Bachelorette Couple Does New Webseries
An article in the Washington Post on Thursday discussed a new web series called "Engaged" about the 2016 lead in "The Bachelorette" JoJo Fletcher and her fiance from the show Jordan Rodgers. After the show ended, the two are still together and are now profiting off their romance even more through this new show, which is apparently a "behind-the-scenes" look at how they fell in love on the reality show. They brand it as the "real reality of our love story."
Jordan says he first fell in love with her when he "saw the bikini JoJo and I was sold" on the Bachelor.
Jojo says on the Bachelorette she feels empowered. Empowered to do what I wonder? She doesn't really get to make her own choices as she still has to act within the limits producers set and she has to put on a show.
During the webseries episode, she assures viewers that Jordan has an emotional and vulnerable side because he keeps making bro jokes. Jordan describes how moments where he knew he loved her came from "seeing her in the limo in that beautiful dress" and they knew they loved each other on the first date, but JoJo couldn't tell him because the lead is not supposed to say I love you until the finale, and JoJo was upset because Jordan didn't ask her dad for her hand in marriage.
In thinking about what we have discussed with reality shows, even if some couples do fall in love and stay together, web series like "Engaged" which offer a "real look" are still reinforcing gender roles and capitalism in relationships and are furthering the fairytale myth that viewers buy in to. Any relationship in front of the camera is going to be ingenuine, but it is marketed as the truth which is why it is dangerous. Even a seemingly "empowering" show like the Bachelorette, is empowering to who? The white, straight, thin, female lead, and even then she isn't empowered to act outside the boundaries set for her thru the heteropatriarchy and gender stereotypes these shows rely on.
Jordan says he first fell in love with her when he "saw the bikini JoJo and I was sold" on the Bachelor.
Jojo says on the Bachelorette she feels empowered. Empowered to do what I wonder? She doesn't really get to make her own choices as she still has to act within the limits producers set and she has to put on a show.
During the webseries episode, she assures viewers that Jordan has an emotional and vulnerable side because he keeps making bro jokes. Jordan describes how moments where he knew he loved her came from "seeing her in the limo in that beautiful dress" and they knew they loved each other on the first date, but JoJo couldn't tell him because the lead is not supposed to say I love you until the finale, and JoJo was upset because Jordan didn't ask her dad for her hand in marriage.
In thinking about what we have discussed with reality shows, even if some couples do fall in love and stay together, web series like "Engaged" which offer a "real look" are still reinforcing gender roles and capitalism in relationships and are furthering the fairytale myth that viewers buy in to. Any relationship in front of the camera is going to be ingenuine, but it is marketed as the truth which is why it is dangerous. Even a seemingly "empowering" show like the Bachelorette, is empowering to who? The white, straight, thin, female lead, and even then she isn't empowered to act outside the boundaries set for her thru the heteropatriarchy and gender stereotypes these shows rely on.
I agree- I think it's really interesting how he claims he fell in love with her when he saw her in a bikini... that's just reaffirming the idea that women are nothing more than an object of the male gaze.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. There is always a lot of talk of The Bachelorette being a show where the woman is empowered and in-charge but she is still at the whim of the heteropatriarchy ingrained in the show. This new reality show seems like it will still be a show controlled by producers and promote the gender stereotypes we see in reality shows.
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