Surprise! We’re here with a special bonus episode of Here to Make Friends, taped from a live panel about feminism and reality dating television shows at The Wing in DUMBO. We were joined by two special guests, Ashley Spivey, former 'Bachelor' contestant and current critic of the franchise, and Mila Holifield, one of the star daters on Netflix’s Dating Around. They talked about their experiences on reality dating TV and then delved into the topic of how the genre can evolve.

We started Here To Make Friends because we watched 'The Bachelor' franchise, like so many other Americans, and we wanted to talk about the questions the show brings up about feminism and the antiquated tropes around dating, sex, and courtship. Now that the show has been on for a while, and other more consciously progressive dating shows have come and gone, we wanted to talk about the endgame. Where can feminism take reality dating TV and The Bachelor?

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