In a society that is fighting for gender equality between men and women, having shows like The Bachelor still on the air after 10 years kind of beats the purpose.
I’m going to be straightforward here: I don’t like this show. I’ve tried to watch episodes here and there, just to see what all the fuss is about. Except I never last longer than 10 minutes. The last time I saw an episode, I got really, really pissed off.
The girl the Bachelor didn’t give the rose to was left alone on a sandbar, in pouring rain, while the jerk and the girl he chose over her drove off in a speedboat while reveling in her humiliation on live television.
I get it—you don’t like her. No one is saying you have to like her. But you don’t have to be an asshole about it.
The Bachelor is messed-up TV. There are so many things wrong with this show. I know I can’t be the only one that sees these issues. Of course, does the network care? As long as there are ratings, no, they won’t care.
Unrealistic beauty expectations.
The Bachelor, as well as the contestants, fit society’s standards of beauty. In other words, the men have six-pack abs and the women are skinny. You’re not going to see a woman like me—size 16, short, glasses—on the screen. Also, you’re not going to see a Bachelor who is a little more bulky, or maybe even a little overweight. Their bodies need to be made of rocks.
What is that saying about our society? That we will settle for only the most attractive partners, even if there is no possible way you could stand spending the rest of your life with this person?
Contestants are humiliated on live television.
I haven’t watched enough of The Bachelorette to know for sure what the male participants go through, but I know that on The Bachelor, the women are dragged through the mud every episode. Catfights, ridiculous get-ups, and being royally dumped in front of millions are only the half of it. Some of these girls might have started out as friends, but the competition of snagging that “perfect” guy and possibly getting another TV show opportunity are too great for them.
Too high dating expectations.
Newsflash: not every woman’s ideal date is dancing or an ice-skating rink or trips to exotic locations that involve skimpy bikinis. While some dates are admittedly cute ideas, they are not personally something all women would enjoy. In all the show’s run, did any Bachelor take one of the girls to a bookstore, a poetry reading, a play, or anything romantically literature-related? Such as, acted out the scene Mr. Darcy professed his love for Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice?
The relationships almost never work out.
I did my research into all the couples that have come and gone on The Bachelor over the years. In all 21 seasons, only two couples managed to stay together. Several of the couples got engaged, but the engagements ended several weeks later. A few of the others lasted a few years, dating on and off, but the relationships ultimately ended, anyway. After everything the women went through on the show, all the crying, fighting, kissing, and seducing, that is really sad.
If you enjoy The Bachelor, by all means, don’t take anything I said to heart. I know it is just television. The “reality” we see could actually be scripted. Keep watching the show if you are so inclined and I hope the woman you want to end up with this season’s Bachelor wins.
