In a world where equality is still a buzzword, yet all too hard to find, who would have thought a show like The Bachelor (or The Bachelorette in this case), would be there to perpetuate such a thing? How can a show that continually objectifies men and women possibly not have some inequities about it?
When a man sleeps with a woman early on in their relationship (or has a one night stand) he is lauded as a hero by his friends and thought of as either a stud or lothario (depending on whom you are talking to). Whereas when a woman does the same thing, the next morning is always the “walk of shame” and she is either a slut or a whore. So much for the playing field being level, once again in the Battle of the Sexes, the advantage goes to the men.
But what happened on The Bachelorette is taking it all a bit too far. I am sure you all know how the show works. One woman must choose between a gaggle (or is it a pride, or a murder) of eligible Bachelors to find her perfect mate. Each week the Bachelorette interacts with the Bachelors, and at the end of each episode, she presents the ones she wishes to stay with a rose.
This goes on for the entire season, until she whittles it down and finally has the “One”. This is the man that is supposed to be her soulmate, and the two will go on to live happily ever after.
Well that’s all fine and dandy, until one of the Bachelorette’s breaks what is supposed to be the “norm” and “acceptable” for women and all of a sudden she is a pariah and is slut-shamed by both angry and insecure men and women alike. That’s right, Vancouver-born dance instructor Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe decided to have sex with one of the suitors, and all hell broke loose.
The other Bachelors were upset because, let’s face it, other than “Nick” they didn’t “get any”, viewers were upset because, “how dare they show this lack of morals on television” and the Producers were upset because it seemed like the decision had already been made, just a couple of weeks into the season.
Well, talk about your double standards. If Nick were the one who was “The Bachelor” and he had slept with Kaitlyn, then those jeers would be turned into cheers, very quickly too. A man, when he beds a woman, is thought of as a stud or conquering hero, whereas when a woman does it, she is a hussy or a slut. The hypocrisy is sickening, but like it or not, it is the way of the world in which we live.
But worse than the hypocrisy of the situation is the bullying that Kaitlyn has endured since she did the deed, so to speak. There have been no less than ten on-line gossip sites that have taken to calling Kaitlyn a “slut” and worse. Now, she was expecting to get it, to a certain extent, but never at the level she has experienced it. She said about the situation “I knew there were going to be magazines with crazy headlines. I prepared myself. I definitely have tough skin, but when people are calling you names like a slut, it hurts. It’s been really hard.”
So in this age of alleged tolerance, when we are still supposed to let people be who they are, no matter what you may or may not think of it, it is nuts that this is the discussion we have to have. I got news for you, if it bothers you that it happens on television, change the channel! There is no need for name-calling anymore.
We as a society are supposed to be above that, and anyone that agrees with me, gets my rose.