An Asian American Bachelorette is long overdue for a franchise that's seen it all, critics say

Fans of The Bachelor and The Bachelorettehave experienced many firsts over the dating competition franchise's 22 years on air.

There was the first not-so-happy ending, when Season 1Bachelor Alex Michel decided not to propose to his final rose winner, Amanda Marsh, and they broke up a yearlater. We can't forget the first virgin Bachelor, Sean Lowe, in 2013, and the first older Bachelorette, Clare Crawley, who vied for love at the ripe old age of 38 in 2020.

Then there havebeen the spinoffs,likeBachelor in Paradise, essentiallya dating free-for-all on the beach, and even, as of last year, The Golden Bachelor The Bachelor, but for seniors (actual seniors, not Clare Crawleyseniors).

Which is why, in a franchise that'sseen it all and then some, some critics are questioning why it took so long for the show's newest first: an Asian American lead. Jenn Tran, a 26-year-old aspiring physician assistant, debuted as the leadfor Season 21 of TheBachelorette onJuly 8.

"It's about time," Madelyn Chung,founder and editor-in-chief of the RepresentAsian Project,a Canadian platform advocatingfor Asian representation and voicesin media,told CBC News.

"It's 2024. We shouldn't be celebrating these firsts. It's great to celebrate these firsts, but I'm justwaiting for the day when it's normal."

Troublesome racial history on show

When Tran was first announced as the upcoming Bachelorette, culture writer JadaYuan wrote in the Washington Post that the show's failure to cast an Asian lead"has become a running joke among fans."

"It's so overdue that the podcastGame of Roses,in which the hosts recap the shows like they're major sporting events, ends every episode with a special countdown (that's still going!): 'It's been 8,037 days without an Asian Bachelor,'" Yuan wrote.

The popularshow's premise is that the Bacheloror Bachelorette, depending on the series, dates multiple people over severalweeks, slowly narrowing them down to one, and contestants vie for their affections and roses.

A Vietnamese American woman reigning over Bachelor Nation the centre of attention, object of desire and the one holding the power marks a significant moment for the reality TV dating behemoth. Historically, fewer roses on the two showshave gone to contestants of colour and those that have often come withracist social media commentary.

But the new season has already received some criticism for having few Asian suitors, including from Tran herself.

"I can't really speak to the casting process and the decisions that were made, but it is unfortunate that there weren't a lot of Asian men this season," Tran said in aninterview with Glamour.

The Bachelorhas been a mixed bag when it comes to showcasing Asian cultures. In 2019,BachelorColton Underwoodwent on a group date over Singaporean street food. The mostly white contestants made gagging noises and Underwood, who is also white, made a toast "to weird food." The outing drew some backlash and even aWashington Post column.

"The franchise has a history of being very white," Chung said.

Non-white contestants and leads, including Black trailblazersRachel Lindsayand Matt James, have historically been met with hostility from the majority-white Bachelor Nation audience.

The Bachelorette didn't even have an Asian contestantuntil its 2016 season.

Chung notes Tran is likely to be criticized, if not outright vilified, no matter who she chooses in the end if it's the one other Vietnamese American contestant,some people will likely think, "'Of course she chose the Asian,'" she said.

Andif she doesn't? Then Chung worries people will say "of course"to that, too, falling back on stereotypes about the preferences of Asianwomen.

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An important moment for representation

Most characters onscreen are still white,although the percentage of Asian characters in movies especially has "skyrocketed," notesomerecent reports from The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative,athink tank out of the University of Southern California that studiesdiversity and inclusion in entertainment.

In its 2021 study of English-language original Netflix content, it found that the percentage of Asianleads and co-leads increased from 2018 to 2021 across both films (21 per cent) and series (41.5 per cent). But in its analysis of the 100 top-grossing fictional films from 2007 to 2022,just 16 per cent of the3,802 characters were Asian.

Meanwhile, a 2022 screen audit by the Vancouver Asian Film Festival found that Asian actors accounted for less than 10 per cent of maincastrolesin both scripted and unscripted programmingon Canada's major private and public broadcasters.

"Equitable visual representation on Canadian television is essential to ensuring an inclusive media landscape where people see themselves and their communities reflected authentically on screen," the report said.

Which is why, even though it's overdue, seeing Tran as the first Asian Bacheloretteis still an important moment for representation, Chung said.

"Had I seen a Bachelorette that was Asian when Iwas younger, Iperhaps would have thought, 'Hey, I'm actually a desirablewoman,'" she said.

Glamour senior beauty editorAriana Yaptangco echoed that sentiment, writing earlier this month thatwatching Tran admit in the first episode thatshe had a hard time believing she was everyone's first choice was"equally heartbreaking and inspiring."

"We have always been relegated to the sidekick or best friend never the main character. Tran's starring role is a forceful refutation of this perception,"Yaptangcowrote.

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