Pop culture is like your opponent in a boxing match: you can run from it, but you can’t hide. The ubiquitous nature of popular culture is inescapable, encompassing television shows, video games, smartphones and social media. Pop culture has evolved considerably over the years, and the degree of influence on its audience can be debated. Many people support and encourage the use of pop culture in their homes, while others attempt to keep it out of their lives entirely. This is also true for each specific medium: some people will love it and some people will hate it. However, the interesting perspective comes in a grey area; this perspective involves both a love and a hate for media. I have this love/hate relationship with a show that I have been watching for several seasons: The Bachelorette. The drama, romanticism, and media associated with The Bachelorette lead me to an inconclusive decision on my standpoint of the show.
To begin, the drama on The Bachelorette is an aspect of the
show I both love and hate. Although you wouldn’t expect a group of guys to
generate a lot of drama, they do on this show. This is probably because they
are all competing for the same girl’s love, and tend to get jealous if
another’s relationship is progressing more than their own. The drama is
entertaining and complex, keeping the audience on their toes. As recalled by “Bachelorette
Recap: Desiree Breaks Down Over James Bombshell, Three Sent Home,” several of
the guys became obsessive over one contestant’s motives on the show and went
behind his back to tell the bachelorette their hostile opinion about him. This
caused tension in the house full of guys and even caused James to become
emotional in front of the bachelorette (“Bachelorette
Recap”). The drama within the show allows for the audience to pick sides,
determining which guy they like best and think would be the perfect fit for the
girl. I love this about the show because it allows you to be the “fly on the
wall,” seeing every aspect of every character.
However, the drama can be overly annoying and often seems staged. The
seemingly real aspect of the show is the best part, yet when the men do things
out of character, it seems as if the producers made them do these things to
generate drama on the show. I hate staged drama within the show. The drama
isn’t the only aspect of the show that leaves me on the fence about my feelings
for The Bachelorette; I am also
skeptical of the beautiful, fun loving romanticism.
The romanticism involved in The Bachelorette, being sometimes endearing
but other times fake, contributes to my love/hate relationship with The Bachelorette. I love watching the romantic,
amazing dates that the contestants go on, and watching their relationships
grow. I love admiring their connections and feeling envious yet hopeful of
having their love. However, at times it seems as if the romanticism is unreal
just as the drama often seems. This fakeness is obvious when the contestants
speak of how in love they are with the girl, or how much heart ache the
bachelorette caused them upon sending them off the show, when they have only
known her for two weeks. I hate that it is in the back of my head that the
contestants might not be showing their true selves, acting instead as the
producers want them to, in order to gain more viewers for the show. Affirmed by
Rachel Dubrofsky, author of “Therapeutics of the Self: Surveillance in the
Service of the Therapeutic,” reality-based TV refers to creating fictitious
text by placing people into real situations. This is often a bad representation
of what actually happened since only a small percentage of footage shot is
actually used (265-266). The
Bachelorette’s romanticism, being something to be jealous yet distrustful
of, adds to my uncertainty of my feelings on the show.
The media associated with The Bachelorette also leaves me
conflicted as to whether I love or hate The
Bachelorette. I love the great and numerous fan base that is involved in
the show. The fan
base is particularly evident through Twitter, and is
interesting to read other peoples live opinions on the show. The media associated with the show is fun
because the fan base largely involves young female adults who I can relate to
and discuss with. Having a relatable fan base that I can interact with is one
of my favorite parts of the show. However, nothing is worse than a spoiler.
Every year, articles online and in magazines expose the ending of the season.
An example of this is in Free Britney’s “The
Bachelorette Spoilers: Ashley Hebert Suitors, Scandals, Final Four and
Winner Revealed…,” where they have a “deluge of Bachelorette spoilers for you
before the season premiere even airs” (Britney). This is the worst part about The Bachelorette, and upon accidentally
coming across the spoiler, I feel no motivation to continue watching. The
collective media, including the fan base and tabloids, influences my feelings
toward The Bachelorette, leaving me
inconclusive as to whether I love or hate the show.
After considering three main parts
of The Bachelorette: the drama,
romanticism, and media, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot decide
whether I love or hate it. I think that this is a good relationship to have
with the show, because although pop culture is evolving, maybe it is better to
accept its affect only partially. Maybe it is best to not become entirely
wrapped up in it. Sitting on the fence allows me to enjoy it without becoming
overly obsessed with it. It is healthy for people to feel this way about all
aspects of pop culture. With that being said, I invite you to examine the
aspects of pop culture in your life and attempt to find the balance between
loving and hating it. Our job, as the audience and users of pop culture, is to
keep a leash on it, allowing ourselves to love it, but also restrain its effect
on us.
Works Cited
“Bachelorette Recap: Desiree Breaks Down Over James Bombshell, Three Sent Home.” Gossip Cop. N.p. 1 July 2013. Web. 18
October 2013.
Britney, Free. “The
Bachelorette Spoilers: Ashley Hebert Suitors, Scandals, Final Four and Winner
Revealed…” The Hollywood Gossip. N.p.
23 May 2011. Web. 20 October 2013.
Dubrofsky, Rachel E. “Therapeutics of the Self.” Television
& New Media 8.4 (2007); 263-284. EBSCO MegaFILE. Web. 17 Oct.
2013.
