By Kyle
“Money doesn’t give you class…it just gives you money.” — Is Brandi’s line in the opening of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills throwing a dig at the many “wealthy” women of the 90210 or, perhaps, is it another jab at LeAnn Rimes? Either way Brandi’s statement differentiates her from the housewife stigma. She decides to stand out from that façade of housewife excess, and instead gives the Real Housewives audience a fresh voice on their television screen.
Coming off the heels of Bethenny Frankel and Tamra Barney, Brandi is the newest loud mouth, aka “truth canon”, to join the Housewife brood. I’m unsure if Andy Cohen realized what star quality this “boring Beverly Hills housewife” would become on the series, but Bravo struck gold. I fell in love with Brandi during her first argument with the Richards sisters. Any woman who can stand on one foot (remember the crutches?), and take down the queen bees of Beverly Hills deserves an Olympic medal. Just ask Bruce Jenner, he does it every day.
Let me make this clear—I am not a fan of celebrity memoirs, and yes, this does include Chelsea Handler (did I say that out loud?). Therefore I decided to buy her book, Drinking and Tweeting, for only two reasons:
- I know she needs the money.
- I love an underdog.
Obviously this book is not highbrow literature, and Brandi would be the first person to acknowledge that fact. But if you are looking for a quick beach read with heart then buy this book now! (Did I mention she needs the money?)
Brandi grew up in a very liberal family. As she mentions several times through the memoir, her father was the local weed dealer and her mom never wore a bra. She began her career in modeling at a very early age and got straight on a plane to Paris, Milan, and every European city (and man) she could get her hands on. Eventually she fell in love with Eddie Cibrian, and became the glorified Beverly Hills housewife. In each chapter, she divulges personal and honest stories about her relationship with Eddie, finally moving on with the divorce, and an insightful chapter on vaginal rejuvenation.
Brandi writes very candidly about her life pre, during, and post-Eddie Cibrian. She gives great insights for newly married women and recent divorcees while including corny twitter hash tags that made me literally #lol. I also found it refreshing that the reader could hear Brandi’s voice throughout the entire memoir. In the beginning, Brandi makes a very inappropriate rape joke, which initially turned me off. Hoping that this was just another Brandi blunder, I decided to keep reading. Thankfully, it does get better, and the readers (her ladies and gays) will enjoy hearing her side of the story.
Before purchasing the book, I thought the most interesting part would be the sordid love triangle and, more importantly, what the tabloids missed. Instead, I started to find a deeper, more vulnerable connection to Brandi when she discusses her bouts with depression. As someone who suffers from depression and weekly panic attacks, I can relate to Brandi’s self doubt and newfound appreciation of the “happy” pills. Brandi’s honesty will help comfort women coping with a chemical imbalance, especially women who are afraid to open up about their own mental health issues.
As the memoir closes, readers begin to finally understand why the Bravo producers, America, and even Lisa Vanderpump roots for her. She deserves the f*cking shot, and I’m glad she’s taking it.