Entertainment

Here's What Janet Mock Has To Say About 'The Bachelorette'

by Jordan Lauf
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Everyone was a Bachelorette virgin once. I remember my first time seeing the show very clearly. It was Ashley Hebert's season, and upon watching I immediately had so many questions: Why was she keeping guys who clearly sucked? How could she actually fall in love with someone after only a few dates? Why did I suddenly care so much about the outcome? It's been a while since I was a Bachelorette virgin, but author and transgender activist Janet Mock has started watching The Bachelorette for the first time, and she has a lot of the same questions I once did. The ladies of Bustle's Will You Accept This Podcast? helped her sort through the wacky world that is Bachelor Nation.

Among her chief concerns: How much do producers interfere with the process? Is the show always this diverse? Who will Rachel Lindsay pick? Who will be the next Bachelor? Why is Josiah so annoying? All good questions. Josiah annoyed me, too.

But if Mock is confused about the process of The Bachelorette, she is firm in her support for Lindsay herself. The writer glowed about how well Lindsay is handling the process as the first black Bachelorette, and especially liked that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind, ask real questions, and address the issue of race head on.

So grab a glass of wine and listen to some of Bachelor Nation's biggest (and newest) fans discuss these questions and issues of race and feminism on this week's special episode of Will You Accept This Podcast?