As a longtime fan of “The Bachelor” franchise, I anxiously awaited the announcement for who would be named the next “Bachelorette” in the Season 28 finale. Of course, it’s exciting to see how the season ends and who the bachelor ends up with, but it’s also equally exciting to see who the next Bachelorette will be, which is one of the season’s stand-out contestants. Season 28 of “The Bachelor” featured Joey Graziadei, a 28-year-old tennis pro from Pennsylvania, as the lead. Graziadei  was looking for his future wife among 32 contestants. 

Graziadei’s season was one of the most popular with the season finale bringing in 6.31 million viewers, which is the most watched Season Finale in the history of “The Bachelor” franchise. The fan favorite contestant was Maria Georgas, who I was also hoping would be selected since her unfiltered and authentic personality shone through in Graziadei’s season. However, Jenn Tran was announced as the lead for “The Bachelorette” Season 21. Tran is a 26-year-old physician assistant and was loved by the fans during Graziadei’s season due to her compassionate and sweet personality.

Jenn Tran is Vietnamese American, making her the first Asian Bachelorette, and first Asian lead of any “Bachelor” franchise season. 

“Growing up, I’ve always wanted to see Asian representation on TV,” said Tran, in response to this historic moment, “And I feel like it was really sparse. Any time Asians were in the media, it was to fill a supporting character role, to fulfill some sort of stereotype, and I always felt boxed in by that. And now to be here today, standing in this position being like, I am going to lead my own love story. I am going to be the main character in my story, I just can’t help but think about how many people I’m inspiring and how many lives I am changing.” 

“The Bachelor” franchise has faced controversy in the past and criticism due to its lack of diversity and racism scandals. In the 21 years the show has been on air, there have only been two other leads of color, Matt James and Charity Lawson. During James’ season, there was controversy that the show had perpetuated racial stereotypes in James’ storyline after he spoke out about how his father, who is Black, was presented as an absent father. The former host, Chris Harrison, exited the show after he defended Rachel Kirkconnell, a contestant on James’ season, who had attended a party at a plantation and liked social media posts with the Confederate flag in them. 

For many years, the cast of “The Bachelor” has been overwhelmingly white and homogenous. I can remember watching prior seasons with majority white and stereotypically beautiful contestants, many of whom were former pageant contestants or NFL cheerleaders. Of course, the contestants themselves did nothing wrong. The fault lies with the casting and production. The lack of racial, body type and socioeconomic diversity in the shows remains exceedingly obvious. Over the past few seasons, there has been greater racial diversity, but often these contestants have been given unequal storytime editing and screen time. Jokingly, I’ve often mentioned to my friends that it seems like they only keep the Asian contestants on long enough to be tokenized before the white lead chooses another white contestant at the end. 

Not only are there issues with a lack of diversity in “The Bachelor,” but there are also issues of cyberbullying and harassment that contestants of color experience from fans and online users. Social media following can be viewed as a proxy for fans’ support for certain contestants, and white contestants see a greater growth in following after being on the show than contestants of other races, according to Bachelor Data. In addition to unequal support from fans, many contestants have faced online hate and racism. Rachel Nance, a contestant on Graziadei’s season who finished in the top three and is African and Filipino American, spoke out about the racially motivated hate she’s received from fans. Nance said, “I was nervous to talk about it because I know some people feel uncomfortable when they hear that racism is still going on in 2024. But I think people need to sit in feeling uncomfortable because, how do you think I feel getting those messages?”

It’s easy to write off the show’s casting and historic decision as trivial since, after all, it’s just a reality show. However, as an Asian woman, I believe that this moment is important and that more people should take notice of it. As Jenn Tran pointed out, Asians are overlooked in almost all forms of media, and when they are portrayed, they’re often stereotypical or relegated to supporting roles. I think it’s important for an Asian-American woman to finally be a star in her own story rather than a token who is overshadowed by white voices. I’m excited to see how her journey plays out and am hopeful that her season will be a turning point for reality TV to showcase more Asian contestants. 

You can catch the new season of “The Bachelorette” on ABC airing on Jun. 1, 2024. 

For women, going to the gym is often an uncomfortable experience. Around 56% of 1,107 women surveyed by Run Repeat in 2021 had first-hand experiences of unwanted attention, commentary or physical contact in the gym. The #gymcreep trend that garnered widespread attention and participation on TikTok is a testament to the prevalence of gender-based harassment in gyms. Women on TikTok documented and exposed men who followed women around gyms or inappropriately touched them.

