Are reality TV shows changing the way we view relationships?
By Olivia Shiel: Staff Writer
The reality show The Bachelor is a country phenomenon. It is watched by millions of viewers every Monday night on ABC. The dating world in this fairy tale land of bachelor nation seems to be perfect. All of the luxurious dates are in the most magical places, how could anyone not fall in love? But let’s be honest, this is not realistic.
A man dates 30 different women throughout the season and at the end chooses one to be his finance. He picks and chooses through the woman as if they are no more than objects. On the bachelorette, a woman chooses between 30 different men and at the end believes to have found her soul mate. Out of the 21 seasons, only a couple of people have married and stayed married to the person they met on the show for more than a year. This TV show poses unrealistic ideas of dates and unrealistic views of what love looks like. Even though flying a helicopter over islands is amazing and spending nights in castles like a princess is the perfect dream, but in the real world this is not how people date in the real world
Though this glamorized dating and romance trickles down and affects the mainstream online dating platforms. Everyone sees picture perfect lives as you scroll through photos, which only show the best of a person. It is so easy to get wrapped up in having the perfect image, causing people forget what is important. The media sets impractical standards for women and men to meet a certain ideal image, which almost always is impossible to achieve.
Social media is changing the way of dating. Online dating is becoming more common and too often we see staged profiles and views of the dating world. It is like people “shop” for a significant other. The world of Tinder and Bumble is the new “norm” for dating in college. You swipe right if you see someone you like and it’s that simple to get connected. For example, if you were at a bar it could take you close to twenty or so minutes to find someone you are attracted to. Tinder and Bumble take seconds. This is why dating has become so rapid and constantly changing.
There may or may not be a right way to fall in love, but people fall into lust more often now than ever before. It is time to take a step back and reevaluate what is important to you regarding a relationship and a significant other. The truth of what is important goes deeper than a cute post on Instagram, so don’t let the media trick you into thinking that choosing a date from 30 eligible singles is the norm, whether it’s on reality TV or Tinder.