Sonja writes:
"I did not have press at my birthday party. It wasn't a business event. It wasn't a charity or a typical Sonja In the City event with wall-to-wall professional cameras. I sent out no press invites. It was not a launch. It was just personal friends coming together to celebrate with Marco Maranghello and me. Thanks Ramona for not letting Bethenny know that.
Bethenny’s name is always enticing in the press, and I got dragged into a story because of the two brands having the word "girl" and being alcohol and some gossipy people stirring the pot. That's why all the girls are buzzing about Tipsy vs Skinny, because there is always buzz around Bethenny.
Skinnygirl is a dietetic option to those who want to indulge, and Tipsy is a full-on alcoholic beverage. No pun intended. There are several products before and after Bethenny’s Skinnygirl Margarita (which she sold to Jim Beam) with the word Skinny, which has a thin or healthy connotation. I never thought she'd be mad about me partnering up with these guys that I worked with a lifetime ago in the restaurant biz. They trademarked the name Tipsy Girl because it had significance to them before they ever heard of Ramona or Bethenny. And it never had anything thing to do with health or dieting. Just imbibing and celebrating.
I just wish Bethenny had been at my birthday and hadn't seen the press before me, because we could have dealt with this on the spot without the world blowing it out of proportion as if it were a big launch or something. There wouldn't have been the press. I truly believe there wouldn't have been a negative reaction on Bethenny's part had she been there.
Now I have Ramona saying she doesn't know what kind of party I had? It was my birthday! Strangest people were there? Rude, Ramona. She knew that it was an intimate group of friends. She's knocking my legitimate businesses to Bethenny? After acting happy for me at my fashion show and seeing my beautiful designs and jewelry and the work that I put into it? What are Ramona’s businesses? She has had her jewelry, facial creams that never do, the little book that never did, the restaurant that never was hers, and the red wine and rosé that never stayed or happened, while she seems to have a ongoing hobby slandering people. How long can that last? What is she building? An international bullying brand?
I hate being in the paper being made a spectacle of and never return calls from the press regarding Bethenny, because I wouldn’t want her to think I am exploiting her to gain attention to myself! When I went to Bethenny’s brand summit, I took no one's card. I would never want her to think I want to rip her off. I want my friends to know I am with them for them. I went to be with HER, enjoy the moment together and was flattered she trusted me.
I have certainly felt offended over the decades by people coming around me to get the cards of the people I know the first minute they meet them. It makes me very suspicious of people’s reasons to be with me. It doesn’t feel good, and it is damaging to my hard earned relationships sometimes. Bethenny's summit wasn’t specifically about the alcohol business since she had sold it. It was about her liscensing deals and integrating them. It was fascinating. How this all got misconstrued is crazy and definitely started with the press. And then the girls in her ear. Thanks Carole. My not-so-successful businesses? What is a successful business to Carole I wonder? I consider successful doing what I enjoy, working with the people I enjoy working with and being proud of what I build. I have decades of experience in the restaurant, catering, service and luxury consulting field. Everything is coming together with my fashion education at The Fashion Institute of Technology and in the fashion retail and whole industry. It feels good.
I would be a crazy person to go up against Bethenny. And everyone can see how the girls suck up to Bethenny. I don't suck up to her, and I've always had a nice relationship based on feelings. Our relationship is not based on using each other to get ahead socially or in business. I don’t text her back and forth on those subjects.
Ramona discussing Tipsy Girl and its connotation towards me with Dorinda is a joke. Both girls should look at how much they tip their own cups. They both drink like fish. My businesses are mine, and I pay my bills just fine. I'll leave it at that. I have grown so much and through so much. So to say I'm not growing sounds ridiculous. I’ve had a hell of a learning curve. It's high school for them to judge me. They are the ones who are stuck back at Sarabeth's in the hood where their kids went to school still talking about John (four years later), my partying, my fragility (but not with me), and my new businesses (but not with me). They do this while I have sold two homes, kept my home in NY through my re organization and lawsuit, a second jewelry collection, quit drinking and put my straight A daughter into boarding school, maintained lifelong friendships, forged new relationships, and have been cleaning out my closet. Who is stuck? I would say I have gathered no moss. I look forward to and at my own goals. I have a beautiful daughter who has humility and respect, a new fashion, jewelry, and swimwear collection, and working my other irons in the fire (for years). I am not stuck creatively or financially. I am growing. Thriving. Am I lonely with my daughter away? Yes. Another subject. Growing pain. Not stuck.
Bethenny with the six fake businesses comment? Has to be coming from Ramona.
AOA with Ramona should not be the litmus test that Bethenny uses to judge Peter. Ramona was the one who told the world she was an owner of AOA and she wasn't. Peter and his partner own several restaurants. AOA was a public relations deal. My fashions and jewelry do not have to be in stores to exist and be successful businesses and are building towards an overall business plan. I have had several fashion shows, fashion presentations, and they are sold online. Building a fashion lifestyle business today takes many roads. How does that make what I do fake? People around the world are buying and wearing my ready-to-wear, gowns, swimwear, and jewelry. How can I be faulted for doing what I love and being proud of it?
Bethenny knows how hard it is and how long it takes to build a lifestyle business from the ground up. I can see this is not about business. This is about Bethenny taking this personally. She is very upset. And it's personal. That's the last thing I want. Last thing I would expect from Bethenny. I thought she would laugh as usual and Ramona would make her digs. As usual. But this is rough! I'm feeling misunderstood, but obviously Bethenny is very hurt. So now I’m hurt that she’s hurt since she is my pillar of strength. I look up to Bethenny as inspiration and would never wish that. It's like a balloon just popped over my head that I was following.
At Sushi Roxx Ramona is so nice to me, like she wasn't in the ear of Bethenny? So two faced! Like she hasn’t been saying I need to get my life together? She’s the one that said she’s embarrassed of me? Because she is out dating after splitting from her husband now and worried about her reputation? Then, like usual, I'm the uncomfortable side kick when she wants to get the scoop from Lu’s paramour. I had no idea he was the guy from Ibiza. Nor did I know he was the guy Lu was avoiding. But, Ramona certainly did and wanted to squeeze him for some scoop. Obviously to embarrass LuAnn somehow. I’m always associated with Ramona’s bad behavior as her friend. Yet she says I haven't grown when lunching with Dorinda behind my back? Why wasn’t I at that lunch if there was real concern by these ladies? Ha! Ramona hasn’t grown one iota, Dorinda. She's still immature and embarrassing all her friends and wasn’t invited to the party. I am invited to the same parties for decades. Dating? I think any man would find it hard to trust her loyalty and her actions that resemble erratic up and down emotional behavior.
Yes, Dorinda, I agree. John should not engage Ramona. It’s embarrassing. Lord knows I have tried to rise above it for decades, and it becomes difficult to turn the other cheek at times when the apologizer thinks her apologies erase her words and hurt.
I am not going to apologize for being me and going through my life experiences. I do make mistakes. However, I don’t want to hurt Bethenny’s feelings, and I do feel that is happening here. She has worked very hard and she is going through a difficult divorce with a young daughter to support. I am feeling her pain. That’s not ok with me. For that I am very sorry.
What a group we are. See you next week. "
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