Date of Award
August 2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
Committee Member
Gabriel Hankins
Committee Member
Megan Eatman
Committee Member
Jonathan B. Field
Abstract
It is quite clear while watching any iteration of The Bachelor franchise that there is a formulaic design that each season follows with the rare delineation here and there, and much of this can be attributed to the show’s intended audience demographic that it is trying to reach. The audience for The Bachelor is relatively stagnant, as there is little change amongst the show’s viewership and, until recently, very little change on the side of the show’s producers to alter the audience that it brings in. Because the primary demographic that The Bachelor reaches consists of mainly women, a number of Feminist opinions and critiques have been raised in relation to the show, as the format that it follows is largely reliant on patriarchal standards of what a relationship should be. This dependence on the format then raises questions about who specifically and exactly the show is catering to and opens itself to critique for consistently presenting a strictly traditional, and more often than not heterosexual and patriarchal-driven, relationship as the societal norm. The show is repeating sexist norms for women, and for a mostly female audience. By looking at the audience, we can see the way those norms are received and contested or negotiated.
Recommended Citation
Vaughan, Michael A., "The Bachelor as a Platform for Format Subversion: Authorial Intent and Audience Reaction" (2021). All Theses. 3594.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/3594