Bethenny Frankel is hitting her stride in more ways than one.
The 54-year-old star strutted her stuff at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in Miami on Saturday — and while the milestone moment generated big buzz, Frankel tells Page Six Style it was all about “being confident and having fun.”
“I just wanted to be myself,” she says. “No one’s confusing me with a model, and trying to be one would’ve been inauthentic.”
To prep for the catwalk, Frankel reached for a few of her tried-and-true beauty favorites — including L’Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion for “the perfect glow … no streaks, no stains,” and MCoBeauty Flawless Glow Luminous Skin Filter Foundation for “an instant, radiant glow without the look of heavy makeup.”
In the weeks before the show, the podcast host also kept Nello Supercalm Drink Mix packets on hand — “I don’t travel without them,” she says — and sipped Dose for Your Liver.
“It supports your digestion, energy and everything else,” she explains of the latter. “I swear by it — especially going into a high-pressure week.”
And while the star says she tried saunas and cold plunges and “ate well” for 10 days before the event — “not to lose weight, but more for mental clarity and balance” — she mostly focused on sleep, massages and beach walks.
“I don’t work out — like, at all,” Frankel admits. “My only movement is walking.”
She wore her “staple” Blooming Jelly Quick-Dry Shorts for her beloved strolls on the shore, saying: “They’re comfy, flattering, and I wear them nonstop.”
When it came time to trade her athleisure for a G-string bikini, Frankel credits fellow SI Swim models Tunde Oyeneyin, Achieng Agutu, Jasmine Sanders and Camille Kostek with “lifting [her] up” backstage and making sure she “got the moment” on the catwalk.
“They told me my body was tea and to own that stage,” she recalls. “I’m tearing up thinking about it.”
Beyond the runway, Frankel’s walking the walk in her everyday life, too.
“Last year I was dating, partying and traveling,” she tells us. “This year I’m single and really happy. I like myself. For the first time, I don’t need someone to complete me. I’m not an IKEA piece of furniture — I’m already assembled.”
And she’s owning what she brings to the table professionally, recalling she once asked her team to pitch her to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in the past — with different results.
“They said: ‘Everyone’s seen you in a bathing suit; you’re not right for SI,” she recalls.
“I say that because all the women backstage have been told no at some point in their lives, but they said yes to themselves. If your heart says yes, go for it. Don’t let anyone else decide what you can or can’t do.”
This article was written by Hannah Southwick, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Page Six Style. Hannah spies deals on actually affordable celebrity-worn styles, puts Hollywood’s favorite labels to the test and finds the beauty products that keep stars red carpet-ready. She consults stylists and industry pros — including celebs themselves — for firsthand product recommendations, trend predictions and more. In addition to writing for Page Six since 2020, her work has been featured in USA Today and Parade.