No Black and Blue? We Don't Believe You!

The current theme of the last couple of weeks of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has been Taylor and Russell Armstrong's marriage and Camille's outburst regarding the now deceased Russell's abuse of his wife. During an intense confrontation at what was supposed to be a dainty get together for a spot of tea, the women decided they didn't believe Taylor's off-camera confessions to them that she was in an abusive marriage. They were confused by the fact that Taylor still made appearances with her husband and continued to stay with him while accusing him of doing her bodily harm. These women, who are all grown and, I would like to think, educated should know better than that. There are plenty of women who are in disastrous relationships who dote on their spouses and still smile at every event, entering the scene hand-in-hand and blowing kisses for public view. These are the same women who when asked, "Why did you stay with him?" are quick to answer as the tears stream from their blackened eyes, "Because I loved him!" For Kyle to say she doesn't know what to believe because she's never seen bruises is such an ignorant statement. It may be that Kyle has no experience with such an extreme and dire situation, but she must know that if a woman is being beaten by her husband, when it's time to hit the streets, she's not going to rock her black and blue contusions along with her Louboutins and Louis Vuitton handbag. She's going to hide the signs of abuse and try her best to cope by smiling through the pain. Or maybe she may not leave the house at all, until she's healed and doesn't have to make excuses about any clues to the domestic violence. So to say, "Until I see it, I don't know what to believe" is such an unsympathetic statement. What kind of friend would second guess or question such an admittance? And what friend actually wants to see the smoke before they believe there is a fire? The other recurring theme has been the Housewives saying over and over that Camille was just repeating what Taylor secretly told all the women over time when she blurted out that Russell was hitting Taylor. The only difference here is, Taylor made her confession off camera, outside of the viewers' sight. Until Russell committed suicide over the summer, we would have never known he broke her jaw or that he slammed her around. Camille was wrong to say such things out in the open and in front of the Bravo cameras. It was off-topic at the time anyway and it did indeed put Taylor in a dangerous situation with Russell. Some may say that by Camille opening that door, Taylor was able to see her husband for what he was and gain the strength to leave him, but the filming of this show and the secrets it was going to reveal could have also led a man to take his own life.