Bethenny Frankel ‘Changed’ the Stigma Around Aging at ‘SI Swimsuit’ Show: ‘Women Feel Discarded’ (Exclusive)

Bethenny Frankel’s confidence has only grown with time.

Frankel, 55, exclusively opened up to Us Weekly about being the oldest model to walk in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway on Tuesday, June 9.

“I feel more free,” the Real Housewives of New York City alum told Us on Tuesday, June 9, about this current stage of her life. “I feel happy, I feel proud. I feel like you get extra credit points now, like I don’t think anybody cares.”

She continued, “The biggest thing is that women fail. I never thought about my age until that show. Yeah, women feel discarded, counted out, eliminated. They just sort of have aged out … This changed that.”

Frankel went on to say that she “didn’t realize” she was representing older women, but felt honored by the support she received. “They were like, ‘You f***ing represented us, you go.’ It’s amazing, that’s the biggest thing,” she told Us.

One of the reasons Frankel loves the SI Swimsuit runway so much is because “you see everyone’s confident in their own body shape, size, race, height, ass, boobs, legs, tan,” and more. “That is very empowering,” she explained. “You just fit in.”

“Changing the age construct is so valuable because it’s the biggest thing people are thinking about: anti-aging,” the Bravolebrity added.

As for where her confidence comes from, Frankel shared that it’s a “practice.”

“It’s like a honed craft that you practice, and then it creates more confidence, because you see that it works, because you see that women are so concerned about what they look like,” she said, noting that it’s not only about physical appearance. “Focus on your personality, focus on being entertaining, focus on being smart, commanding a presence, owning a room, being interested,” she advised. “Anybody can be hot now … so just be confident.”

While walking on the runway, Frankel looked her best in a blue-and-white crochet bikini featuring triangle cups and string bottoms. She later changed into a black set complete with sweetheart cups and strappy bottoms.

To prepare for the show, she used SofWave and PureImpact to look picture-perfect. “I did some of the SofWave [for skin lifting in her face and body] and PureImpact treatments,” she said of the muscle-toning device that stimulates exercises. “I did that a couple of times before last year’s show, and then before this year’s show. I know that you feel sore after it … I’m doing more than I used to, because everybody got in my head.”