A bit of background for those who don’t follow the Bachelor. The ABC show is on its 23rd season with 26-year-old Bachelor Colton Underwood, a returning face from Bachelorette Becca Kufrin’s 14th season run from the summer of 2018. As Underwood made his way through the Bachelorette, he shared that he was still a virgin. A fact that ABC took and ran with. When Underwood was announced as the newest Bachelor, everyone was wondering, could Underwood lose his virginity during the shows run?
I can appreciate Underwood being honest and open about being a virgin, I think it’s a refreshing change of pace. Here’s what I don’t appreciate: the endless mentions of Underwood being a virgin. It’s been talked about so much that ABC even made a promotional image of Underwood recreating the poster for the 2005 movieThe 40-Year-Old Virgin starring Steve Carell.
The premiere episode showed the 30 women meeting Underwood for the first time, each trying to make the best impression of the Bachelor. Here’s the thing, though, to make a great impression, introductions need to be unique and there was nothing unique about girl after girl commenting, joking, or doing magic tricks all off of Underwood being a virgin.
Underwood himself often brings up his virginity, on his own volition or at the request of ABC, I don’t know. The second episode of the season, Underwood shares a story of the first time he admitted he was a virgin, something that can be hard for an athlete like Underwood to admit. In the time that we are in, I’m glad that Underwood has shared his story and can hopefully normalize men talking more about their sexuality and sexual experiences.
But, every other sentence on the show, every other promo, his virginity is mentioned. Underwood is more than just his sexual history, he has a personality and goals outside of having sex.
I’m hoping that as the season moves on and the girls get to know Underwood on a more personal level, they can stop being stuck on that one aspect of his life… I don’t have high hopes though.