For those of you who may or may not know, I am the biggest Bachelor Nation junkie.
And while you may be quick to judge, I have been a fan of how transparent this show and its contestants have become over the years. Social media has played a big part in that, as the engagement and candid conversations previous leads and contestants share over media shed a whole new light on the show. They get real on why they go on there, how much they may or may not have known of the show prior, and moreover, they remind us that the show’s just a show and you have to go into it not taking yourself so seriously.
Yes, they’re dating and real relationships are being formed. But as we all come to learn, true colors are eventually going to be shown and as viewers, we just gotta have fun, ya?
The best part of reality television is finding personalities you feel you can resonate with. When it comes to dating and relationships, I have always been the biggest hopeless romantic yet serially-single woman ever (due to my independence, sense of self, pickiness, fear or whatever reason one might have), even though I have had throes of attention over the years.
For Bachelorette Michelle Young, her new season is a breath of fresh air.
“Lesson planning in the hair and makeup chair on your way to the premiere brunch — it’s this total double life I feel like I’m living right now,” Michelle, 28, said on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast to hosts (and previous Bachelorettes themselves) Tayshia Adams and Becca Kufrin. “It’s busy, it’s hectic, I’m definitely tired but I will say that being back in the classroom has made me feel so much like myself.”
“It’s nice because as you both know this world can get kind of overwhelming at times,” she continued. “It can get a lot and sometimes you just need to be able to put it down and I feel like being in the classroom, being with my students, when I’m there I’m truly Ms. Young and I’m able to have that old piece of my routine and my old life with me. It keeps me balanced.”
It’s refreshing to see a lead handle the show with so much grace and class, calling out the bulls**t when it’s there, and staying true to herself the entire time.
“I really think diving right back into teaching and going back into that world might truly be the best thing for you,” Tayshia said to Michelle. “I think that it keeps you — not that you need to be grounded — but it really keeps you grounded and doesn’t let you get so caught up in everything that’s going on … This allows you to shut it off, you’re with the kids that matter the most to you, and allows you to keep a piece of yourself.”
We’re only four episodes in, but Michelle’s really hit it home for me a lot this season: from her struggling with not feeling not seen, always going above-and-beyond for others and not getting that back, growing up as the only Black woman in her classroom, to her dedication and focus to herself and her career throughout her young adulthood, to being grateful to her small-town upbringing for making her who she is.
It’s refreshing to see just a genuinely good person on our TV screens, especially not someone just trying to be on TV or chasing influencer dreams. She is emotionally mature, self-aware, and knows how to handle tough conversations in relationships.
She knows herself well and is able to separate the reality from the allure of it all.
She just gets it. Her energy mixed with all the men vying for her makes for an interesting watch. Moreover, I love how the two hosts Kaitlyn (Bristowe) and Tayshia both reach out to Michelle and have real moments where they see her and have real “girl talk” throughout her journey. It’s women supporting women, and girls uplifting each other, and I love to see it.
I’m a fan. And I’m rooting for her.
Anyone else watch the show and can geek out (or tweet it out) with #BachelorNation with me?
“The Bachelorette” airs Tuesdays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.
beauty within 