Women Pay Way More Than Men To Be A Part Of The Bachelor Franchise

Mic reported back in January that being a part of The Bachelor franchise isn't as glamorous as it seems. The travel, the hair and makeup, the fancy dresses — all those expenses add up, and on the contestant's own dime. In fact, during the 20th season, 23-year-old news anchor Olivia Cardi dropped a cool $40,000 on clothes to wear on the show. That's a car! A home! Student loan debt! But how do the male contestant's expenses add up compared to the women's? As Mic reports, surprisingly (or not), not anywhere close. Bachelorette contestant Joshua Albert estimates he spent around $1,000 on his suits for the show (which included tailoring), and Ben Higgins copped to recycling his suits for the rose ceremonies. "Women's gowns are far more than a guy's suit," Albert told Mic. "A lot of guys have to wear suits for their career already, so they didn't have to buy much of anything unless they wanted [to]." The investment may be worth it for some contestants — say, Kaitlyn Bristowe, whose roles on The Bachelor and later The Bachelorette helped her launch her own clothing line. But for the majority of the women, it's a prohibitively steep price tag — especially when compared to their male counterparts. Of course, it's likely that if you're going to be on TV screens across the country, you'll want to look your best. And sure, when you don't know how much on-screen time you'll have, you'll want to make a statement. But if the guys can recycle their outfits, why can't the girls? Why aren't the standards the same on both sides of the rose?