Robyn Brown isn't always a fan favorite, to put it mildly, so she showed real courage when she "got in the ring" during a question and answer session with the show's viewers. Many reality stars who get as much shade as Robyn would shy away from actually interacting with the people who criticize them online. Instead, Robyn answered their questions with as much grace as she could muster. However, now and then, it was crystal clear that her patience was running out.
Before Robyn entered the chat, she must have known that Sister Wives fans would come for her, just like a pitchfork-wielding mob. Since she ed the Brown family in season 1, she's been the subject of so much mean-spirited gossip. Her image as Kody Brown's queen puts her right behind the eight-ball, with fans painting her as a cross between Lady MacBeth and Maleficent. Of course, she's not really that bad, and Robyn wanted to show everyone her softer side. To achieve that goal, she got into gritty detail about her credit card debt, shopping habits and husbands.
Robyn Got Roasted By Fans During A Q & A
She Blamed Her Shopping Habit On Small-Town Life
Robyn loves to shop at Victoria's Secret, and she's gotten dissed for supposedly spending too much money on the designs that the famous lingerie company offers, including the "long-sleeved tops" that Robyn talked about in the chat, as per Sister Wive's Fans at Facebook. When she was questioned about buying the company's clothes online, she said that the limitations of living in a small town pushed her onto the Internet. It was a sad tale of woe when Robyn got real about the downside of living in a:
"town without a Walmart."
Apparently, the lack of fun retailers in her area was a problem that she solved by taking to the Web and ordering an array of Victoria's Secret designs. Robyn says she has "very long legs," as per the chat, and that's why Victoria's Secret is right for her. Since the company formerly used rail-thin models with endless legs to promote their racy styles, it's not surprising that the company appeals to Robyn. In her opinion, she was not out of line to shop there - in fact, she had to.
Robyn's going to get hassled no matter what she does, so she might as well enjoy herself, right?
Whether she wants basic casual clothes from Victoria's Secret or the spiciest underwear they sell, it's her life. However, fans who think she tore apart a good family, leaving three other wives whistling in the wind, believe that every move Robyn makes is a mistake... so, she's locked into facing down critics who disapprove, defending her love of Victoria's Secret as though there's actually something wrong with wanting pretty things. Robyn's going to get hassled no matter what she does, so she might as well enjoy herself, right?
According to fans, wrong! Robyn must explain every decision, showing her thought processes. When she talked about shopping online because there wasn't even a "Wal Mart" in her town, she was trying to convince people who don't like her that they should like her. However, many of these fans have made up their minds. So, when she got frustrated during the chat, fiercely defending everyday actions, it was easy to feel sorry for her.
Robyn shouldn't have to apologize for racking up some credit card charges. A lot of the fans whose probing questions and "hanging judge" attitudes fueled the chat's edgy and oddly hypnotic tone have probably done just the same. However, those keyboard warriors don't have Internet sleuths delving into every nook and cranny of their lives. They have some semblance of privacy. That makes it all too easy for them to judge Robyn from a great height.
Robyn, constantly on the defensive, must justify even the most mundane actions, in an attempt to stop other people from dehumanizing her because she won Kody's heart, making Meri, Janelle and Christine Brown feel bad. However, when Robyn stoops to explaining why she had to buy Victoria's Secret designs, she gives the bullies too much power. There's nothing wrong with buying clothes.
Robyn Explained How She Paid For A Trip To Hawaii
She Said She "Saved Money" To Pay For The Glam Getaway
In the same Q & A, Robyn talked about her controversial trip to Hawaii with Kody. She knows fans don't exactly appreciate the fact that she went off on a long holiday with the patriarch while the other wives had to sit at home, storing up rage. To these women, Robyn seems to represent a type of womanhood that is threatening. Bear in mind that this chat, and that trip, happened years ago.
Perhaps, when fans think of Robyn, they women who stole their men away, or something like that. For some reason, Robyn brings out the worst in people, triggering a primal sort of resentment. With such critics, she cannot win, but she tries to make them see reason.
Is Robyn a symbol of every woman who did them wrong, from a mean grade-school teacher to a femme tatale to a mean boss? If so, it's understandable that she's trying to charm them out of hating her. It's pointless, probably, but she has her image to consider. In a sort of "snake charming" move, Robyn assured disapproving fans that she skimped and "saved money" in order to afford the tropical vacation.
The thing is, a snake can be charmed, but not for long. That's why Robyn shouldn't try so hard. When she told fans that she "saved money" to pay for the getaway, they probably didn't believe her. In fact, they might have become more negative because they thought she was lying.
It's just human nature to keep thinking of a disliked person in a negative light. With Robyn, fans see a woman who got everything - all of Kody's love... the legal marriage... the fancy house. From their perspective, she left mere crumbs for the other long-suffering women.
Should Robyn Have Interacted With Her Fans?
Maybe It's Not Worth It
That die is likely cast, and Robyn may unconsciously play into her villain archetype when she flaunts her purchases, from dolls bought at Etsy (for which she leaves glowing reviews at that artsy website) to Robyn's David Yurman ring to "so fancy" Tory Burch sandals. To be accepted by a fan base so adamant that she's the Brown family's destroyer, Robyn would need to live a life of misery.
Only her unhappiness could satisfy them. She should dress in drab clothes, be sad, and mope around. Maybe she could put on a hair shirt to really ramp up the suffering? Then, and only then, will Robyn get a .
However, no woman should live that way. A woman should smile, laugh, create and love. A woman shouldn't cloak her real personality, or dull her shine, in order to please very critical people. While it's irable that Robyn was willing to subject herself to fans' critiques, trying to explain her side of things, what's most important is that Kody's last wife standing loves herself.
The Sister Wives queen may have won Kody's heart, and earned the ire of fans for that reason, but their opinions don't really define her. Only Robyn really knows who she is. And it's her job to make herself happy.
Hopefully, the woman who's listened to so much criticism has found ways to keep her "center" strong. Hopefully, Robyn has outlets so she can ward off negative energy and feel relaxed and jolly. Robyn is a reality villain, it's true, but that doesn't mean she's really a bad person, and the kind of trauma that all this shade inflicts is all too real.
With Kody, Robyn's fairly safe, if maybe not so elated lately. He can be irritable and hard to live with - she's said so herself. So, maybe a husband isn't the answer to every prayer either. Ultimately, although its fascinating when she does reach out to fans, Robyn shouldn't feel the need to explain herself to anyone. She needs to find happiness outside of having a man or living up to unrealistic expectations.
Robyn's perceived as a manipulator, but those who judge her should walk a mile in her shoes. If they had to withstand the negativity that she gets from fans, they might finally realize that Robyn doesn't really have it all. The Sister Wives star has problems just like everyone else.
Sister Wives fans can stream the series on the Discovery+ platform.
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