Gender Stereotypes of Bachelor

There is a consistent demonstration of competition on the ABC television show "The Bachelor". The reality show draws about 12 million viewers each week to watch the bachelor, Jake, narrow down his search for "his perfect bride". I haven't watched this season of the Bachelor, now on its fourteenth season, but the script is always the same: the competition between the girls, the fake personalities, the many, many rose ceremonies that always end in tears. Albeit, the Bachelorette is not very different from the Bachelor; all of the people that go on their respective shows chose to sign up for them. What seems to be the main difference between the shows is how the women versus the men are portrayed in the context of the situations presented. The women are, overall, much more sensitive throughout the competition. The men, however, continue to play the role of the strong, tough, charismatic, male figure. However, as the show gets closer to the finale, it's obviously more difficult for these men to leave (of course, this also depends on the genuinity of their feelings). During the first few episodes of the Bachelorette (in past seasons I've watched, as well as clips I've seen from this season), I can't help but roll my eyes at the idea that these women can honestly love someone after a couple of days. It was clear to me, after watching early clips from the Bachelor, the typical stereotypes of women were definitely perpetuated in every way from the beginning of this season. Overall, the girls are very confident (they often interrupt each other's dates), fondle Jake and sexually display their bodies for attention. They want to appear confident yet vulnerable & innocent, but not naive. The show is simply a competition- the girls are competing against one another for their "dream man". Even if the show does end in true love, these emotions can't be completely genuine. All of the contestants, if they want to stay in the competition, have to have a competitive spirit. This season, one of the girls, Rozlyn, interrupted Jake's conversation with another girl, by coming up to them in her bikini and asking him to go swimming with her. She was not only using her sex appeal as a device to get his attention, but she was using it in a way that didn't allow another contestant to have the opportunity to spend as much time with him. The gender stereotypes that this show continues to clearly display- the cattiness, the ingenuity, the shallowness, the emotional atmosphere- is anything but reality for many women.