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.
"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.
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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Top Comments
Yep sorry but reality television isn't about anything other than 'great viewing'. Yes it was a shame that this couple weren't compatible but can we move away from labelling them as the 'lesbian date' it's just not necessary. They were a couple on a date, it's 2016 people stop freaking out about gay people!
Did you go looking for nasty comments about some of the straight dates to compare, or do you just look when you want to support your own desire to paint a particular group as victims. Here's the thing, everyone cops crap on Twitter. It is not just certain groups that hold some exclusive exclusive victim status.
I think, with all the photos she provided, and how easy they are to find, she's made her point. People weren't attacking Aimee for what she said/did, they were attacking HER.
I don't think this holds as "exclusive victim status", and it's kind of ignorant for you to suggest such a thing. There are people/groups that are attacked more on Twitter (and other social media places). It kind of says a lot about who you are when you dismiss abuse and harassment like that - and we shouldn't be normalising it, either. We wouldn't accept it in a social setting, and social media shouldn't be exempt.
meh, everyone cops it. trolls will find anything to get under your skin. Your fat, your nose is too big, you said something stupid, you dressed bad etc etc. Open your eyes. Everyone cops it. If you cant handle it, don't go on a reality show FFS.
Well, the chick from the reality show didn't write this, nor has she complained,so I don't think she can be blamed.
And it's disturbing that you think that it should be 'normal', that we should just accept it. I'm a writer, I know exactly what happens.
Maybe you should research 'The Dark Tetrad'/'Dark Triad', because you clearly don't get the part where it's a problem and why.