If you have been watching The Bachelorette this summer, you, like my friends and I, might be tearing your hair out watching Ashley Hebert stumble through Asia searching for love. Hebert came in third place on season 15 of the Bachelor where she vied for Brad Womack’s heart, and this summer 25 eligible bachelors are now in competition for her affection.
Hebert is a successful 26-year old who graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maine with a BS in biology and this past May graduated from the Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine with a degree of DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine.) She is also a dancer and teaches classes in ballet, jazz and hip-hop. Yet for all of her amazing accomplishments, this girl is having trouble finding a worthy guy. After watching this season 7 of The Bachelor, here is some advice that collegiettes can take away from Ashley.
1. Be confident.
This season Ashley has suffered from severe insecurities about her body and herself. Many guys coming onto the show assumed former contestant Emily would be the prized bachelorette. Ashley in turn, automatically assumed they would be disappointed that she was the one chosen. Her insecurities were heightened at a comedy roast where the guys were supposed to crack jokes to impress her but ended up completely tearing her apart. First off, who’s idea was it to stage a roast for the most insecure contestant ever? Not smart, ABC.  And second, through Ashley’s ordeal, we collegiettes can learn to laugh off jabs at our appearance. Everyone has issues with their image, but most of the time we judge ourselves more harshly than others do. Ashley recently posed in a swimsuit on the cover of Life and Style Magazine and looks great, so in the end she got the last laugh.
Â
2. Trust Your Girlfriends
Bentley. I hated this guy. Chris Harrison hated this guy. I am pretty sure everyone hated this guy except for Ashley, and she had fair warning of what a scum bag he was. Before filming even began, a friend of Ashley’s warned her that this suave bachelor was coming on the show with the wrong intentions. All through his stay, we saw him bad mouth Ashley behind her back, and then be charming to her face. Personally I never saw anything in the guy even without the warnings, but Ashley defended him when everyone (including Harrison, who, let’s be serious, knows what he is talking about so we should all listen to his advice) was telling her to beware. With his abrupt departure, Ashley was left with a “dot, dot, dot” (the most annoying relationship analogy ever), and we, along with her friend were left thinking, “I told you so.” Through the Bentley of it all, collegiettes can learn that listening to friend’s warnings about bad boys is a good idea. They are warning us because they care, and because there are some real jerks out there.
3. Let Go of the Past
Yep, still talking about Bentley here. This guy weaseled his way back into Ashley’s life while she was traveling through Asia with the remaining guys. After his departure, she was still left with questions -the infamous “dot, dot, dot”- and couldn’t shake the “feeling” that she was missing out on something great. Newsflash Ash – if the guy voluntarily left you, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t in it for the long haul. What is worse is that she let her pseudo-connection to Bentley taint her relationships with the remaining guys and she missed out on opportunities with great guys. Don’t let this happen to you, collegiettes! When it comes to relationships, don’t let the past affect your present or your future. If the guy leaves, so should your thoughts and feelings about him.
4. Be Honest
After Bentley finally revealed himself to Ashley as a giant (insert word here that ladies probably shouldn’t say), she was free to have fun with the other guys, but still felt she needed to be honest with them. Understanding guys like J.P. graciously took the news that Bentley had returned for a little meeting in stride, but guys like Mickey freaked out upon hearing the news and walked away. Obviously no one should jerk around guys quite like Ashley has with the whole Bentley drama, but when you do something questionable, be honest. If you come forward and admit something to your guy he will either appreciate your openness and it can make you two closer, or he can walk away. Either way, there are no secrets and it is better for both of you in the long run.
5. Don’t Go on a Reality TV Dating Show
Seriously, like two out of 22 seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have produced successful relationships. As great as the thought of being the next Trista and Ryan is, reality TV is not reality. Watch these shows for entertainment, then go out and find a guy yourself. True, you might not have Chris Harrison counseling you every step of the way, but you also won’t have to deal with weirdos like Jeff, the guy who refused to take off a face mask until episode three.
Photo
Â
Â