Oof.
Katie’s New ‘Bachelorette’ Promo Is Seemingly Vibrator-Themed, and Fans Are Pissed
Katie Thurston’s season of The Bachelorette hasn’t even started yet, but it’s already causing some controversy. ABC dropped a new promo for it on Monday, May 3, and it includes an, um, interesting tagline: “See what all the buzz is about.”
In an accompanying tweet, ABC writes, “Buzz buzz [phone emoji]. Watch Katie’s journey unfold starting June 7 on ABC.”
https://twitter.com/BacheloretteABC/status/1389293701965524994
To play devil’s advocate, the use of “buzz” could be in reference to a phone—hence the emoji—but fans are convinced ABC is nodding to Thurston’s vibrator stunt on Matt James’s season. (Remember when she brought him one after her limo exit?)
And they’re not happy about it. “So we’re really going with the vibrator theme for this whole thing? She’s way more than just the vibrator girl....,” one fan, @JillATerry, tweeted.
“Is this a poorly executed vibrator joke??? Come on abc.....your team needs help and I’m available,” posted someone else. Meanwhile, a third wrote, “So this is the banner we’re going with?”
https://twitter.com/JillATerry/status/1389300060731678729
https://twitter.com/troll__friend/status/1389307547346165769
https://twitter.com/aniceringtoit/status/1389314936430600199
https://twitter.com/donnasalesexec1/status/1389395291837698051
https://twitter.com/lexiosborne/status/1389315012146176011
https://twitter.com/linharrington/status/1389309233502560259
Why The Bachelorette would make such a big deal out of a woman using vibrators is a mystery. Vibrators aren’t weird or taboo—and the fact some people view them as that is a bit troubling. That aside, I wholeheartedly agree with @JillATerry: Katie Thurston is more than just the Vibrator Girl, and to reduce her to that is ridiculous. She literally did that bit to get noticed by Matt James, just as women of Bachelor seasons past have arrived to the house in wacky cars or holding weird props. It’s just what you do in the first episode!
Honestly, though, this franchise could use a healthy dose of sex positivity. “It wasn’t some agenda that I had coming on to the show,” Thurston said about the vibrator stunt on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, per Bachelor Nation. “It’s just who I am and who I’ve been this whole time. It wasn’t until after the fact that I realized how big of a deal it was—which excites me because I do believe it’s 2021 and women should be comfortable talking about their sexuality.”
She continued, “Hopefully that means other women will soon start to open up a little bit, because being sex positive is important in a relationship, [the relationship you have with] yourself, in your self-care, and so many different things, especially in this [ongoing COVID-19] pandemic.”
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Christopher Rosa
