‘The Bachelor’ Franchise Begins To Show Signs Of Working Towards More Diversity
The Bachelor franchise has made several specific moves in recent years that have shown they are working towards promoting more diversity, something the company has long been criticized for not having enough of. While it is likely not yet at the level many fans would hope for, it appears to be a step in the right direction, according to KTVB7.
The most recent move towards diversity was made during the Women Tell All episode during this season of The Bachelor. This episode included a segment different than anything the franchise has done in the past. The show’s host Chris Harrison called forward Rachel Lindsay, a former Bachelorette and the only black woman to ever take on the leading role.
While joining Harrison on the couch, Lindsay read allowed some of the ugliest and despicable hate comments the women from this season received on the social media, As The Inquisitr previously reported. This was a poignant moment as Lindsay read the unfiltered version of the messages, including the expletives. Many of the comments were focused on racism, particularly directed at a contestant named Sidney Hightower who is of mixed race and has been the victim of bullying.
“People don’t realize we are human beings at the end of the day, that their words hurt. Especially for someone that’s been through this their whole life, having those wounds reopened is hard,” Hightower said.
Tammy Ly, another former contestant who is of Asian race, says she too received racist comments.
“For too long now, people were getting away with this… coming after me with racial slurs and death threats is unacceptable,” she said.
The show received praise for calling out the racism and intolerance in this way, and particularly the way they used Lindsay to offer this message as someone who has also been on the receiving end of racism.
The franchise appears to be also trying to add more diversity to their casts. In the past, the cast of The Bachelor was almost entirely composed of white women. This season, Bachelor Peter Weber’s suitors included African American women, Asian women, and those of mixed races in addition to white women.
Another step in the right direction is notably Lindsay herself being named The Bachelorette for the 13th season. She ended up getting engaged and later married to Bryan Abasolo who is of Colombian ethnicity. The pair helped promote the normalcy of mixed-race marriages.
