First of all, I should say that I LOVE "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" and have been watching for many years with my mom and rooting for the best matches.
However, after "The Bachelorette's" recent 21st season finale, I can't stop wondering why each cast consists of the same type of people: thin, fit, and seemingly flawless.
Each person that emerges from the limo on premiere night are no more than size fours and the men have perfectly tailored suits and abs. Sure, it's nice to look at, but it isn't realistic OR diverse, as "The Bachelor" has claimed to cast.
Secondly, it took "The Bachelorette" 13 whole seasons to cast a woman of color, Rachel Lindsay. In our society, that shouldn't be acceptable. People are always looking for more diversity and inclusion, and it isn't fair that a show that receives close to 8 million viewers in a single season doesn't cast more women of color, curvy women, athletic women, or women that have lost a limb or are in a wheelchair.
"The Bachelor" casts an unrealistic portrayal of beauty and the next season should cast real women who are different sizes, builds, and colors like the example that Miss America 2.0 has set. That is, focusing on a woman's personality and intellect, not JUST her looks.
The national average size of women in America is a size 16, according to this article from "TODAY". This size is not unhealthy, as curvy models such as Ashley Graham show. Many women maintain a healthy lifestyle but not all of them are stick-thin.
This idea also applies to women who have disabilities. This should not be a limitation in casting for these shows. It would be a groundbreaking move on ABC's part to really show women we can relate to and to prove that a man could fall in love with a woman beyond her physical beauty.
This could also promote a woman's confidence to have an amazing experience of wearing beautiful gowns and traveling the world.
If all this is true, then why won't "The Bachelor" cast more diversely?
A lot of people speculate that it's because of who "The Bachelor" actually is and what his tastes are. The same goes for "The Bachelorette" and her preferences.
It's fair that preferences vary from person to person but is every contestant so narrow-minded that they would only consider abs and perfectly toned women?
While both shows have tried to throw in a diverse cast member, their tactics fail because it's usually only one curvy woman or a few women of color. The show-runners should be open to contestants that are more than their looks, and fall for them based on their humor and their ability to make a great partner.
