To be honest, I’ve been pretty critical of blind marriage shows in the past. I’ve found it frustrating that the same people who condemn same-sex marriage and argue that it’s “destroying the institution of marriage itself” could watch a show with people who literally don’t even know each other get married. People find that entertaining and magical, and somehow more valid than a long-term, loving LGBTQ+ marriage. Excuse me, what? However, Love is Blind seems to be different to me.
Nevertheless, I’ll admit that I’m totally addicted to the show Love is Blind. It’s not really because the show is actually better than the other blind marriage shows. If anything, it may actually be worse.
I mean, they talk a big game about removing physical appearance, race, and age as a factor in the dating game, but holes got poked in that real fast. I mean, you can obviously ask about age (duh). And as some of the contestants quickly pointed out, race is sometimes evident in a person’s voice.
(Plus, if love is truly blind, why are all the people on the show so freaking hot anyway???)
What makes this show so great for me is actually the relationships between the men on the show. It’s so rare to see men supporting each other emotionally in the media. I think it actually happens a lot more in real life than we see on TV, but without that representation, men can sometimes feel like those tender, supportive moments in their lives are anomalies instead of a wonderful, healthy dynamic of all friendships, including between men.
I mean, who didn’t absolutely swoon every single time Rory opened his mouth? Even though we never see his romantic journey, we do see him talk with many of the other men and guide them through their romantic decisions. There are so many moments in this show that make me want to rip my hair out, and of course, that’s part of the appeal too. However, what really shocked me was that there were so many moments that genuinely touched me.
Relationships between men are so important, and it’s amazing to see a show that highlights men supporting each other. Sure, it’s still within the context of meeting women, but still! Anything that highlights the fact that men are emotionally intelligent beings who need support is a huge win in my book.
Previously published on Megan Writes Everything.
Featured image via Pexels
