18 girls, one guy and a stereotype

“It’s really hard for me, navigating splitting my time between 18 women.” Cry me a river the length of the Nile, Robert. I mean honestly. You just complained about having 18 women hand-picked, buffed, fluffed and delivered to you on a silver platter known as “The Bachelor.” And you have the nerve to say it’s hard for you.

But what’s even worse is that the women on this show have the nerve to validate a statement like that. At the end of tonight’s episode, a girl who could not have known Robert for more than 2 hours in two weeks, starts crying hysterically about how she’s never going to find love. I mean honestly. You hinged your entire romantic future on this doofus who already proposed to someone and got subsequently dumped on national television? Then you deserve to be fired. Or let go. Or be roseless. Whatever reality TV trope is applicable.

Even though I was currently contributing to the ratings of the show - let’s say it was for research, though morbid curiosity is usually what drives me - I consider this show to be the perfect example of what’s wrong with women. There’s one guy in front of them. His looks are decent. He makes a fair amount of money. He can carry on a conversation. He’s mine! I’m gonna win! (By the way, those last two sentences are practically quotes from tonight’s episode.)

Now it’s obviously not a secret that I would love to find a relationship. A guy worth fighting for. But that doesn’t mean I’m looking to fight other girls for him. Women on this show put each other down and look straight into the camera and say - without irony - that the other girls better watch out. Watch out for what? Your boobs because you’re sticking them out so far it’s invading my personal space as I watch the show from my bed? Yes, you’re right, everyone should watch out for them.

We all know that these women are playing it up for the camera - more crazy means more air time - but then that points to a fundamental problem. It means that people want to see women cat fighting. It means that people expect women to fight over men, cry at the drop of a rejection and cut down other women. And it means there are women out there willing to live up to this reputation. And that I’m just not ok with.