The Bachelor: Women Tell All addresses a very important issue

Former Bachelorette joined last night’s Women Tell All to talk about a very important issue–online harassment.

The Bachelor aired its Women Tell All episode last night, and while it was filled with the usual arguments and emotional encounters, something very unexpected took place. If you’ve been a fan of Bachelor Nation, then you are no stranger to the very strong emotions and feelings fans feel over contestants and situations.

Many people feel extremely passionate about the way they feel, and this often translates into negative behavior in the form of DMs, statuses, and tweets. Former Bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay, took the stage alongside host Chris Harrison during last night’s Bachelor Women Tell All to talk about online harassment.

Initially, I was very confused about what was about to happen. I thought maybe they were about to play some prank on the viewers, but once the lights dimmed and Lindsay and Harrison’s facial expressions got very serious–we knew they meant business.

Lindsay said she was there to discuss an issue most Bachelor Nation participants have had to deal with. This issue, of course, is online harassment. Lindsay shared some of the messages Peter’s group of women received during the course of the season, and they’re horrible.

Some go as far as telling the recipient to kill themselves or that they’re ugly and worthless. Watching the women’s facial expressions as Lindsay read some of these messages out was gut-wrenching. It’s a horrible reality we are often removed from because it’s so easy to get sucked into the series and the drama of it all.

But, we have to remember that these are all REAL people. We see them for what they are within the show’s context, but often they are not viewed as just another person. It’s an unfortunate truth about Bachelor Nation, and I’m so glad Lindsay came onto address it on this platform.

We could have spent more time learning about the next Bachelorette or watching more bloopers. But The Bachelor set aside time for this specifically, and I have to say it was a long time coming. It’s distressing that it has to be addressed at all, but it was about time that the discussion got started.

Bachelor Nation alums took to social media to share their support and appreciation for the matter finally being brought to light. Unfortunately, they’ve all dealt with it at one point in time.

It’s actually very jarring to learn just how bad the hate is–it breaks my heart.

One can only hope that this makes some sort of difference and grows empathy in the hearts of those who participate in such heinous behavior. We ought to be more kind to one another, and remind ourselves that we are all human beings who make mistakes and do stupid things. Most importantly, do not forget that whether it is the Bachelor, Bachelorette, or any of the contestants, that they are all people with real lives. They don’t deserve the hate and shame directed at them, and it’s something we all need to learn to be mindful of.

Bravo Rachel Lindsay (and her inspiring shout to Peter’s contestants) and the rest of The Bachelor team for finally addressing this issue. We are proud to all stand together alongside the franchise in this matter. Here’s to hoping it makes the change that we all wish to see from it.

Stop the hate, spread the love people!

How did you feel about Rachel Lindsay addressing the topic of online harassment?