After ten seasons of Love is Blind, surely, we can conclude that love is based on sight. It’s shallow, it’s conditional, and it’s making Netflix a lot of money to pretend that it isn’t.
Every season, Love is Blind brings female contestants in one pod and male contestants in another, setting pairs up on dates with one another. The catch is that there’s a wall in between them so they can hear voices but not see faces. They’re not supposed to talk about how they look to test whether love is truly blind (though sometimes this rule is broken, and participants describe their features). While topics on physical features are off limits other interests are not, and these personal interests create tensions for the couples.
Every season of Love is Blind is based in a different state, and this season was set in Ohio. The political climate of each state shapes each season and feels different, though the setting physically looks the same.
It was interesting to see how much politics has affected dating in the polarizing era of Trump.
Ohio is a swing state and that was reflected in the contestants from democrats like Jessica to outspoken Trump supporters like Alex.
Those who aligned with more conservative values appeared more shallow than those who didn’t, with Chris breaking up with Jessica because she did not do Pilates.
They also failed to take accountability for their indiscretions, like we see with Ashley (also known as republican Barbie) and Alex. Even in previous seasons like the ones based in D.C. and Minnesota, we saw many couples split up because of political views.
It appears Netflix uses political polarization between couples to bring views but is that fair to both parties who are there to find love? How can love be blind to political values? Maybe we will find out in season eleven.