Watching the Bachelor is shamelessly the highlight of my week. I live for the drama and this week’s episode was especially juicy! I was so excited that Bekah M. finally got a one-on-one date and the moment we have all been waiting for finally happened… she revealed her age to Arie!
Thanks to the internet, I already knew that she was 22, but it wasn’t until she said it out loud that it really sunk in. I’m not gonna lie… once she told him, I felt super grossed out. I mean, she’s only two years older than me! That would be like me dating a 34-year-old, which I can’t even wrap my head around. He basically looks like her dad… and they’re starting to fall in love. How cringe-worthy! Really, Arie’s reaction just said it all:
But… Bekah isn’t the only 22 year-old that has ever been on the show. “The Twins”, Emily and Haley Ferguson from Ben’s season of the Bachelor, for example, were also 22, but Ben was only 26. Maquel and Olivia from this season were only 23, but there was not much discussion around them (they have both been eliminated at this point). Bekah and Arie may have the largest age difference between the Bachelor and a contestant we have seen in the show’s history.
I must point out, however, that Bekah informed Arie that her sister was 19 when she got married, her sister-in-law and brother were 21, and her mom was married at age 23, so this was kind of the model she grew up with. She certainly is mature and very confident for her age, but it worries me that there is such a large generational difference. Society has been changing so rapidly because of technology that, within the 14 years of difference between them, their life perspectives are going to be very diverse from each other. I don’t think it’s fair to say that she is not ready for marriage at age 22, but I wonder… is she ready for marriage with a man who is 14 years her senior? I don’t know about you, but I don’t think Arie’s feelin’ 22… if they love each other enough, they hopefully will be able to make it work! I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…