I started watching The Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise during
Ashley Herbert's season of The Bachelorette. I never had any interest in it
before that and I don't even know what prompted me to watch her season.
One thing that that anyone could see is that the show is not very
diverse. From the contestants to the Bachelor/Bachelorette the show mainly
consists of White Americans which left a bad taste in some people's mouth.
While there are contests that range in race many of the people of color don't
tend to last long. While there's nothing wrong with someone having a preference
in who they date, it would be nice to see the main person's ethnicity changed
up season to season.
Because, the show doesn't seem to prompt diversity there has been
at least one lawsuit filed against ABC on claims of racial discrimination. One
case in particular was filed in 2012 by two American football players; the case
was ultimately dismissed. The judge on the case sided with ABC saying that
casting is protected by the First Amendment, therefore even if the show was
trying to avoid controversy or backlash from interracial dating. They were
protected under the First Amendment.
I’m someone who believes that someone’s skin color shouldn’t factor
in when looking for love. While I know that some people don’t feel the same,
I’ve often wondered what would ABC do if one of the bachelor/bachelorette was to
pick someone who was a different race then them. Would they encourage it? Or
would they try to sway them towards someone of the same race. Being in the day
and age that we’re in many people still find it taboo to date outside your
race. And with the 21 seasons of The Bachelor we finally saw our first
interracial couple with Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici who is ½ Filipino
during season 17.
Nick Vail was the bachelor for season 21 and he's no stranger to
the franchise having appeared on Andi Dorfman's season, coming back to Kaitlyn
Bristowe’s season and even going on Bachelor in Paradise. You either love him or hate him, but
like anyone else he wants to find someone to settle down with.
This season we've pretty much have seen it all and this season has
also provided the most diverse cast in history. Not sure if that's the way the
producers casted the contestants or if Vail doesn't see color when looking for
love. Either way it was a big win for the show. Episode 9 premieres Monday and
the last women standing are Raven Gates, Rachel Lindsay, Vanessa Grimaldi and
Corinne Olympias. Lindsay is the only woman of color left and I believe that
she's also the second woman of color who has made it this far.
Usually the producers will announce the new bachelorette at the
reunion or on Good Morning America. But, for some reason media outlets revealed
the winner minutes before episode 8 even premiered. Lindsay has been the chosen
one to find her perfect mate in the upcoming season of The Bachelorette. I was
kind of shocked that after so long they would finally pick someone of color to
be the main focus of this show.
I don't know if it's because they want to take some of the heat of
them, or if it's because they truly think that Lindsay will make a great
bachelorette. Or if it's because the president of ABC is a woman of color and
that for lack of better words forced them to go with someone that wouldn't
normally choose.
I plan on watching and live tweeting the show as always. And, I
wish Lindsay the best in finding her Prince Charming.
But, while we're celebrating that a black woman is finally the main
focus of The Bachelorette, let's not forget that it's 2017 and this is the most
diversity we've seen from this franchise. Really ABC? Really. Do better.
