I admit it. I'm a girl. I love clothes, gossip mags and (bad) "reality" tv. We discussed clothes yesterday. Gossip magazines are really an extension of my fascination with reality tv. As previously mentioned, I love tv because I often use it as a backdrop while I'm getting things done. I'll watch pretty much anything and everything. I love Pawn Stars, Swamp People, Top Shot (duh!), pretty much anything on Bravo and/or E! (I hate the fact that that is true) As far as main networks, The Biggest Loser and The Bachelor(ette) franchise. But not Bachelor Pad. (I have to draw the line somewhere, right?) And again, as previously mentioned, Laguna Beach and The Hills. Hang on, I'm going somewhere with this I promise!
The Bachelor Series premiered in 2002. The Bachelorette spin-off followed in 2003. My viewing of the Bachelor was somewhat intermittent in the beginning. The 16th season is currently airing. I watched the majority of episodes in the first 4 seasons, and then skipped 3 seasons. I have seen the last 8 seasons, and the current season so far, without missing an episode. And I've seen every episode of the 7 seasons of The Bachelorette. For a show that is supposed to be about finding true love, it definitely has flaws. As someone who watched in the beginning, I definitely have seen changes over the years. In the initial seasons, the only time you saw alcohol was a) at the rose ceremonies, where the girls are given flutes of champagne, and b) at dates as the season progressed, aka there were less girls and the relationships got more "intense." The last few seasons, and the current season especially, the alcohol is flowing! Last season on The Bachelorette a contestant drank so much that he passed out. Not to mention countless other incidents that happened as a result of drinking too much. All documented on national television. Oops... There is a contestant on the current season that seems to have a glass of wine in her hand every time she's on camera... Strike #1
Also, reportedly the entire seasons are shot within a 6 weeks (minimum) to 11 weeks (maximum) period. So boy meets girl week 1 and there is a proposal 6 to 11 weeks later. And then they (in past seasons) were not permitted to see each other for the three months that the show is airing. Yikes! No wonder there are only two couples that lasted! One bachelor (though he didn't initially choose her for his finale rose) and one bachelorette. Strike #2
But what currently is really grinding my gears: on the current season, WHERE IS THE ROMANCE???!!! Even on Laguna Beach and The Hills, where love isn't the focus, there is more romance! Laguna Beach was even filmed with kids in high school. Even those guys put in an effort. They planned simple, yet thoughtful dates. They bought flowers and chocolates. And they took the time and effort to surprise their girlfriends. The relationships weren't perfect and most of them didn't last, but the guys made an effort when it counted. Even when the relationships weren't working, you could see why the girls weren't ready to walk away from the relationship. In the infamous Valentines Day episode of Laguna Beach Season 2, Stephen shows up unannounced at Lauren's house with flowers AND chocolate. And we get some of Jim Conrad's words of wisdom (bonus!) ["Flowers mean 'I'm sorry' and chocolates mean 'I love you'" -Jim Conrad, a very wise man.] [If you're curious, just watch from 8:46 to 11:15. That's all the Valentines Day goodness that is really necessary.] To get back to the point... Ben, the current Bachelor, does not make these caring gestures. He does: talk down to the women, tell them to mind their own business, AND go skinny-dipping with one of the girls on week 5. While he's still dating 10 other women. Classy! I wish the woman he basically told to mind her own business would have walked after the fact. I would like to think that, in that situation, I would have turned down the rose. As much as the women seem to be let down during the show, I bet now, as they are watching the show, they are realizing they dodged a bullet! This seasons lack of romantic gestures, and any class, is big Strike #3! Come on, The Biggest Loser has led to more successful relationships that The Bachelor and The Bachelorette's combined 23 seasons! Which, on the upside, means romance isn't completely dead, right?
Now, why fix what isn't broken. Here's what Pinterest gave me when I searched for romance:
My Thoughts:
4. Self-confidence, and being comfortable in your own skin, matters A LOT more than muscles.
8. Fact: If I always have to initiate conversation, I will eventually stop initiating. If you want to talk to me, talk to me. Otherwise I’ll assume you don’t want to talk to me and are not interested.
10. Flowers and chocolates, but little random surprises are just as nice!
11. See 10.
And this:
My Top 5 Most Romantic Memories:
5. Getting a call asking how far away I was, and if I was handling the drive okay, on a very snowy night. [aka knowing he was worried about me]
4. Love letters.
3. Getting flowers delivered at work.
2. Road tripping in the springtime.
1. Long story short: While we were camping out with friends, the guy knew I was mad at him. He might be one of the most intelligent men in history, because rather than try to talk his way out of it, he just climbed into my sleeping bag and held me and told me that he was sorry. Until the lightning started. True story. [Disclaimer: this is legitimately PG in the strictest sense. No funny business involved. Which, I think, makes it even sweeter.]
The last gem I found on Pinterest: (Well, today at least...)
I hope you all have the most sincere, considerate, and memorably-romantic Valentines Day!
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