The Real Housewives are known for a lot of things, most of them have to do with fighting and name-calling. For this reason, they've gotten a lot of slack for setting back the progress of women. Despite their high ratings attracting drama, many of these women face the same struggles that everyday women face all the time. Some of them have been successful at bringing issues to light that most women have felt uncomfortable talking about like addiction or problems with fertility while others have managed to build empires from almost nothing.
While each of their unique experiences has inspired different women in different ways, these 5 women stand out as extraordinary women who have promoted us all to be better women.
Bethenny Frankel
The majority of the Real Housewives start off with money or at least give off the impression that they have money, but not Bethenny Frankel. From the very first episode of The Real Housewives of New York, she made it very clear that she wasn't wealthy and didn't go broke trying to keep up with her castmates that were. She prided herself on her work ethic and ability to endure no matter how many obstacles came her way.
In the end, she prevailed and became one of the wealthiest of them all. She definitely upgraded her lifestyle after finding herself in a better-off position but she has never forgotten where she came from and makes huge efforts to give back to people who are less fortunate than her. Bethenny helps women to be better by encouraging them to have dreams and to never give up on them until you reach them.
Erika Girardi
Erika Giradi by day and Erika Jayne by night, both let us know that its okay to be both naughty and nice. For so long women were told that you had to be either-or, a prude or a vixen and Erika dispels all of those myths. She teaches women to embrace their sexiness and to give zero Fs to anyone who makes them feel bad for doing so.
She teaches women so much about not fitting into a box that goes beyond just sexuality. It's okay to be an introvert some days and to want to be the party girl the next and it's okay to be guarded while being open to getting close to others. Erika promotes women to be better by simply encouraging them to unapologetically be themselves.
Vicky Gunvalson
Vicky's run as a housewife has not been completely without scandal. Frequently on the outs with the other Orange wielding housewives, shes had to defend herself on numerous occasions. Through it all though, there's one thing you can't deny about Vicky. She loves her kids and grandkids and will do absolutely anything for them...but not everything.
With scandals like the college bribery scheme rocking the nation, you see your fair share of parents with the resources to do so, clear all obstacles out of their children's way to help them succeed but not Vicky. As much as she loves her family she values hard work and teaches women that the best way to raise independent children is to give them the tools to learn on their own rather than by doing everything for them.
Kandi Burruss
Many women struggle with the reality that it's hard to have it all. As a result, most women feel the need to chose between being committed moms or focusing on their careers. There seems to be no in between. While Kandi has no shortage of staff or help, she still struggles with this dynamic. She is constantly torn between balancing her friends, her career and her family and she shows us quite frankly that sometimes things fall through the cracks and that each and every one of those things is important.
Kandi helps us all to push the mom guilt aside and better understand that we shouldn't feel guilty for working because it helps us to provide for our families. That we should embrace spending time with our friends because it helps us to stay sane and that we should always focus on the quality of time when we struggle with the quantity that we can give.
Melissa Gorga
Melissa's start on the show may have led you to believe that she was as submissive as they come but we learned better as the show progressed. In the shadow of her own doubt as well as that of her husband, she decided to pursue a dream and become a business owner. What's most inspiring about her story is that she didn't just do it for herself but for her kids as well, most specifically, her daughter.
She set out on a course of action that would eventually prove successful to show her daughter that it was possible. For that, Melissa Gorga inspires us to do better for the next generation that is sure to be watching.