Hello all!
I started watching The Bachelor franchise shows with one of my best friends, Jessica. My first season of the show was Rachel Lindsay's, and I have been hooked ever since. While the show is on a hiatus, I thought I'd take a moment to share my purpose for being on this platform. I'm obsessed with newsletters, and I started one with links to engaging podcasts and Instagram posts that I stumbled on throughout the week that I shared with friends; it had no actual structure or consistency, so I didn't keep up with it for long.
One of the best things about Bachelor Nation is the online community. I started tweeting from my private page about the show, but many of my close friends do not watch the show for the same reasons it took me a while to start: the show did not feel intentionally diverse and inclusive. I then created a Twitter account. I remember I had six followers. It slowly grew as I met some fantastic people in the Bachelor community. I decided to expand to Instagram and start a newsletter to share my thoughts on what's going on in Bachelor Nation. Like everyone else, I've also started using TikTok to keep up with the show's biggest stars.
As the events of 2020 unfolded and the show began to deal with its diversity issues for the first time, I also began to speak publicly about the show's issues with inclusivity. I felt empowered to lend my voice along with others to the much-needed dialogue happening around the show. Additionally, I began to focus on the BIPOC contestants on the show. I wanted to feature and highlight the incredible men and women who appear on the show but get relegated to the sidelines.
With more diversity came more controversy, and I wanted to use my platform to discuss overt racist behavior on and off the screen. Furthermore, I wanted to discuss the micro-aggressions that fans and contestants face daily being part of Bachelor Nation, which continues to be the cornerstone of the discourse I engage with on this platform.
My purpose for this space is to navigate these conversations with nuance and engage with like-minded fans and contestants in a meaningful way. I want to have fun and discuss all of the lighthearted aspects of the show, but it would feel wrong not to bring up the conversations about how the show can do better in uplifting the BIPOC contestants and how fans can make space for them as well.
I've spoken with other BIPOC creators about the feeling compelled only to use our platforms to educate. Even when I've tried to post the fun and frivolous content as some of my peers, I sometimes only get the same level of engagement if I'm offering content about race and how it affects the show's outcomes. I find that work fulfilling, but I also want to engage with humor and joy in this space.
I want my little corner of The Bachelor world to engage in authentic, challenging conversations. I also want to have fun, and I want my fellow members of Bachelor Nation to know that this is a space for anyone who wants to engage with the show in a meaningful way.
My decision to uplift and feature BIPOC contestants and voices does not mean that I do not support and enjoy content from contestants and creators of every race in this space. I have opinions on the mundane and juicy Bachelor gossip, too. I will be mindful to include these takes more openly in the future.
With all of the flaws with the show and sometimes with the community, I cannot say enough about the wonderfully kind people I met along the way. Thank you to everyone who has sent me a like, shared a comment, or replied to my Instagram story. Thank you to everyone who has shared an article or sent me an encouraging word. Thank you to all of my fellow Bachelor content creators who have welcomed me and shared my work. You make me feel less self-conscious about spending so much time devoted to this show.
I'm excited to continue this journey with you, and I'm here for the right reasons, as I hope you are too. 🌹