The Real Housewives of New York City began its eighth season in April. While it doesn’t exactly epitomize quality television, something with a positive message happened thanks to Jules Wainstein’s honesty about her weight and appearance.
Jules stepped into the eighth season with harsh criticisms from the other housewives and a few episodes in, Jules revealed to Bethenny Frankel her history of eating disorders. Jules initially described it as something of the past in her late teens and early twenties, dropping to 80 pounds at her “lowest point.”
No matter the city, the housewives love talking about new and improved ways to lose weight quickly. There’s been CoolSculpting to freeze fat cells, diet pills, boot camps, plastic surgery, and at home enemas. I’m not saying that every real housewife has an eating disorder, but self-body shaming happens in almost every episode.
In a recent episode, some New York housewives were out to dinner and Jules became frustrated with Bethenny and Carole Radziwill for speaking negatively about her eating disorder. Whether these allegations are true or not, it resulted in Jules sharing her daily struggle. As it turns out, she had purged her food only three days prior.
Making the issue of eating disorders known on reality television is a huge breakthrough for anyone struggling with one because it often feels like this disability is categorized as unimportant.
Jules is adding her perspective to the narrative to expand our knowledge of eating disorders.
The road to recovery from this disease is an upward battle, and it’s never something you can completely forget about. On Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live, Jules talks about her hope to use her platform in a positive way, helping other people struggling with eating disorders.
Where other housewives use this platform to promote their new hit single feat. auto tune, this New Yorker is using hers for the better. L’chaim, Jules.