opinion

"First Dates' first lesbian date revealed something disturbing about its viewers."

After almost two seasons, Channel 7’s reality dating show First Dates aired the first lesbian couple — and I couldn’t be more disappointed.

I am not disappointed in the failure of love to bloom. I am not disappointed in the girls chosen. I am disappointed that it’s 2016 and the Australian audience is still unable to dislike a woman without attacking her body, her sexuality or her eating choices.

Channel 7 ‘match-made’ Aimee and Renee for a date they called ‘awkward’ but was better described as excruciating. I watched not just as a viewer, but as a young lesbian who so rarely sees somebody like me on reality dating shows.

Aimee, a staunch vegetarian, sat across from Renee as she happily munched a steak. Aimee scowled and sipped a gin and tonic; Renee looked at the ceiling and sipped water.

The date ended and instead of stating her lack of desire to go on a second meeting, Aimee decided to take Renee down in a rant so vicious it was as if every word was ripped from a Mean Girls script.

The girls mid-take-down. (Source: Network 7.)
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"There was nothing that could have even made the date better, like for me, it was just horrible. It was probably the worst date I’ve ever been on," she said.

"There was no connection, there was no spark, there was nothing."

The camera panned to capture the effect of such a cruel rejection. Renee's face fell and so did our hearts.

I was disgusted by Aimee's behaviour, but my disgust was nothing compared to what I felt when I looked at social media.

These are a few quotes I found on Twitter:

"Aimee needs a good hard... steak."

"Please no more gay and lesbian dates."

"Surprise, surprise, the model isn't hungry."

"Lesbians are so miserable. Even on a first date."

I won't give you all the times the audience attacked Aimee, but I will supply you with a little collage I accidentally made in my camera roll while taking screenshots.

These examples are just the tip of the hate-filled iceberg.

The amount of users who chose to attack Aimee - not for her behaviour, but for what she ate, how she looked, how she identified and what she did for a living - was truly disgusting.

Why can't an audience express their dislike without the personal insults? Is it because it's too easy to hate the model? Or is it because saying "she was cruel" doesn't quite express the amount of anger we feel?

Aimee, last night you threw yourself under the bus, but you didn't deserve to be crushed by every car that came after.

Maybe next time the producers will make a genuine effort to choose compatible women or maybe they'll find another woman like Aimee: another young girl to serve as the perfect bait for the piranha tank.

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