Update: Another Bachelor/Bachelor in Paradise alum, Amanda Stanton, is opening up about her recent breast augmentation. In a post to her blog, Stanton explained why she opted for surgery years after giving birth to her two daughters. "Once I had Kins and Char and breastfed them both for a year, [my breasts] were basically… gone," she wrote. "I did make this decision for myself, for my own body. When the time comes where I have to talk to my girls about this... I will always tell them they are beautiful in every single way, but will also be mindful about being real with them and why I chose to do what I did." Stanton is certainly not the first on the show to talk about her surgery. Read on to see how other contestants are changing the way we discuss this once taboo TV topic.
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This story was originally posted 7th February 2017.
Don't be fooled by the bikinis, binge drinking, and marathon makeout sessions. The Bachelor is, at the end of the day, a reality show grounded in very old school values. Its premise is based around the idea that a woman's ultimate goal is to land a man, and to do so, she must walk a hell of a lot of fine lines.
Be there to make friends, but also in it to win it. Exude sex appeal, but don't have sex. Maintain long, thick hair, blindingly white teeth, tan skin, a thigh gap, and great cleavage — all without too much effort.
But it's season freaking 21 now and, to steal from another show's famous tagline, things are finally starting to get real. We have season 16's Courtney Robertson to thank for getting sex out on the table (she had it in the ocean, pre-Fantasy Suite date, and didn't hide the fact), but seasoned alum and current Bachelor Nick Viall has taken it upon himself to carry the torch ever since.
(A quick recap: He asked Andi Dorfman on ATFR why she "made love" to him if she didn't love him; had sex with Kaitlyn Bristowe, then got dumped; had to apologise to the current season's women for sleeping with one of their fellow contestants before filming even began; and he was on Bachelor In Paradise, so... yeah.)
And it seems Nick's willingness to be honest and direct (and cry, often) is rubbing off on the contestants, who are opening up more than ever about, well, a lot of things, but mostly... boobs. Big boobs, small boobs, real boobs, fake boobs — the women are laying it all out, sharing their insecurities and revealing their plastic surgeries. And it's actually pretty damn refreshing to see on a show that likes to pretend the only body type is ultra-slim with a natural, perky C-cup.
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Technically, it started with Corinne Olympios. The wild card contestant shocked the other women when she took off her top during a photoshoot with Nick and asked him to hold her breasts. Her confidence was so palpable, it was almost hard for the others to shit-talk too much. In another episode, Corinne admitted in the same breath to A. having a nanny, and B. wanting a "tiny" boob job. (If you still have a nanny making you cheese pasta, you might not be ready for major surgery, but that's just us.) And who can forget the not-quite-Varsity Blues moment, in which she sprayed her chest with whipped cream and instructed Nick to lick it off. (Which he did, because the guy likes sex, don't ya know?)
Then there was Astrid Loch, whose breasts stole the show on a sporty group date. "Look at those boobs!" the girls cheered from the sidelines as the camera panned in on them bouncing from side-to-side. "If I would have known I was actually going to be doing this much physical activity, I think I would have worn a little bit more support. But maybe it'll help me get the rose, you never know," Astrid joked, and get the rose she did.
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It's pretty damn refreshing to see on a show that likes to pretend the only body type is ultra-slim with a natural, perky C-cup.
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Really, though, it was Alexis Waters, the season's comic relief since the moment she stepped out of the limo in a shark costume, who brought Bachelor breasts fully into the spotlight. In perhaps the best scene of the franchise that was relegated to a short clip while the credits rolled, she brought out boob-themed cupcakes with candles to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her augmentation, shimmying as she sang 'Happy Birthday.' Don't ever change, Alexis.
We didn't think The Bachelor would be the franchise to break plastic surgery taboos, but we're here for it. And to all future Bachelor contestants, for the love of god, keep being real. Get weird. Wear animal suits. Take naps if you don't want to stay up filming the Rose Ceremony until 6 a.m. It's been FIFTEEN years of this show and we're due for a shakeup.