Tis the week of long Instagram captions. First, Justin Bieber's engagement announcement and now, Colton Underwood's lengthy Bachelorette post-mortem. Underwood, who has stolen headlines since he joined the show in May, revealed on last night's episode that he's a virgin. This is the second big reveal he's made on the show after breaking the news that he dated fellow Bachelor contestant Tia Booth. Underwood is somewhat experienced in the "I have to tell you something big" arena.
When he told Becca Kufrin that he was a virgin, she seemed surprised. Underwood is 26, and he recently emerged from a year-long relationship. (That relationship he keeps referring to in the show was likely with Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman.) For the most part, though, Kufrin took the news well. She didn't want to pressure him, she said, and — would you look at that — here's proof that Underwood knows how to stick to his beliefs.
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After the show aired, Underwood posted on Instagram about his decision to talk about his virginity
"In tonight’s episode I talk about something I typically avoid talking about at all costs, but it was appropriate for me to bring up," Underwood wrote in the caption. "It’s something that I don’t talk about very often and something that only a handful of people know. I considered it a gift and a curse for many years, but finally have come to terms about standing up for who I am and the details that make me, me."
The Bachelor and Bachelorette have an unseemly fetish with virginity — nearly every season, there's someone who reveals in overly saccharine moment that they haven't had sex yet. For Ashley Iaconetti, this storyline nearly swallowed her Bachelor experience. (She's since reclaimed her narrative — one writer's professional opinion — and is now engaged to Jared Haibon.) On Nick Viall's season, this person was Christen Whitney, who also recently went on The Proposal. In the past, Becca Tilley has also filled this role.
Underwood explained in the post that he's proud of the reveal because, ideally, he's validated the experiences of other young men out there. (Again, Underwood is 26.)
"We all have something that we hold close to us and something that makes us unique in our own ways. I ask for respect from everyone I meet moving forward and I’m here to call on everyone that needs that extra motivation to be 'different,'" he wrote.
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Read his full post, below.