BTW, it's 16 across the Hudson in Jersey.) But even if this encounter took place in LA, where the age-of-consent is 18, Ansel would not be considered a pedophile, because Gabby was postpubertal. 

There’s a difference between the general public term for pedophilia and the technical professional term for pedophilia. The public’s definition is associated with someone who’s sexually attracted to girls under the age of 18; however, the clinical definition of pedophilia is:

1. A sexual preference for pre-pubertal or early pubertal children 
2. For six months or more the person has acted on those urges or suffers from distress as a result of having the urges
3. And the individual must be at least 16-years-old and at least five years older than the subject of desire

Hebephilia is when a man is attracted to adolescents or girls who are approximately between the ages of 12 to 16-years-old. Ephebophilia is the primary sexual interest in mid-to-late adolescents - generally ages between 15 to 19. And nympholepsy [nim-fuh-lep-see ] is a passion aroused in men by beautiful young girls (i.e., postpubertal nymphets). (Oxford).

Thus, if the allegations are true, Ansel could be more accurately referred to as an ephebophile or a general nympholept. But per Matt Ridley's New York Times Notable Book, The Red Queen, and the documentary Are All Men Pedophiles? (2013), all men are nympholepts. 

Lastly but interestingly, a number of (young) women shared on Twitter that Gabby was "lucky" and wished to be in her place. 

Blueberry Shadow posted: "I wish I was her. my baby driver. my ultimate crush, let's do that in the car LMAO [Crying emoji] Ansel Engort dm me"

And E-A Thomas posted: "She's so lucky omg [Heart eyes emoji] (The post got at least 309 Likes)

Famous Ephebophile: Jerry Seinfeld (39) & Shoshanna Lonstein (17)

Back in 2015, Jordan Sargent asked on Defamer "Remember When 39-Year-Old Jerry Seinfeld Dated [Shoshanna Lonstein] a 17-Year-Old?" (06/29/15) Sargent wrote that Seinfeld “picked up” Shoshanna, “a senior at the prestigious Nightingale-Bamford School”, in Central Park.  

1993 was a good year for Jerry Seinfeld. His sitcom, which was on its way to becoming one of the most celebrated shows in television history, won an Emmy in the category of “Outstanding Comedy Series” [...] And, just a hair shy of 40, he met a woman who would capture his heart: a high school student he picked up one day in Central Park.

Whatever the budding age-gap couple discussed, it was brief, but it resulted in Shoshanna giving Seinfeld her phone number. Subsequently, they had an affair that lasted from Shoshanna’s senior year of high school to the end of her senior year of college. 

Shoshanna Lonstein was a senior at the prestigious Nightingale-Bamford School on the Upper West Side when, on a spring afternoon, she was approached by one of the most well-known comedians in the country [...] a short conversation, she gave her phone number to the comedian, sparking a relationship that would begin around her high school graduation and end right after her college one.

Per  Karen S. Schneider's People cover story, "LOOK WHO'S IN LOVE: Jerry Seinfeld, 39, and Shoshanna Lonstein, 18, make an unlikely romance work" (March 28, 1994), Seinfeld referred to Shoshanna as “a person, not an age” and that their age-gap click was literally audible. Seinfeld said:

“[Shoshanna’s] the most wonderful girl in the world.” And Seinfeld shared, “Shoshanna is a person, not an age. She is extremely bright. She’s funny, sharp, very alert. We just get along. You can hear the click.” 

Schneider wrote that Seinfeld related that “the age issue” was immediately “forgotten.” And unlike most men, Seinfeld wasn't shy about being an open ephebophile. So much so, that he arrived at the schoolgirl's UES apartment in a lustering long limousine. Schneider wrote:

Within weeks after their first date, friends and neighbors grew accustomed to the sight of the Seinfeld limousine idling outside the Upper East Side luxury apartment building where Lonstein lives [...]

 

Shoshanna’s parents, the Lonsteins, even approved of her age-gap affair with Seinfeld. Schneider wrote:

The Lonsteins have always approved of the romance. “Shoshanna is very mature,” says a source close to the family. “Jerry is thoughtful, a good person.

However, one would have to assume that if Seinfeld weren't famous, rich, and Jewish, the age-gap affair would not have been condoned by the Lonsteins. 

Seinfeld even visited Shoshanna on campus at George Washington University where “the couple walk arm in arm across campus”. Schneider elaborated:

At George Washington University in Washington, where Lonstein, now 18, enrolled in September, the couple walk arm in arm across campus when Seinfeld pops in for an occasional visit. 

On weekend trips to Los Angeles, where he tapes his show”, they have eggs and cheesecake with his friends and cast members at Jem’s Famous Deli in Studio City before heading off to spend an afternoon shooting hoops in the park.

Sadly, as we mentioned, they never married, but the age-gap affair lasted approximately five years.