Whatever happened to thick thighs save lives? Bachelor Nation seems to have missed the memo. Whilereality dating showslikeLove Is Blindhave been checking all the boxes regarding representation,The Bachelorseems stuck on the archaic notion thatone can only be considered eligible if one fits in the box of societal beauty standards. For a show likeThe Bachelor, which has been ongoing for over a decade, the franchise must be more mindful of the nuances in the casting process by opting to cast individuals who showcase a range of body diversity rather than the traditional cardboard cut-out contestants.
Ahead ofThe BachelorSeason 29, which will premiere on July 24, 2025,ABChas released the contestants who will be vying for a place inGrant Ellis’ heart. Upon zooming out, I believe it’s evident that despite making significant changes in the franchise in terms of racial inclusivity and introducing senior spin-offs in the forms ofThe Golden BachelorandThe Golden Bachelorette,Bachelor Nation has missed the mark on size inclusivity.
There Is an Obvious Lack of Size Inclusivity on ‘The Bachelor
It’s hard to ignore thatthe female leads and contestants on the popular reality dating show are rarely women who are bigger than a size 8. After 50 seasons ofThe BachelorandThe Bachelorette,only three plus-size contestants have been featured on the show.Bo StanleyfromThe BachelorSeason 19,Bryan Witzmann, andBrett HarrisfromThe Bacheloretteseasons 18 and 21, respectively, were the only three contestants cast outside the size bracket of the usual contestants. In the 21st century, where individuals are encouraged to celebrate who they are, be it appearance or identity, Bachelor Nation needs to come out of itsrigid casting processthatprojects only a specific conventional body type to be considered eligible.Roses for Every Bodyis a campaign launched in 2022 that tackled the issue of howThe Bachelorfranchisenormalizes exclusive body standards on the show. They shared a post onInstagramreflecting on the three times a plus-size person was featured on the show, and all three of them were eliminated with limited screen time during the first episode.
I’m Not Sure ‘The Bachelor’s Joey Graziadei & Kelsey Anderson Will Ever Get Married
Too much time isn’t always a good thing.
Size Inclusivity Goes Beyond Mere Representation
While the aim of having a more size-inclusive cast is primarily to represent diverse body typeson a cult-classic reality dating show, the intent transcends into a deeper prerogative.The Bachelorfranchise has the ability topromote the notion of eligibility and being considered attractive beyond a specific body type, which would be a step toward normalizing varying body types and challenging an archaic mindset that shuns a majority of the population from being viewed as desirable.
Back in 2021, a friend ofThe BachelorSeason 25’s lead,Matt James,was caught making a derogatory comment aboutVictoria Larson,a contestant featured in his season. James’ friend said during this specific scenario, “Now, how was Victoria’s body? You know,‘cause when I look at her, it doesn’t look nice…and you’ve been making out with this woman.” While James went on to apologize for his friend’s comment and defended Larson, theincident is symbolic of howThe Bachelorfranchise projects an idyllic appearancethat facilitates one to get featured on the show — which has also been ingrained in viewers’ minds.
Bachelor Nation Is Taking Steps in the Right Direction
While size inclusivity is something that Bachelor Nation needs to place due importance on, that’s not to say that the franchisee hasn’t taken steps toward being more inclusive. They were racially inclusive when they started to have a more diverse approachwhile casting contestants and leads like Matt James,Rachel Lindsay, andJenn Tran. The introduction of the Golden spin-offs was also a welcome addition that promoted the notion of finding love regardless of age. These examples reaffirm thatthe franchise is committed to fostering inclusivity and taking steps toward being diverse.
I think it would berefreshing to see a range of body types featured on a reality dating show, especially after shows likeLove Is Blindprompted conversations on body positivity based on the experiences of contestants likeHannah JilesandChelsea Blackwell.It’s vital forThe Bachelorto cast individuals with a range of body types to keep up with the times in the 21st centuryrather than bask in the notion that the show is a pageant showcase disguised as a dating competition.
The Bachelor
A single bachelor dates multiple women over several weeks, narrowing them down to hopefully find his true love.
The BachelorSeason 29 will premiere on ABC on June 12, 2025. In the meantime, you can stream the show’s previous seasons on Hulu in the U.S.
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