Entertainment

Ben's 'Bachelor' Sex Life Deserves Some Privacy

by Allison Piwowarski

Sex is always a super weird topic on The Bachelor. On last season's Bachelorette, Kaitlyn had sex pre-Fantasy Suite, which caused an uproar amongst viewers who openly slut-shamed her. For some reason, the show seems to dislike treating sex as a normal thing that happens in developing relationships, so Kaitlyn's expression of her sexual side outside the designated Fantasy Suite time was shocking to many viewers, but it shouldn't have been. It's something that, if it comes up on the show, should be addressed as the totally normal thing it is — Kaitlyn had no problem discussing her actions and refused to be shamed for them. But, with a new season upon us, you may be wondering if Ben has sex with anyone on this season of The Bachelor.

The short answer is: Who knows? But it's something he should be allowed to keep private if he so chooses. And, if he wants to bring it up, that's totally his decision as well. He has already stated on both The Bachelorette and The Bachelor that he's not a virgin, so he clearly is comfortable discussing certain aspects of his private life.

Still, despite signing up for a reality show, I believe that Ben's private life deserves to be private if he so chooses. Just because he chose to be on The Bachelor doesn't mean that he gave viewers at home a one-way ticket to the inside of his bedroom.

If Ben does have sex with someone this season, and both parties agree to share that it happened with viewers, then let's hope it is treated with more respect than last season's sex situation was. Kaitlyn received a lot of viewer criticism for her decision to have sex with Nick Viall, but it was completely unwarranted. Both Nick and Kaitlyn were adults and allowed to make any decision they wanted to that infamous night.

The Bachelor can really do wonders normalizing the conversation of sex. Right now, the show tip-toes around it unless discussing someone's virginity, which is almost always made out to be an overly big deal. So, here's hoping that if Ben chooses to approach the topic of sex openly with the viewing audience, he does so in a way that doesn't shame anyone for choosing or not choosing to have sex. And, if he doesn't want to talk about it? Well, that's OK, too.

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Images: Randy Holmes/ABC; Giphy