Experiencing harassment negatively affects gym usage: 14% of the women surveyed who experienced harassment firsthand stopped going to the gym, 20% changed their gym routines to avoid certain areas and 20% changed their clothes or appearance.

These facts should raise concerns because exercise is important for physical and mental well-being. When gyms are uncomfortable places for women, women are left without welcoming spaces to exercise. Women need comfortable, harassment-free gym spaces. This is especially true for undergraduate women. Low levels of physical activity are associated with increased anxiety. Stressed-out undergraduate women need spaces to workout to maintain their mental and physical health.

It is time for William Jewell College to consider how it can better accommodate women seeking spaces to exercise. Currently, the school has one 24-hour gym that is open to all students. Many women, myself included, avoid the gym out of fear of harassment. For myself, this is not due to any experiences of harassment on campus but an aversion I have developed from interactions with men in gyms off-campus.

One popular solution to the problems faced by women in gyms has been to create women-only gym spaces. Designing separate spaces for women in gyms is intended to protect them from the predominant perpetrators of harassment: men. In women-only spaces, women can exercise without fear of uncomfortable staring, inappropriate touching and unwelcome recommendations or compliments. Instead, women get to enjoy the company of other women, which may also provide opportunities for camaraderie and new friendships.

Women-only gym spaces have a few flaws. First, these spaces often limit women to a certain set of training equipment or training classes designed for women. Many find these limitations frustrating and exclusive. Second, women-only gym spaces sometimes limit access to only cisgendered women. As a result, these spaces fail to accommodate non-cisgender people, who are also common victims of harassment.

Despite these flaws, a solution like women-only gym spaces would prove beneficial at William Jewell College. The college could designate a few hours on two or three days a week for woman-identifying and non-cisgendered students. This solution would grant both women and non-cisgendered people on campus exclusive access to all available gym equipment, free from the risk of harassment. Although some may argue these would merely be gym hours that exclude cisgendered men, the fact that women and non-cisgendered people are the common targets of harassment by cisgendered men makes the exclusionary period acceptable. 

Enforcement may raise additional concerns. How would the College enforce this policy given the complicated politics surrounding gender identities? Enforcement, however, may not be necessary. By simply designating certain hours as “women and non-cisgendered only,” women and non-cisgendered people would know of specific times when other women and non-cisgendered people would also be in the gym. There is comfort in numbers, and such comfort may help to encourage students with these identities to utilize the gym. Furthermore, cisgendered men may respect the policy and avoid using the gym during these hours without enforcement.

Another solution to the problems faced by women in gyms would be the creation of a supportive fitness organization for women and non-cisgendered people. For example, CHAARG is an up-and-coming national organization that has established health and wellness communities for undergraduate women at numerous United States colleges. The organization provides weekly fitness classes and connects members with small groups to help women grow confident in their fitness journey. This organization, or organizations like it, would provide women with training and support systems to help them feel more comfortable in gyms.

CHAARG has its own flaws. The organization requires interested students to pay $35 to $155 per semester, quarter or year (depending on the university) to become a member. The organization does provide accessibility support for students in need, which may help those who cannot afford such fees. Additionally, the organization does not portray itself as expressly inclusive of non-cisgendered people. According to CHAARG’s terms and conditions, the organization “does not categorically deny membership to an individual, based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, or the presence of a disability.” Importantly, gender identity is excluded from this list.

A fitness organization like this would benefit the College by providing students new to fitness with training and support. Instead of CHAARG, students could create a more accessible and inclusive organization. The organization could utilize fitness expertise within the student body by offering student-led fitness classes. Also, opening the organization up to all students would extend training and support to any fitness training newbie on campus. The organization would help to prevent the embarrassment many feel when using gyms without prior training or experience.

William Jewell College could encourage better health on campus by designating specific hours in the gym for women-identifying and non-cisgendered students. The college would also benefit from a student-led fitness organization. Both solutions address the harassment and embarrassment that continue to deter students from the gym. If adopted, the College would take significant steps towards recognizing and responding to the challenges faced by women, cisgendered people and those who lack fitness training on campus.

Spring 2021 is here, and Target has come out with some spring trends for women. All of these items are an inexpensive way to be stylish and smelling good this spring! Stay tuned for the men’s side of Target in our next issue!

Today is the day you save money and the environment by saying goodbye to tampons. Kari Tott explains the benefits that the menstrual cup can bring into your life.