The Role of The Bachelor is the Media's Wrongful Depiction of Women

               Recently in our critical thinking class, we have been exploring the negative way in which women are depicted in the media today. Some of the things we have been observing and reading about makes me sick to my stomach as I imagine a young girls trying to find who they are through the cloud of media messages that constantly hangs around. Women are sexualized, made to look weak and feeble, and often shown to be dependent on men. One show I feel wraps up these horrible stereotypes into one is the show the Bachelor. The Bachelor is a television show in which women from around the country "compete" for the affections of a single male and whomever the man likes the most gets to marry him. I have seen one episode of the show and what I saw within that hour was enough to make me never want to watch it again. The problem with The Bachelor is that the women are shown as bitchy, manipulating, and overly dramatic. They gossip openly about other competitors, make rude comments, and act dramatic to make the show more interesting. Unfortunately, the women enforce the sassy and unintelligent stereotype to gain viewers, and people who see the show get the idea that that is how women act in the real world.
             

             In addition, women are sexualized and shown to be objects men can have as underlying messages of the content. The man interacts with the women individually and during such times the women sexualize themselves in an attempt to seduce the man so that they may be selected as his bride. The women flirt and get physical with this random guy on camera, which send the message that in order to be desired by men you have to be sexually appealing. Further, the women are put into a contest for a single mans affection, which tells women that they are objects that men can pick and choose and that they aren't worthies much as a man. These things are all reflected in the content and as far as media goes, The Bachelor is a blatant example of poor media depiction of women.
              Having said all that, I am left to wonder how a show with such a blatant disrespect for women can become so popular among the general population. What puzzles me even more is that a show that objectifies women to the extreme is very polar among women and young girls. One reason may be is that the women shown appeal to our desire for prominence because when beautiful women are gathered and given lots of attention, people wish they were in the same situation. The added "romantic" effect of the show along with the drama that is overly exaggerated all make the show appealing, but still the shows message is a lot to get over. The role of women in the shows audience shows how the extent to which media influences how women view themselves and how the stereotypes are taking hold in their minds.