Bachelor Nation, get ready for the first-ever Asian bachelorette
ABC's "The Bachelorette" has its first-ever Asian leading lady. My sister and I flew out to LA for a 24 hour whirlwind slumber party with her, and it was a blast.
There have been 20 seasons of The Bachelorette, and it’s taken until now to finally get our first-ever Asian girlie to be the leading lady. I’ve never been a viewer of the bachelor nation franchise (I’m more on the Love is Blind side of streaming), but I think it’s rather impossible to be on social media or keeping up with pop culture without having the series in your periphery. Growing up, I never felt interested in watching because it only amplified the shame I felt around being Asian. It’s taken me a while to be…proud + even excited to be Asian. I didn’t watch because I didn’t feel the show was for me, and I didn’t see myself in the show.
That’s all changing though, because this season, Jenn Tran is our Vietnamese-American Bachelorette. Season premiere is going live TONIGHT!
Last week, my sister and I flew out to LA for a one night slumber party with the Bachelorette herself ^^ pictured above in the light blue jammies, surrounded by our lil influencer-filled fam. It was giving Princess Diaries 2, with all the romcom energy. We drank (a bit too much) and watched a sneak peek of the season premiere, which only made us more eager to keep watching. There was one thought that kept going through my mind during the sleepover: I love being a girls’ girl.
Some key points from the slumber party…
The memories were worth the hangover. The morning after the slumber party, my sister and I were unwell. But it was worth it. I don’t drink often, and when I do, it’s not usually in moderation. Work hard, play hard sort of vibe. Am I a messy drunk? Yes, but it’s a fun type of mess. And now that my sister is finally 21, we have the freedom to really enjoy getting lit together at these public events.
Asian people are so cool. It’s sad to think it took me so long to realize this. I feel like it’s a shared experience to be an young AAPI gal who goes through a phase of just wanting to be white, and thinking a lot of self-deprecating thoughts. Btw, if you ever want to read more about the AAPI experience, one of my favorite books is Minor Feelings - read more here.
I do not miss being single. Something about watching the season premiere sneak peek with the girlies, and hearing about some of their dating lives, I kept thinking “wow, I am glad I am not single because I do not think I’d have the energy.” Going on first dates?! Having to plan and do makeup and…organize a roster? I’m 5 years into a relationship where we mostly spend our evenings eating scrambled eggs, spinach, and watching an episode of Friends. And I think that’s what I’m meant to do from here on out. I will live vicariously through all my single girlie friends, and enjoy the drama of reality TV dating shows.
Here’s the little vlog from our LA trip!
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