At first glance, it seems as if there are not any downsides to being “The Bachelorette.” I mean all JoJo has to do is fall in love. Sounds easy, right? She just has to pick the one man out of the twenty-six who are all competing for her affection, who is essentially going to be her future husband. Every week she simply goes on dates, decides who she likes the least, and sends them home. From watching the show week to week I’ve come up with one serious downside to being in JoJo’s position. Basically, being “The Bachelorette” is like going to prom. Of course, every girl likes going to prom every now and then, but I don’t know anyone who would want to go to prom every week. JoJo has to get her hair and makeup done every day, she has to think of some big way to “wow” the guys with every date, and she has to pick out numerous evening gowns she will only wear once. The entire process seems very exhausting.

In every episode, JoJo appears flawless. Her hair is always exactly right and her face is always perfectly highlighted and contoured. As a girl, I know this is no easy task. Most days I spend about an hour doing my hair and makeup and the final product is still not what I want it to be. Being on a television show, it is safe to assume JoJo has an entire team doing her hair and makeup to make sure she is always camera ready. Although she does not have to make herself look perfect on her own, she still has to endure the process. I’ve never been on a television show but I have been to prom. I know the amount of effort and time it takes to ensure the makeup stays on and looks flawless all night. Even though it can be fun to wear a lot of products on your face, everyone needs a makeup free and messy hair day every now and then. I know I don’t have the patience to attempt to look perfect every day. Sometimes I just don’t want to do my hair or makeup. JoJo does not have that luxury. She has to look perfect all the time. Props to her because she makes looking perfect seem easy. I know I could not handle looking like I’m going to prom every day.

Along with having to look perfect, JoJo has to plan elaborate dates. The show would be pretty boring if they went on typical “dinner and a movie” dates.This aspect of being “The Bachelorette” is a lot like planning the perfect “promposal.” JoJo basically has to “prompose” to these guys every week. She has to wow them with something they are not expecting. In last week’s episode, JoJo took the guys sand surfing. They went to a sandy hill in the desert of Uruguay and slid down it on giant foam boards. It was definitely an “out of the box” date idea. All of the contestants and JoJo herself were outside of their comfort zone. It is one thing to put yourself out there once to do something unexpected, but JoJo has to do it every week. She also is not just taking one guy to prom. On an average date, she is taking about eleven guys to prom. That fact alone definitely has to be overwhelming.

At the end of every episode, there is a rose ceremony. At this ceremony, JoJo wears a formal evening gown. These gowns are very similar to something a teenager would wear to prom. Of course, JoJo’s dresses are super sophisticated and lack the layers of tool that often come with many prom dresses. Having gone to prom I know what it is like to pick out a formal dress. I tried tons of them on and only found one I really liked. I have no idea how JoJo has found dozens of formal dresses that she looks great and feels confident in. Also like a prom dress, JoJo only wears each dress one time. She has to pick out a super expensive and fancy dress for one day. That has to be extremely stressful. It probably helps that she does not have to pay the hundreds of dollars that these dresses probably cost but nonetheless she looks great in every dress she wears.

Being “The Bachelorette” is like going to prom. Although JoJo appears flawless on the outside, there is a lot of preparation that goes into that persona. It takes a strong woman to date 26 guys at once and still appears perfect.