Ah, The Bachelor. Everyone’s favorite little guilty pleasure. Many of your feminist friends might ask you, “How can you possibly watch such archaic and overt sexism as nightly entertainment?” And to that you say, “I’m sorry Becky, I really don’t know.” Well, we’ve got you covered. Here are 10 reasons why you can totally still be a feminist and watch The Bachelor.
1) It’s Really All About the Ladies
Don’t fear my friends, even though this past season was centered on an actual human radish, Nick Viall (his name just makes it too easy), the show is really all about the ladies–and their terrifying obsession with a man!! We get to watch a room full of women make desperate attempts at finding love and applaud the whole way through. You go girls!
2) There’s Also The Bachelorette
The Bachelor can’t be totally sexist if there’s a female version right? In fact, we’ll just ignore that there’s 21 seasons of The Bachelor and only 12 of The Bachelorette.
3) They’re Great at Diversity
Rachel Lindsay, the obvious and totally cool fan favorite is the 1st black Bachelorette after 12 seasons. See, it’s a totally progressive show now. Gold star!
4) There Are Some Badass Women
A neonatal nurse, a mental health counselor, a lawyer, and a special education teacher; this lineup of ladies is hard to compete with. But, in fact, we’re still not sure what Nick does? Luckily, there’s only ever a handful of women amongst the bunch in badass jobs, as to not make it too boring.
5) The Bachelor Shows That Men Cry Too
Yes, it’s true that at least three women cry every episode, but for that, we counter you with the fact that Nick cries at least twice for every one woman. Because what’s sexier than a factory reject Ryan Reynolds showing his true emotion? Literally anything.
6) They Own Their Bodies
More power to the women that can own their body and sexuality. This past season, the wildcard of the show, Corinne, only used her body. And don’t worry, it got her to the final four! As she so eloquently puts it, “my heart is gold, but my vagine is platinum.”
7) They Get to Take Him Home to Meet their Families
See, it’s not all about fame whoring and publicity! Each of the final four girls get to take Nick home to meet their respective families. While passing the mashed potatoes at dinner, they even get to pretend like it’s totally normal that he’s simultaneously dating all of their roommates!
8) They Get to Travel Everywhere
In fact, each place they go to just happens to be “the perfect place to fall in love.” What are the odds? What’s even better is that Nick gets to fly a private jet there and all the classless ladies get to sit in coach like the band of miscreants they really are.
9) They Get Quality Bonding Time
And by “bonding time,” we mean that they get to wait in the house for 16 hours of the day until they’re eventually let out like a flock of cattle. No wonder they’re either drunk or crying all the time. Ultimately, at the end of the show, they’re even allowed to be objectified like turkeys on Thanksgiving day while Nick decides who is worthy of keeping.
10) It’s Totally Genuine
None of them are in it for the fame, they’re all in it for love! In fact, all of them are from humble beginnings. Let’s just gloss over the fact that Corinne was in a 2 Chainz and Juicy J music video, Danielle M. was in a Cole Swindell music video, and Vanessa has an IMDB page.
The concept of The Bachelor goes against every fiber of our being, but that doesn’t stop us from regularly tuning in on Monday nights. From the promise of romance, to the sweet little moments of intimacy, its got us hooked. Here’s lookin’ out for Rachel’s season next month!
By Bella Engelhard