ABC just announced that Clare Crawley is the newest Bachelorette, and the internet hasn’t been this divided since the 2016 presidential election, with some fans claiming that the 38-year-old hairdresser is “too old.” I’m not quite sure when it was decided that women simply expire after the age of 30, but after several seasons of having to watch 22 year old “professional Instagram influencers” claim they’re ready to find the one and get married, I strongly believe Clare is exactly what this show needs if it wants to remain relevant. Here’s my argument for why Clare Crawley is the perfect choice to revitalize the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise.
- She takes no sh*t. Clare’s first appearance in the Bachelor cinematic universe was on Juan Pablo’s season, who is known as one of the most sexist and misogynistic leads the series has had to date. Her scorched-earth speech upon being unceremoniously dumped by Galavis has become one of the most defining moments in the franchise’s history. “I thought I knew what kind of man you were,” she told him. “What you just made me go through, I’d never want my children having a father like you.” She’s savage, and we love it.
- She’s an actual grown up. As Refinery29 points out, at 38, Clare is a grown woman, and when you’re grown, the last thing you want to do when it comes to your love life is play around. Any man who steps to Clare has to have the right energy to prove through actions and words that he is the one. No games, no manipulating. The last Bachelorette, Hannah Brown, was 24 when her season filmed. Currently, the three finalists on The Bachelor are 23, 23, and 26 (the Bachelor himself, Peter Weber, is 28). Before that, the Bachelor Colton Underwood was 27, and the woman he chose, Cassie Randolph, was 23. Spoiler alert: none of these people are engaged or married.
- She’s representative of real people. Women (and men!) are waiting longer to get married and have been for a while, so it’s nice to see the Bachelor franchise better reflect our reality, as Glamour We need women like this. Someone who wants to find love and is optimistic, but who’s not willing to sacrifice herself or her integrity in order to get it. Clare represents the very best part of being older and unwed—you stop worrying so much about being alone. And when you don’t let society manipulate you into making decisions based on fear or social pressure, you attract the kind of person who respects you as much as you respect yourself.
