Lisa Rinna and Kyle Richards Getting Mammograms Is the Most Important ‘RHOBH’ Moment to Date

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills took a brief break from arguing about puppies during last night’s episode and made a move that could legitimately save a woman’s life. I’m not being hyperbolic here — Kyle Richards and Lisa Rinna bringing the cameras with them during a routine mammogram is a major moment for this show.

I love when the women get tipsy and either dance or scream it out (sometimes both) on this show, and plenty of that happened later in the episode at Kyle’s Halloween bash. But earlier that day, she and Rinna did something much less glamorous yet much more important. They got their boobs checked.

Women have the option to get a mammogram starting at age 40, and once they hit 45 it’s recommended they get one every year. That is everyone in this cast (minus Teddi who is 37) and most other cities of Housewives as well. This is a routine part of their lives, just as a workout class or a brunch or, in the case of these women, a trip to an exotic locale would be. It makes a difference to not only show this stuff on TV, but to the degree RHOBH did.

Because a lot of things can happen at these appointments that your friends or moms or nurses might not prep you for ahead of time. The pre-checkup anxiety is real, y’all. And that both Rinna and Kyle were feeling that shows how common it is. Plus, that Rinna’s mom and half-sister had breast cancer, as did Kyle’s mom, it’s extra important that these gals keep up with their appointments. “It’s not the most fun thing to do, so better to have a friend with you,” Kyle says to Rinna, revealing that she’s also taken pals Lisa Vanderpump and Faye Resnick to mammograms before.

Now, you DO have to make an appointment ahead of time at most establishments, so the fact that they scooted Kyle right in is not quite the norm, but it’s more important that she was checked at all. “This test gives me so much anxiety, but the reason my mom died of breast cancer is because she didn’t go get a mammogram for five years,” Kyle reveals. And while that is completely sad and sobering, there is a bit of relief in seeing these two women experience such real feelings and real nervousness in this moment.

Luckily, Rinna’s was all clear, and that we got to see the x-ray of all her fatty tissue, breast tissue, and even her implant is fascinating, and a helpful moment for women who have never gone or are feeling nervous about going. It’s kind of like a health class for adults, if you will. Because when Kyle was told, “We need to do a couple extra images,” that’s real too. That happens. Like Instagram, if the shot was blurry or there was a finger in front of the lens, you’d want a do-over to be sure you got the best pic possible, right?

Watching Kyle tightly hug her backpack as she fought back tears in the hallway waiting for the results is a moment I’m glad we got to see. I’m sorry she had to go through it, but happy it was simply “extra dense tissue” that the doctor assured her “we looked really closely at it,” and that it was all good in the end. That kind of stuff happens and could be the key to calming another woman who experiences it soon.

I will watch the boozy brunches and the ridiculous theme parties and hell, I’ll sit through at least a full episode of the reunion about #Puppygate, and that’s all fun. But this moment was truly important, and I believe a first of its kind. It’s easy to say that more women should bring cameras or awareness to their medical struggles when that can be a super private moment, but from endometriosis to infertility to mammograms, it does make a difference in the world. The women that are brave and bold enough to broadcast these scary, vulnerable moments help countless women through their own scary, vulnerable moments. This awareness can even help get bills and laws passed! It’s not just frivolous TV in this moment: it matters.

No matter what you think of Rinna’s antics at the Halloween party (oh, girl) or Kyle’s dance moves after a margarita (yes, girl!) they deserve a lot of respect for this window into every woman’s life. Good job to them for getting their mammos grammed, and be sure to encourage the women in your life to do the same.

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