Walking into a situation with your eyes closed can be challenging and scary. Usually, people base attraction on appearance. When meeting a stranger, the first thing people do is look at the other person. Overall leaving looks to determine if the relationship will continue further. Some shows that challenge this norm are Married at First Sight and Love Is Blind. In both of these shows, the contestant takes a leap of faith to participate in the journey.
Love Is Blind is a reality TV show on Netflix and its production has spread across the globe. Originating in the United States, the series can now be found in Japan and Brazil. Throughout the show, individuals attend speed dates with a wall up in between them. Therefore, they can only hear each other’s voices as they take note of each other’s qualities. Upon finding someone that they may be interested in, contestants can begin to focus on them individually. Overall, resulting in them going on more dates and finally a proposal. This is an unusual route because the first time they see each other is at the proposal.
During the United States production of the show, there have been some couples who have found their match. Or so they thought? Throughout the previous seasons, many couples have found themselves married, but have now divorced. One couple that is still together that I have taken a liking for is Cameron and Lauren from season one. Their fourth wedding anniversary has recently just passed. According to PopDust, “25% of the pairings on the show ended in marriages that have lasted for more than a year.”
Similar to Love is Blind, Married at First Sight also plays around with pairing strangers without any prior introduction. In comparison, specialists come together to create the pairings for the participating individuals. These pairings are based on an interview process and questionnaire, resulting in pairings by the show. After getting married each couple lives with each other for a couple of weeks. Afterward, they can decide whether or not they want to stay married or get a divorce. Each season there are 5 couples and according to Lifetime.com, out of all fifteen seasons, eleven couples are still married.
In reality, liking someone should not solely depend on appearance and these shows test this out. While it may seem easier said than done, some of the participants have said that they aren’t attracted to the other person after meeting. This first initial reaction has even contributed to some hesitation in moving forward with the relationship. Overall, these shows highlight new possibilities of finding love when personalities are put first rather than looks. But, implementing this way of meeting your soulmate may seem impossible in today’s society. Beauty standards have often overshadowed the possibility of meeting your partner because of outside influences. For instance, declaring love for someone who doesn’t fit society’s beauty standards presents the possibility of being made fun of. This is especially frequent with the large presence of social media. Although, it is up to people to stay true to themselves and love unapologetically out loud.