What a time to be black.
COVID-19 is killing us. Police are murdering us. But hey, The Bachelor has finally come to its senses. Trust me, I’m fully aware there are a million other things for us to focus on right now that are 10000x more important than the words I’m about to type but sometimes we just need a break from it all. So, with that being said, I’m going to analyze The Bachelor’s decision to cast a black lead in the midst of Black Lives Matter.
The Bachelor franchise announced Friday that Matt James, a member in #thequarantinecrew, as its first black bachelor. And while, yes, my initial reaction was pure joy. After sitting with the news for a couple of days, I gotta say, I’m actually a little disappointed, and here’s why.
The Timing Could Have Been Better
You guys already know brands are in the midst of a rude awakening right now. With the world in the middle of a two pandemics threatening the lives of black people many are making swift changes to their marketing plans in a long-overdue effort to be more inclusive.
Since COVID-19 popped up, The Bachelor franchise has had to postpone the upcoming season of The Bachelorette featuring Clare Crawley where James was actually supposed to be a contestant. In the announcement, we learn that Matt’s season will follow Clare’s season. Here’s the problem with that. If you’re a fan of The Bachelor, you know we don’t know who the next lead will be until After the Rose generally. There have been small exceptions but we never know the next season’s lead 6 months in advance. The fact that they are announcing this now before Clare’s season has even filmed is literally insane and an obvious plot by ABC to get some good press during this wave of the Black Lives Matter movement.
It would have been more tactful to announce Matt’s season during or after Clare’s season. The way it’s normally done. It would have felt like ABC was applying change throughout the company to create a lasting impact instead of hopping on a bandwagon. Does that make sense? Like, it’s fine that they decided Matt should be The Bachelor now BUT the announcement would have been better received if they waited for the appropriate time. Because of this, it’s clear that this announcement is a PR move and I just don’t know how I feel about a black man being used as a pawn in their little game to stay relevant.
It Was “Knee Jerk Reaction”
When the news of Matt as The Bachelor was announced, Rachel Lindsay, the franchise first black Bachelorette was a little put off saying:
“Congrats to Matt James. I am happy to see that a black man was cast after 18 years and 40 seasons. I believe it is a step in the right direction. I would be remiss to not point out that based on the current climate, it feels like a knee-jerk reaction and a result of societal pressure. This announcement, without any further commitments regarding diversity, sweepingly brushes deeper issues under the rug.”
Last week 40 Bachelor alums signed a petition calling for more diversity in the franchise. Rachel Lindsey called the franchise out saying the lack of diversity was, “embarrassing”.
“In 40 seasons of [The Bachelor], you’ve had one black lead,” Lindsay said during an interview. “We are on 45 presidents. And in 45 presidents there’s been one black president. You are almost on par to say you’re more likely to become the president of the United States than you are a black lead in this franchise. That’s insane. That’s ridiculous.”
Matt seemed genuinely excited to take on the role during the announcement on Good Morning America, mentioning that he’s excited to show a diverse love story. And he’s right. This is a great time to incorporate diversity and I appreciate that because as an avid viewer of The Bachelor for the past decade, I can say I’ve felt personally victimized by their clear lack of diversity in the leads the franchise chooses.
One part of me is like, this show is ridiculous. Like, who takes it that serious? Having diverse leads isn’t that important because this show is pure entertainment. But the other side of me is clearly tired of them blatantly turning an eye to people of color that have deserved the role (i.e. Tayshia and Mike). Don’t get me wrong, the cookie-cutter white guys make great TV, and I enjoy every single fencing-jumping season with everything in me. But it’s hard to ignore the fact that people of color are blatantly being looked over. Which begs the question why now? Because you guys, Mike Johnson should have been the first black bachelor. Point, blank, period. Which poses the question, “why now?” Mike was literally perfect and you didn’t pick him. The man was robbed of the title.
If you’re unaware, Mike Johnson was a contestant on Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette. He was a fan favorite because he was just looking for his “lady”. It was literally the sweetest thing. So, I was 100 percent sure he would get the spot. But apparently ABC thought it would be more fun to talk about Peter having a lot of sex in a windmill instead of making a change within their franchise.
But there are no hard feelings from Mike. He said in an Instagram video, “don’t feel bad for me”, which makes him even cuter. Seriously #Mike4Bachelor2021
The world is surely going through some changes right now. Brands can no longer sit idly by and dismiss valid concerns for representation. For The Bachelor, in particular, these are simple asks in an effort for their television programs to reflect the world around us. So, is it too late for the franchise to make a change? It might be too early to tell. I think this is a watch and see type of situation. There have been other allegations of racial issues on set so I also need to see if they are creating a healthy environment for all participants.
I am watching. I am praying they get it right.
xoxo,
A Devoted Black Bachelor Fan
For more content centered around the Black Lives Matters movement, visit our BLM page.