Catherine Lowe Feels She Was Cast on Sean Lowe’s Season of ‘The Bachelor’ to “Check a Box”

From Cosmopolitan

• Catherine Lowe opened up about her time on Sean Lowe’s season of The Bachelor.

• Catherine explained that she felt she was cast to “check a box” because of her Filipino ethnicity.

To put it plainly, The Bachelor franchise is overwhelmingly white. And if for some reason you don’t believe that, let Catherine Lowe—Bachelor Nation member and contestant on Sean Lowe’s season of The Bachelor—tell you how it felt to be one of few women of color on the season she competed in. You know, before you tune in to The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons—Ever! tonight on ABC.

“Tomorrow, our season of The Bachelor re-airs in a condensed three-hour episode. When I was originally cast, I was very flattered but somewhat grounded by the fact that I would be one of the faces that represented people of color,” Catherine wrote on Instagram yesterday. “I knew that one of the reasons I was probably chosen was because I was Filipino.”

Thankfully, Catherine’s realization didn't taint the rest of her experience on the program. After choosing to actively participate in the contest, Catherine was able to open up her heart to Sean. Spoiler alert: Catherine and Sean connected so much that they ended up married with children!

“I counted myself out to be his fiancée because of what I assumed Sean liked. I thought I was there just to check a box, but I ended up with so much more,” she continued. “I became present with the process and as he started noticing me for who I really was, I allowed this experience to open myself up to the possibility of being fully loved and appreciated for all that I was. I ended up getting to represent a mixed race community, I found Christ (I LOVE my testimony!) and marrying the most amazing man I’ve ever known. I’d say doing this show was one of the best things that ever happened to me. ❤️”

Of course, Catherine’s happy ending does not excuse The Bachelor and Bachelorette’s long-standing diversity issue.

Rachel Lindsay—the first and only Black Bachelorette so far—expressed it best when she told Afterbuzz: “If we’re going around talking about Black Lives Matter and what’s important and how we need systemic change...well, then let’s talk about systemic change when it comes to The Bachelor. We got to change some things there too.”

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