Jenn Tran (26 years old) in Florida has just become the first Asian female lead in the famous American dating show series The Bachelorette.
Vietnamese-American medical assistant Jenn Tran made a special impression when she became the first Asian female lead in the American dating show The Bachelorette - Photo: YAHOO NEWS
Overcoming racial prejudice
“I feel so grateful and honored to be the first Asian Bachelorette on this TV series,” Tran, a Vietnamese-American, shared her feelings after being chosen as the first Asian female lead on the dating show. She hopes to find her other half, as well as bring to viewers the sincerity in love - something she rarely sees on screen. “Whenever Asians appear in the media, they can only take on supporting roles and perform roles according to certain stereotypes. I think because I don’t see myself on screen, or don’t see myself as the main character, I am always bound by stereotypes about Asians,” the Vietnamese-American medical assistant added. Writing in the recent issue of Vox magazine, journalist Li Zhou also pointed out the lack of Asian contestants on ABC’s dating show. “Asians who have been on the show are often eliminated in the early rounds, seen as supporting characters or associated with stereotypes,” Li said. She added that she found it “refreshing” to see Asian women like Jenn Tran, Lea Cayanan (a Filipina accountant) and Rachel Nance (a black nurse) take on prominent roles in recent seasons. However, Li said Rachel Nance received hundreds of hateful messages and comments, including racial slurs, during the show’s run.Once controversial for racism
The dating series The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have received criticism for having mostly white leads since the first season in 2002. In 2017, lawyer Rachel Lindsay became the first black contestant on the ABC dating series. In 2020, Matt James, an American businessman and former soccer player, became the first African-American male lead in The Bachelor season 25. However, James's casting as the male lead earned the show's producers a warning for casting a black lead in the first 40 seasons of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Not only that, The Bachelor has also been accused of perpetuating racial stereotypes in some episodes filmed overseas. In particular, an episode of this program in 2019 set in markets in Singapore received a wave of fierce criticism for its rude attitude when describing Asian street food . Meanwhile, male host Chris Harrison, who has been attached to this dating series for many years, faced a wave of anger for defending a white contestant on James's season. The incident forced MC Harrison to leave the program in 2021.Uyen Phuong - Tuoitre.vn
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