To contact us Click HERE
For my second artifact, I chose to analyze an episode ofABC’s The Bachelor. This reality TVshow follows the experiences of Sean Lowe as he dates a total of 26 girls,eliminating a few each week until he is left with one girl, to whom he proposesin a romantic and slightly-cheesy season finale. The show encouragescompetition between the girls and is known for its dramatic twists.
In essence, this show is a chance at redemption for SeanLowe, as he was previously rejected on the last season of The Bachelorette. He reportedly had his heart broken byBachelorette Emily, but now that he has recovered, he is ready to find loveagain, much to the entertainment of the public (and myself).
The entire purpose of the show is centered on finding a wifefor Bachelor Sean, indicating that one of the only ways you can be fulfilled isthrough a relationship, particularly marriage. Most of the contestants come onthe show and gush about love, relationships, and how they see Sean as theperfect man for them (this is all during one-on-one interviews with thecontestants). When those girls get senthome, it is like their whole world comes crashing down, as if this prospect ofa relationship was their one chance at happiness. Whether this is actually howthe girls feel or simply the manipulation of the producers, it sends a message.The focus on relationships encourages viewers to see their life as incompleteunless they have a partner. In addition, the large budget of the show alsoallows for extravagant dates and locations, creating excitement and “romance”.The show sets up what an ideal dating experience would look like, and it maycause viewer to see their own relationships as insufficient because they do notlive up to the excitement depicted in the show. It supports the idea thatpeople should only be in a relationship if it comes naturally and is excitingfor you, a framework prevalent in today’s empire and thought to be one of theleading causes of divorce.
One of the things that concerns me the most about this show isthe commodification of love. These are real people on the show, with realfeelings, and if only one out of 26 girls will be chosen, what message doesthat send to the other 25 girls? That they aren’t pretty enough? Aren’t smartenough? Aren’t good enough? The Bachelor has taken something as sacred asfalling in love and made it into a spectacle for the entertainment of millions,manipulating people’s emotions and feelings all for the sake of ratings andbusiness. This is the business of the Empire.
Over the past few years, there has also been some skepticismand criticism concerning the producers of the show. A recent article I readindicated that producers intentionally encouraged the contestants to get drunkon specific occasions in order to create a more dramatic show. And, as with allreality TV, we know that any story can be spun with the vast amounts of footagethey obtain. It leaves me, and any other critical mind in the audiencequestioning, “How real is this?” The power that the producers have to createand manipulate any person, event, or story they want can be dangerous to themillions of viewers; they could basically sell us any message they want. Andusually, that message is about the commodification of love.
I would also like to note the glamour that is extremelyobvious in the show. Every show, the girls dress up in very fancy and oftenrevealing dresses that are obviously designed to attract attention. They alsostay in a very luxurious mansion as housemates, complete with pool, hot tub, bar,and other accessories. The lavish lifestyle depicted in the show ties directlyinto the theme of consumption and wealth as the two main goals of the empire. Thisis reinforced by the tons of ads directed at women during the commercial break,as if to say, if you buy this product, you will be fulfilled and can have thelavish lifestyle you see before you. All of the fun the girls seem to have inthe house and with Sean entice the viewers to want a similar lifestyle, onethat is only achieved through consumption and wealth.
However, there are some positive aspects to the show. Thisyear especially, the Bachelor, Sean, is known to be a genuine guy who valuesfamily and traditional Christian morals. He has stated multiple times that heis not looking for simply a physically attractive woman; he is looking forsomeone with a good heart and sense of humor. This is especially seen in hisinteractions with women of different ethnicities and a woman with a physicaldisability (she only has one are). All of these women are contestants and hetreats them all the same, valuing them as unique individuals, being open to arelationship with all, and getting to know each woman on a personal level. Heeven admitted that he doesn’t have a physical type when it comes to women, avery rare trait in today’s empire. He appears to truly value who a woman israther than what she looks like, which is a genuine reflection of Kingdomvalues. God values each person simply because he created them, and he desires apersonal relationship with everyone. Obviously God is the only one who is ableto do this perfectly, but I feel like Sean is making an excellent attempt toshow how we should treat one another.
Discussion Questions:1. Why are we so attracted to reality TV dramawhile most people avoid drama in real life?2. Is it considered appropriate for a Christian guylike Sean to be participating in the Bachelor (if he is truly a Christian)? Whyor why not?
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder