Final Assignment Description

My topic is:

The ways that ‘The Bachelor’ makes an attempt to represent/challenge current ideas of masculinity. I chose to focus on the Bachelor himself, Colton Underwood. The Bachelor has had negative press for a lack of racial diversity on the show in the past. This newest season changed that. It was the most diverse season yet. But what I found most interesting was Colton himself.

I chose this because:

I watched the latest season of ‘The Bachelor’ and actually got very into it. I’ve never seen it before, but my roommates and I would watch every week for the drama and to see who Colton (the Bachelor) would chose in the end. I feel like the show is a representation of current relationships and people. The Bachelor himself is always supposed to be a man looking for love, someone that all women are supposed to want to be with. In many ways, they define masculinity. Colton was very different from what I thought the Bachelor would be. He was very sensitive, in touch with his feelings, and above all, a virgin. He cried a lot, and at the end chose a women before the show was even over, even after she wasn’t even positive that she loved him. It was interesting to say the least, but wildly entertaining. I want to analyze the way Colton is a representation of modern masculinity, and whether or not that challenges what we as a society view as masculine.

The pieces of media I will be using:

Episodes from ‘The Bachelor’ Season 23

Keywords:

Representation, Gender, Stereotype

Class Readings:

M/S 192-209, M/S 178-185, “The White of Their Eyes”