Shannon Beador was stressed out, and put on some weight. She’s a human and it happens.
In her unhappiness over the situation, Shannon seemed to be accusing The Real Housewives of Orange County costar Vicki Gunvalson of “causing” the weight gain, which did not go over well.
Fortunately, Shannon’s nowchanged her tune, and she says that she knows exactly where to point the finger.
Shannon Beador faced some backlash for blaming her weight gain on Vicki Gunvalson.
“This is stress!” Shannon exclaimed, referring to her torso.
“And that is Vicki Gunvalson!”
We’re not questioning that Vicki Gunvalson might be stress-inducing.
Or that stress can contribute to weight gain, because it absolutely can.
But drawing a direct link between her figure and Vicki was pushing the boundaries of absurdity a little, you know?
Like, Vicki Gunvalson is many things, but she isn’t a witch who goes around cursing her costars to gain weight.
(As far as we know)
So unless Vicki has been feeding Shannon in her sleep or interfering with her DNA (genetics are usually the real culprits behind fat storage, anyway), we don’t see how
Fortunately, Shannon isn’t actually as disconnected from reality as she seemed.
Shannon is taking full accountability, now, addressing her weight gain in an interview.
Which is good, because she got blasted by people for deflecting the “blame.”
“I just went off the wagon a little.”
No, she doesn’t mean boozing it up, though that’s a great way to pack on the pounds.
She clearly means food:
“I’m the one that put the stuff in my mouth.”
(That’s a quote that could be fun out of context)
She’s been fairly upfront about her struggle, and even released a statement about her weight gain over Instagram:
“So let’s just get to it. Yes, I have gained weight. A lot of weight. About 40 pounds to be exact.”
That was over an eight month period.
Gaining five pounds in a month might not be a big deal, but it is if the next seven months go the same way.
“I have not had plastic surgery or fillers, it’s just plain and simple weight gain.”
Good way to shut down rumors of surgery-gone-wrong.
“There are multiple factors that have contributed to my size and it will be addressed this season on the show.”
That must be so hard, right?
“To those people who intend to write cruel or derogatory comments to me, I want to let you know you will be blocked and the comment deleted.”
That’s the best way to deal with body-shamers and trolls anyway.
“Gaining weight and trying to take it off is a struggle that most women will face at some point in their lives.”
Most men, too — but unlike women, men’s perceived value in society is seldom equated with their appearance.
(Thanks, patriarchal cultural norms!)
“I am hopeful that my fans and viewers of the show will be supportive of my journey.”
Of course they should be supportive.
Whether she’s successful in losing the weight (she’s already knocked off eight pounds through diet and exercise) or not, people shouldn’t body-shame her.
“I am very grateful and thankful to those people that have already reached out to me with their kind thoughts”
It’s good to have a support mechanism.
If you’ll recall, the original source of stress for Shannon Beador was rumors that her husband was abusing her.
Rumors coming from, or at least spread by, Vicki Gunvalson.
(If true, that would be awful — and only further reason to support Shannon Beador, but Shannon seems horrified and enraged and calls the rumors “false”)
Shannon was super upset about the allegations and how, if made public (and they were), they might impact her husband and her children.
So she did some stress-eating.
Vicki Gunvalson does seem like a toxic person who seems to create rifts with everyone she knows, even former friends like Tamra Judge.
But the stress-eating was definitely Shannon’s doing.
It was her choice, conscious or not, for how to cope.
It’s good that she’s acknowledging that, because that’s the only way to move forward and return to the figure that she wants.