The Bachelorette season finale, and which of the 4 Body Image Avatars I observed in Jenn Tran!
Hey friend,
I took a loooong break from podcasting, but last week I decided to publish a brand new solo episode about the season finale of the Bachelorette!
If this sounds like kind of a weird topic for me, you’re not totally wrong.
I’ve never followed pop culture closely enough to make “social commentary” type content, and I’ve generally preferred to focus on concepts that felt more meaningful and relevant to helping people actually improve their life (ie: mental health, trauma, and systems of oppression) than on whatever’s trending in the zeitgeist.
Plus if I’m being totally honest, on an unconscious level I was probably a bit judgemental toward people who paid too close attention to that stuff. Like what kind of person would choose to spend their precious time on earth watching reality TV dating shows, scrolling TikTok, and then wanting to talk about everything they’re seeing??
Well, me, apparently! I do!
I didn’t mean to become the kind of person who watches and loves these kinds of shows and trends, but here we are. And because I’m still me, I can’t help but bring everything I know about self-worth, trauma, attachment, authenticity, emotions, and body image to what I see as I watch and scroll… which means I’m dying to talk about them, and I have a ton to say!
Honestly, as a person who loves people-watching and psychology, I just find it fascinating to watch people put into bizarre situations, set distinctly apart from normal society and constrained by specific parameters, and see what happens. So the specific parameters of something like a reality TV show may be wildly arbitrary, but seeing how people respond and behave in a world where they exist is so revealing and satisfying– I love watching cult documentaries for the same reason!
Anyway, I’ve been realizing recently that I want to talk about this kind of thing more in my content. Not just reality TV, but all the people, trends, and information we’re exposed to through whatever media we consume.
I want to talk about why that newest TikTok is both problematic and appealing, how specific marketing campaigns are exploiting evolutionary psychology to get you to buy in, why the casting for that new show totally missed the mark, and why we feel how we feel when we see a celebrity’s face shape or weight change dramatically overnight.
In other words, I want to use pop culture to talk about the human experience— not as a stand-in or replacement for the deeper conversations needed to facilitate healing, growth, and liberation, but as an introduction to those conversations; as a relevant, relatable, and lighthearted place to begin.
My work has always been pretty serious, intense, and heavy, because that’s the nature of the stuff that sits under the surface of body image issues and low self-worth. And I genuinely love helping my clients feel safe and supported enough to explore their deepest darkness, pain, fear, and need, because the magic of transformation begins when you stop running away from that shit.
But the older and wiser I get, the more I understand that exploring the realm of the dark and heavy can be incredibly intimidating, and sometimes the best approach is low-stakes, indirect, and playful.
The truth is that anything that makes you feel safe, curious, and self-compassionate enough to begin the process of self-inquiry is the best place to start… and in my experience, unpacking what we see in pop culture can be that for a lot of people. It can be a lighthearted way to start exploring heavy-hearted concepts, and a joyful way to start examining pain. It can bring clarity and resilience into places that feel confusing or overwhelming, and it can push back against shame by giving us the feeling that we are not alone.
All of this is to say that moving forward, you can expect more social commentary type content from me, and I highly encourage you to watch or listen to last week’s podcast episode on what we can learn from the Bachelorette season– including which body image avatars I think we saw in the lead Jenn Tran (the Outsider and the Self-Objectifier), how that common-but-potent combo tends to look, and what impact it’s likely to have on her love life and self-worth!
For what it’s worth, I don’t think you need to like or watch the Bachelorette to enjoy this episode of my podcast, because I explain what you need to know about the show, but if you did watch this season, I’m very curious to hear what you think, and if you agree with my assessment of Jenn’s avatars!
Also, I’m excited to do more content examining and assessing people’s avatars, using either fictional characters or celebrities to explore how they tend to look in combination IRL, and unpacking how they impact the person’s experience, behavior, love life, and more– so please feel free to hit reply and let me know who you want to see me analyze!
In the meantime, please enjoy this podcast episode by watching it on my YouTube channel here, or listening to it on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts!
And if you want to find out your own body image avatar, be sure to take the Avatars Quiz here, buy my book BODY NEUTRAL, or apply to do a coaching/consultation session with me here!
Big hug,
Jessi
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