THE BACHELOR AND FEMINISM

   As my friends and I count down the days until our Bachelorette premiere viewing party extravaganza, I must take a moment to ponder why it is we care so much. Historically, this show has proved sexist and discriminatory, but keeping up with rose ceremonies continues to be the highlight of my week. Especially here at Northwestern—okay, probably at every college in America—there seems to be a prominent viewership. At first, active feminists on campus may deny watching it, but as soon as the name Ben Higgins is whisper-giggled in psychology class, they can’t help but join in on last night's episode drama. So why do smart women enjoy “The Bachelor” so much?

   Women of substance are often constructed as snobby, arrogant and rude on the show, while "simple, sweet" girls such as Caila and Lauren B. are lauded as "wife material." Remember Sharleen from Juan Pablo's season? She was incredibly intelligent, with a successful career in opera. The other women poked fun at her, and Sharleen was actually quoted saying, “I wish I was a little bit dumber.” And no one can forget Olivia from last season. Ignoring her successful career as a broadcast journalist, the producers chose to focus on her facial expressions and cankles. Just prior to her very dramatic exit (she was left stranded on a deserted island), she reflected on being a substantial, intelligent woman in a conversation with Ben, who rejected her shortly thereafter. Granted, there were certainly issues with Olivia, as there probably are with most women who voluntarily sign up to be on this show, but the editor’s cut made her intellect and worldly interests seem unattractive.

   So again, back to the question of why. Why do we relish in every moment of gossip and drama as these women pick each other apart? Though I have a couple of theories myself, I crowdsourced Bachelor Nation here at Northwestern to gain some perspective.

   According to senior Lola Parchment, it’s all about the escape the show provides. “The thing about ‘The Bachelor’ is that, it’s not just catering to the hopeless romantic and millionaire matchmaker fanatics,” she said. “It’s providing a scenario that seems impractical and is less likely to happen in our lives, which is something fictional dramas are praised for. Just because the scenarios they present are often unlikely to happen in our lives doesn’t mean we don’t want to watch it. Some women, like myself, enjoy knowing it’s a false reality and bask in the glory of its artifice.”

   That leads me to one of my own theories. After watching the spin-off mockumentary called “UnREAL,” I think one of the appeals of “The Bachelor” is its clever editing and twisted production staff. An ex-Bachelor producer created the spin-off for Lifetime, presenting a not-so-fictional account of what goes on behind-the-scenes. Though it’s admittedly over-the-top (I won’t give away any spoilers), it’s incredibly gratifying to then watch the actual show and spot instances of blatant manipulation by producers. Everyone knows the line between reality and scripted television is quite blurry (especially given the copious amounts of booze they have flowing on set), but I have to say, I get a rush dissecting the show.

   For instance, on this past season, Leah suddenly turned into "the bitch" when she threw Lauren B. under the bus in a conversation with Ben. Now having watched “UnREAL,” I devised a simple explanation for this bizarre conversation. (For those who didn’t watch, Leah was a quiet, in-the-background kind of girl who suddenly began bashing another quiet, in-the-foreground kind of girl; both very sweet yet admittedly bland.) My thought is that things were getting quiet in the house—Olivia had just left, and everyone else was “actually really good friends.” No drama=boring episodes. So, since everyone knew it was Leah’s time to go home, the producers offered Leah a nice pile of cash to shake things up and shit on Lauren B. before she made her exit. She gladly obliged (nothing to lose, so much to gain), and consequently turned Lauren B. —the clear frontrunner, but also very boring—into a not-quite-as-boring mean girl! Brilliant.

    Anyway, you can imagine how much fun guests at a wine-filled viewing party might have concocting these “UnREAL” scenarios. Similarly, junior Katherine Richter attributes the smart-girl fandom simply to socialization. “I love watching ‘The Bachelor’/‘Bachelorette’ because of the community it creates among my friends. Sure, the men and women are extravagant, and I bet it’s scripted at times, but there’s something addicting about baking brownies in anticipation of an episode, then screaming and laughing at the TV while it all plays out,” she said.

    So, from my hard-hitting research, it seems that women enjoy the bonding aspect, as well as the scheming that occurs during commercial breaks. But does that make it okay? Should the shows we watch accurately reflect our intellect and preference for feminism and equality? Probably not. As I’m sure someone once declared, “Judge me by the content of my character, not the junky/horrific television shows I watch.” The Bachelor franchise will probably never improve. But if it provides an escape from real life/the dating world and an opportunity to binge on Chinese takeout with your best friends, I think that makes it slightly okay.