Serious question: Did Locky Gilbert go on The Bachelor Australia 2020 to find A) a partner or B) a mother?
No, we’re genuinely asking, because the first few minutes of the finale all but confirmed that Locky has, for all intents and purposes, been looking for a contestant who is yes, willing to do all The Outdoorsy Things, but also ‘look after him’.
This has been pointed out multiple times throughout the series (even Queen Juliette had something to say about it), but for the purposes of this piece, let’s just talk about The Bachelor finale, shall we?
His weird need to find a woman who will ‘handle’ him appeared when his own mother said she wasn’t sure Irena would be a suitable match, as her kindness (which should never be misconstrued for weakness) gave her the impression she wouldn’t be able to “stand up to Locky” so he “doesn’t always get his own way”.
Apparently, Locky needs a keeper. Someone “who can say no to him”. Sorry… what?
I, personally, found myself physically cringing when his mother said this (repeatedly) and then again, during his “See, you can say no me!” exchange with Irena.
Suffice to say, the nation was also thoroughly unimpressed, with the tweets flowing thick and fast, slamming the narrative.
“So does Locky choose someone that’s going to take care of him and change his nappy or does he choose Bella’s eyes?” one Twitter user wrote.
“I’m so sick of the narrative that women are more worth it if they’re able to stand up to the guy they’re dating and keep him in line He’s a fucking grown ass adult, no woman should have to pull their adult boyfriend into line, he’s responsible for how he acts,” added another.
Suffice to say, no grown man should require a partner to “keep him in line”. It’s a line of thinking that repeatedly places the burden on women to be the moral gatekeepers of society, and it needs to stop.
Sure, The Bachelor may not be the pinnacle of feminism or the place we go to find the high ground, but it does reflect glimmers of reality and it’s not a mirror we want to look at any longer.
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