After a season filled with tension, it is obvious that the friend group that was formed for the Season 14 reboot of The Real Housewives of New York City will not walk away from Season 15 unscathed. Reboot star Ubah Hassan has been on a mission to determine which women in the group on the reality series she can trust, and which ones are “pigeons” running around spreading rumors and misinformation in the group. Brynn Whitfield is not on the friends list after she exposed Ubah’s secret relationship last season, and it has been causing strain within the group ever since.
Ubah was often justified in her outrage this season, especially after she reminded her friends repeatedly that English is her second language, and when people speak over her, it derails her train of thought. Having asked her friends to make space for her to finish her thoughts before they interject, it’s little wonder Ubah has been angry this season after Brynn frequently spoke over and interrupted her, often appearing to do so to bait her into a confrontation. As Ubah’s irritation with her co-star grew, Brynn turned to Erin Lichy as an ally, and it hasn’t brought out the best qualities in either lady as they head into Season 16. Whether they know it or not, Brynn and Erin have been leaning into horrible stereotypes in their ongoing efforts to make Ubah look like the instigator in every confrontation.
It’s An Overused Term, But Brynn and Erin Really Are Mean Girls
The idea of a mean girl has been thrown around on Bravo for so long, the term has almost lost meaning. But stereotypes exist for a reason, and between them, Brynn and Erin have consistently pulled out mean girl tactics on RHONY. At the Season 14 reunion, Erin made a revealing remark after a segment discussing the way the women had been hard on Jenna Lyons throughout the season. While the group apologized to Jenna and agreed they had been mean, Erin leaned over to Jenna and teased, “This is a sorority, you have to get hazed.” Erin’s thought that a friend group necessarily includes hazing, and her sorority attitude in general, is a part of the mean girl problem on RHONY.
Where Erin seems oblivious to the way her actions and even the way she thinks about friendship can be injurious, Brynn is like the Bobby Fischer of pay-back, and she has no problem owning it. At the beginning of Season 15, Brynn was annoyed with Erin over comments she had made when she appeared on Jeff Lewis’ radio show. When she visited her apartment to make amends, Brynn deliberately gave Erin bottled water instead of tap water, and sent her new puppy away to withhold the joy of seeing her, and it is small gestures like these that demonstrate how punitive she can be when her friends hurt her. Erin even wondered if Brynn had made sure the elevator in her building was turned off for her arrival, forcing her to walk up several flights of stairs.
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Brynn and Erin both utilize mean girl tactics in their friendships to control their friends’ behavior and get their way in the relationship. With Brynn, the mean girl tactics come across as a defense that she puts on. She’ll poke with mean jabs to force a confrontation and then when someone reacts, she becomes upset at their raised voices and uses this as an excuse to create distance in the relationship. With Erin, the mean girl tendencies seem to be more subconscious, linked to friendship habits learned in a time when mean girl Queen bees were at the height of their power.
Even Worse, Brynn and Erin are Relying on White Privilege
It’s a complicated topic to delve into, especially because Brynn is a biracial woman and has experienced societal racism herself. Both Brynn and Erin rely on white privilege, even if it is subconsciously. As a light-skinned Black woman, who was raised in white spaces and born in the United States, Brynn has a greater ability to align herself with the privileges that come along with perceived whiteness than women with darker skin tones. She has repeatedly engaged this privilege to silence Ubah in conflict and police her behavior and tone, especially when she weaponized the “angry Black woman” stereotype against her. Erin also benefits from white privilege, and this often contributes to unconscious Karen behaviour when she is upset or annoyed. She’s also quick to cry hardcore tears, which almost immediately makes her co-stars backdown, and even apologize when they’re not in the wrong.
In an argument, Erin often relies on tears to avoid taking responsibility for her part in the disagreements that arise in the group. This is a well known tactic that has been observed for generations, whereby white women use strategic tears or expressions of fear or anxiety to silence women of color and avoid accountability. Whether Erin is aware of this or not, by using her emotions to avoid confrontation with Ubah, she is benefiting from this strategy. When confronted, Erin employs sarcasm and tries to control people’s reactions, and when she receives further push back, she labels the conversation “toxic” and runs away. Acting as mean girls and relying on their privilege means, intentionally or not, Erin and Brynn push horrible stereotypes on RHONY.
The Real Housewives of New York City airs every Tuesday on Bravo and can be streamed on Peacock.

A fast-paced reality show that follows several incredibly busy and ambitious Manhattan women. Watch as they balance envious social calendars, challenging careers, and motherhood, with the hustle and bustle of the big city all around.