Nic’s Take: What’s Wrong With A Woman In Kid’s Clothes? EVERYTHING! (POLL)

Perhaps you heard by now that reality TV star and former talk show host Bethenny Frankel put on her daughter’s Hello Kitty clothes,  took a picture and sent it out for the world to see. The reaction was swift, ranging from those who thought it was all fun and not a big deal to others, who were horrified by it.

As a fitness professional who spends many hours with women struggling with their body image, I find this to be a sad place and one where many are. The 40-something woman who wakes up and decides to put on her four-year-olds pajamas clearly has issues with her body image. It’s not funny and it is not cute. If she was just trying to be cute, she would have enjoyed it behind the scenes. But she posted it for the world to see, which to me screams, “Look world! I can fit into my kids clothes. Aren’t I great? Don’t I look good?”

No! No, you don’t. You look like someone who finally needs to deal with your personal elephant, which is your skewed version of what a woman’s body, what YOUR body should look like.

Honestly, I don’t know what her point was. But what she did was send a new message to women. “Not only are you supposed to be thin and as small as you can be, but dammit, you now need to be able to fit into your kid’s clothes!”

Now, many of you will say, “Relax Nicole, she was just being funny. Don’t be so serious. That’s her sense of humor.” Okay, let’s go with that for a minute. What does this say to the teenager who is already in the awkward stages of puberty, wondering if she is too tall or if her boobs are too big? How about the 32-year-old who’s  20-lbs overweight, can’t get a date and thinks she will never get married  because she’s not a size 6? Or what about the middle-aged woman, who is divorced or a widowed, looking to get back into the dating scene because she still thinks she has a lot to offer? How will this Bethenny story sit with them?

The reality is this, ladies: our bodies are what they are. But with the proper guidance, training, diet, hard work and sweat, we can transform them to something else. Focus on being healthy first, feeling good, then looking your best.

That’s my take; what say you? Do you think Bethenny did a disservice to woman in posting this photo? Why or why not?