by Marie Hutchison

Created on: July 15, 2009

Reality television is taking over, so it is no surprise that a reality show like The Bachelorette exists. Love is one of the most bipolar intangibles there is; at times it is wonderful, but at other times it seems pretty miserable. Despite the misery that love sometimes bring, the majority of people are willing to believe that a pure, true love exists and is worth finding. Thus, The Bachelorette and similar shows, give the rest of us hope. The show portrays the dizziness, excitement, and giddiness of love. It is a perfect representation of what many are looking for; what some already have, and what some have allowed to stray. However, there are pros and cons to shows like The Bachelorette.

The Cons:

1. The Bachelorette seems to imply that feelings of love are somewhat manufactured. The producers of the show manufacture outings and gatherings and romantic landscapes, which entices participants. I can not help but feel that most people want to be in love or at least feel romantic love. Thus, under such settings and such circumstances, I believe that wanting to be in love and truly being in love with the other person can be difficult to judge.

2. How hard is it to love someone when the only experiences you have had with him/her are paid for, once-in-a-lifetime experiences? How hard is it to show your "good" side when you have no real responsibilities to deal with? I have thought that I truly, deeply loved someone, but once I saw how they responded to difficult, real-life situations-I had to question whether this was someone I would want to spend the rest of my life with. I think it is hard to see someone's true character when the person knows they are being filmed all day and when they have no current responsibilities to take care of in life.

3. Does it become more about winning the competition that about the falling in love? I can not help but think that the competition would be extremely motivating; I personally would be very motivated to win.

4. The saying, "Everyone wants what they can't have" seems to have some relevance here as well. Could part of the motivation and feelings of desire be slightly about wanting something that might not be a possibility. The men want the bachelorette's attention and want her in the end, but they can not have her until she says so and until the end.

The Pros:

1. The Bachelorette captures the best parts of love: the first meeting, the getting to know one another, the excitement of meeting someone for a second, third, fourth date-when everything is really new and exciting. People of all ages can vicariously live through the bachelorette and relive some of the excitement of first dates.

2. The Bachelorette portrays and optimistic attitude about love; the characters really give it their all and seem to portray a belief that it really might work out in the long run. It is a sweet take on a concept that can often be bombarded with pessimism.

3. The Bachelorette seems to be a very expensive dating service, much like eharmony and match.com. And, I have heard personal accounts of the success such websites have brought to my friends.

4. It is interesting to see how one person's choices can vary from your own choices.

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