New Wave Feminism: Bachelor Edition

We’ve all heard about the reality show that occupies almost every teen and middle-aged woman’s Monday… The Bachelor. ABC’s “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” are potentially the reason why modern-day romances are a constant fail. With this idea that it is okay for an alpha male to basically cheat on his girlfriend(s) with 30 other women, yep what a good example! Anyways, this show turns love into a game, making the diction surrounding the show including phrases like “who will win this year?” and “I can’t believe she won his season”. Honestly, there’s a great chance almost all of the men and women enter this show for personal gain, I mean why not when all of America is watching? Many of the women become influencers thanks to Bachelor Nation, but some claim to fall in love. 

This season of “The Bachelor” featured “Pilot Pete” who had his heart broken from former bachelorette Hannah Brown. Apparently, America loved him enough to watch him every freaking Monday. But what’s the big deal? This season the pilot ended up alone, and the women actually stood up for themselves. Unlike almost every other season, final contestants Hannah Ann and Madison expressed their true feelings to Peter instead of praising the show like we normally hear. For example, in the past, when a bachelor or bachelorette does something absurd and they are confronted in the infamous interview with Chris Harrison, the response is something like “I’m just thankful for this experience” or “I hope they find love, they deserve it”. Why is it not okay for someone to express how they were hurt or humiliated? Oh right, because it will hurt the network. 

This season we saw a different view in which both Hannah Ann and Madison held their ground and even slapped back at the bachelor himself. After Madison declared her religious values which included her feelings about Peter being intimate with other women, she decided to leave the show, having the last woman standing be Hannah Ann. Peter obviously favored his relationship with Madison, however she was not the woman who was available, so he proposed to Hannah Ann. After a couple months of engagement, Peter broke the engagement off because of his feelings for Madison and Hannah Ann didn’t just take it. She had the break-up speech that every woman wishes she said and didn’t seem to care that she was bashing the bachelor.

“I don’t need anything more from you. You’ve done enough damage. I’m done. Here’s this. We’re done.”

“What? Peter? Peter, I’m telling you, your words, you can’t be true to them, so why would I hear you out any more? OK? I feel betrayed enough. You betrayed me. And you know it. Right? See? That’s all I need to hear. And I’ll be able to move forward knowing that you’ve owned up to it.”

“You know, I’m strong, and I’m going to be my own rock throughout this. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“So a word of advice? If you want to be with a woman, you need to become a real man.”

Hannah Ann Sluss

Basically, we wish we had the guts like Hannah Ann, but I think she set a precedent for how future contestants should act. As undermining as this show is, Hannah Ann gained America’s love after her heartbreaking, yet empowering speech to Peter. How long will shows like this one restrict the realfeelings of the people who appear on them? How much is scripted and when will people begin to stand up to networks and say how they really feel? It’s about time someone didn’t care about how they would be seen for being honest, but I wonder how much the producers hated it. I guess we will have to watch the next season to find out.