Reconciling my commitment to feminism with my love of The Bachelor has always been a struggle, but this season it’s been particularly difficult. Juan Pablo, who’s staged as the beautiful Venezuelan soccer player/the best dad ever/the fun-loving guy that just wants to find his soul mate, would probably be better suited for a reality show in the 1950s.
Why? He seems fascinated mainlyby women that are 1) superficially beautiful and 2) show good potential as mothers. But he’s not working to maintain the patriarchy all by himself. More than ever before, the producers of the show are making decisions that paint the bachelorettes in a more negative light. Here are some of the more questionable decisions made in this season’s Bachelor:
Strike 1: The Nude Photo ShootOn the first group date, 13 of the contestants met up with Juan Pablo for a photo shoot to benefit “Best Friends Animal Society.” All of them chose a dog to pose with and were each handed a costume. Well, except for the girls that didn’t get costumes and were told to work it in their birthday suits. Okay, Bachelor producers: we understand that drama and nudity can be good for the show’s ratings. But taking advantage of women’s biggest insecurities for the sake of good TV is crossing a line—a very clearly drawn, thick, black line that nobody with any amount of empathy would dare to cross.
Strike 2: Exploiting the Drunk GirlAfter the photo shoot, Juan Pablo took all the lovely ladies to some sort of club where there was a pool and apparently copious amounts of alcohol. Victoria, a 24-year-old from Brazil, had quite a bit of wine and started slurring her brutally, hilariously honest words. Instead of trying to downplay the situation, producers made sure that the camera caught her every move. Bachelor producers: my grievances about how you handled the photo shoot apply here as well. Even if you’re desperate, don’t exploit and embarrass a girl who surely already feels ashamed. (Also, the staff on this show has to be pretty extensive, so was there really nobody available to maybe nudge Victoria away from all that alcohol?)
Strike 3: Slut ShamingHere’s an article that sums this up with way more detail, but I’ll give you the gist. On one of the recent episodes, one of the bachelorettes, Clare, went to Juan Pablo’s apartment at 4 am and the two of them went into the ocean where something happened. (Everyone on the show was really vague about what exactly went down, but we all know they had sex.) The following night, Juan Pablo told Clare that he regretted the time they spent together and basically blamed her for it. He also said that it was something he wouldn’t want his daughter to see, which made Clare cry. We’re not buying it, Juan Pablo. Yeah, it was weird and unfair to the other girls, but you had just as much of a role in the event as Clare did.
Strike 4: Juan Pablo’s Homophobic CommentsThis is a big one. Outside the context of the show, Juan Pablo told a reporter that he didn’t support the idea of a gay Bachelor because it’s not a “good example for kids to watch that on TV.” I don’t think I need to go into how absurd this is. Everyone wants to find love, man, so try not to cast judgment while you’re trying to find your soul mate on a TV show that’s designed around boosting its own ratings and exploiting romantic relationships.
If this hasn’t completely turned you off from the show, you can catch it on ABC Mondays (tonight) at 8pm EST.