‘The Bachelor’ spoilers: Sean Lowe talks diversity with Robyn Howard
It’s been no secret that “The Bachelor” has long been the subject of criticism for its lack of casting minority contestants, but this time around, the show really mixed it up in bringing on people from all different ethnic backgrounds; and thus, we have a show that is far easier to watch from the get-go since not every contestant looks and acts the same.
The only downside that comes with this is that after so many years of the show getting so much criticism, it’s inevitable that some of the minority cast members would have a little bit of skepticism going into this season. With that, it only makes some sense that one of them in particular in Robyn Howard would question Sean Lowe about it. In a preview that you can see over at Entertainment Weekly, she acknowledges that the subject may make Sean uncomfortable, but asks him about his feelings about interracial relationships in a way that was refreshing and honest.
The only thing better than the way Robyn broached the subject was how Sean answered it, by explaining that the producers asked him prior to the show what sort of women he was interested in, and he really did not hold any particular restrictions to dating outside of his own race. As a matter of fact, he explained that many of the things that he was looking for in a woman (intelligence, humor, and of course beauty) were not specific to a singular ethnicity, and that his last girlfriend was African-American. The conversation seemed to not only put Robyn at ease, but it did us, as well. We never thought we’d say this, but we wish other reality shows would follow “The Bachelor’s” lead in having this sort of conversation about race in a way that does not tiptoe around the subject, and gives us a response that is not politically-correct or just there to cause drama.
Do you like Sean’s philosophy on race, and the way in which it was handled on the show? If you want to see some more words from Sean about being “The Bachelor” thus far, you can do so over at the link here.
Photo: ABC
Candace
February 4, 2013 @ 10:25 pm
As a black woman, I am happy to see a black woman on the show.
Samantha
January 10, 2013 @ 4:12 pm
I agree with this post and I was really impressed with Sean’s answer since I did not expect it. But I also liked the way Robyn addressed it. Thank you though, for pointing out that in light of the franchise’s dismal history with diversity, it only makes sense for contestants of color to be skeptical. Not only this but black women are the most negatively stereotyped group of women. I must confess that as a black woman I was never so hung up on the diversity issue on the Bachelor because I don’t like seeing black women making fools of themselves/feeding stereotypes on reality TV. We’ve got enough of that already. And I was suspicious that any BW chosen for the Bachelor would do just that–feed stereotypes. But, so far so good. We’ll see how the season develops.