This week on the
popular reality show, The Bachelor, audiences got a dose of the reality behind
the show. During this week’s episode, Ben went on four hometown dates, which
entailed meeting the families of his four ‘girlfriends’. When Ben went to
Dallas to see Jojo and meet her parents, brothers, and sister there was a
glimpse of what it really takes to make these women fall in love with ‘their
prince charming’. Jojo’s brothers gave Ben the third degree and essentially
told him that they thought he was insincere and fake. They said, "You
brainwash these girls way too much, man. To see my sister like that ... She's
obviously starting to have real emotional feelings but I don’t get the same read
[from you]."
Her
brothers were finally shedding light on how manipulative, false, and fake this
entire show is. It’s really about selling the idea of love and commodifying it.
The show and its contestants
are framed, primed, and shown in certain ways in order to get a certain
reaction from the audience. There is also frankenbiting in order to make drama
and music to set the mood. The shows’ producers create drama by utilizing these
elements of ‘media manipulation’. Everything about this is unnatural and
conditions the audience to believe in the drama and love. Producers make the
show how they want it and use the contestants (including Ben) as mere body
props. It was nice to see how apprehensive and judgmental the brothers were
being about this completely false portrayal of love, romance, and dating. This
show does little more than reinforce gender roles and stereotypes.
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