F06 :: Feminist Film Studies

“Once upon a time there was a charming young bachelor searching for the woman of his dreams,� states a man’s voice at the commencement of ABC’s The Bachelor Rome. This hit romance reality TV show, currently in its ninth season, adds a new twist to this fairy tale search for true love. The young bachelor is real life Prince Lorenzo Borghese from Rome. He’s educated, polite, athletic, and portrayed as perfect. Yet, he feels as if women don’t love him for him, but for his title. So why not go on TV and announce to the entire world that a Prince is looking for a Princess to call his own? This will really help eliminate all those women looking to fulfill their life long fantasy of marrying Prince Charming.
In the Bachelor, one man must select from 25 women in his search for a happy ever after. These women are “chosen� based on their intelligence and personality. Yet, every last woman is tall, skinny, gorgeous, and looking as if they just stepped out of a salon. They become the object of the male gaze. In Kaplan’s article, Is The Gaze Male? she states, “[Men’s] gaze carries with it the power of action and of possession,� (121). This is evident in all scenes that require the women to remove clothing. In this single episode, there were two scenes involving water, which can be very sexual, and the removal of clothing. As princess #1, Jen, is taking off her clothes revealing a string bikini. As she gets into the hot tub, the camera scans her body in slow motion, focusing on her breasts, butt, and legs. This also occurs during a scene when Princess #2, Sadie, and Lorenzo are scuba diving. This underwater shot lingers on her bikini clad body. In both instances, Lorenzo’s body is hidden completely, not even his swim trunks are shown. It’s as if the gaze is Lorenzo’s, living out any man’s dream, watching nearly naked women swim. Possessing the control, Lorenzo is then able to determine which of these women he is physically and sexually attracted to and whom he should select as his own.
In Yep and Camacho’s article The Normalization of Heterogendered Relations in The Bachelor, they discuss how The Bachelor reinforces heterogender structure in which “privileging men and exploiting women, in the institution of patriarchal heterosexuality� occurs. This is apparent because 25 women are vying for the attention of one man. In this episode, the last three contenders went on overnight dates, one on one with the bachelor. All destinations emphasized love and romance with time stopping shots of candle lit dinners, full body massages, rooftop gardens, and sunsets. Lots and lots of sunsets. During these dates, all three women gushed and fawned over Lorenzo, spilling their hearts out saying that they all have “really strong feelings� towards him. In all instances he replied that he felt the same. In the end, Lorenzo had to use his proactive power and select two women to stay. All in all, Lorenzo, the male gets all the power and control while the women are analyzed to the core on “wifely� qualities.