The ABC network has finally revealed the group of women that will compete for Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s heart on the next The Bachelor, and naturally, the cast bios have fans — and former contestants — talking. But not for the reason you think.
On Monday night, Twitter lit up with comments surrounding one season 22 contestant: Bekah Martinez. It wasn't just speculation about how ABC didn't list Martinez's age on purpose, either, but also pointing out her hair. More specifically, that it is definitely the shortest we've seen from the franchise yet.
That's right: For the first time in 22 seasons, there's a female contestant with hair that actually sits above her shoulders. Even if you haven't watched one minute of the series — or its many, many spin-offs — you probably know that cast members tend to all fit within a specific beauty ideal — one of which isn't exactly diverse.
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Contestants on the show have admitted that looking camera-ready costs a lot of money. And yet, the vast majority of women share similar features — including impeccable skin, great style, and long, tousled hair. In fact, the last time we saw someone with what could be defined as "short" hair was during Nick Viall's season, and those were shoulder-grazing lobs. So when someone goes against the norm, even if it's just with a pixie cut, we take notice.
Historically, long hair has been considered the archetype of what's "sexy" — which, of course, we know is far from the truth. Regardless, due to the pressure to look perfect on reality TV — and in movies, scripted shows, on magazine covers — this idea is only recently starting change. So while Martinez's pixie isn't revolutionary, our hope is that it at least inspires future contestants to come as they are and — if they so choose — leave the hair extensions and hot tools at home.