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Woman claims she was ‘ghosted’ by The Bachelor producers because of her size
‘I will say I didn’t anticipate having to stand up,’ she says of interview process
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A woman has claimed that she was “ghosted” by The Bachelor’s casting producers after they asked to see her body during a Zoom interview.
Caroline Cronin, 30, who goes by the username @carolcro0 on TikTok, discussed the experience in a video posted earlier this month, in which she explained that she had been contacted through Instagram by the show’s casting producers in November.
According to Cronin, who said she wears a size six or eight she was surprised by the initial contact because “stuff like this never happens to me, ever”. However, she also noted in the recent video that she thought the potential opportunity was a “good thing” because she is “not the typical beauty standard, I think, for what the show normally presents”.
Cronin then acknowledged that the show has made progress in featuring a more diverse cast each year, but that the popular dating reality show never “diversifies the body type of the people that are on the show”.
“Me, I’m a size six to an eight, depending on the brand, and so, based on having been scouted through Instagram, I thought this wasn’t going to be a big deal,” Cronin continued, adding that she doesn’t “lie” on her Instagram or use filters or apps to change her appearance.
According to Cronin, she told the producers that she was interested in the opportunity, at which point the casting team set up an interview with her over Zoom. During the interview, she said they talked about who she is and her dating history.
However, Cronin said the casting producer then asked her to “stand up over Zoom,” with the TikToker noting that she was asked to take a step back from the camera.
“And the guy looked at my body,” she continued, before recalling how the interview had ended shortly after with the casting director promising to get in touch soon. “And they ghosted me like all the other men in my life.”
According to Cronin, while the show didn’t comment on her size, or imply that it was her body type that made them pass on her as a contestant, she noted that she “gets the feeling that that’s kind of what it was,” and that it was “disappointing”.
She also noted that part of the reason she had been so excited by the opportunity was because “no one has ever looked like me on [reality] TV,” before acknowledging that she is “average-sized” but “not a size zero or two or even a four”.
“So Caroline for Bachelorette,” she concluded the TikTok, adding that she was manifesting the opportunity to be the star of the show’s next season.
While speaking to The Independent, Cronin confirmed that she hasn’t heard anything from the show’s casting department, nor does she expect to.
And while she noted that the casting producer who interviewed her did not say “anything about my appearance at the time,” she said: “I will say I didn’t anticipate having to stand up.”
On TikTok, where the clip has been viewed more than 333,000 times, viewers have agreed that the show needs to increase its representation, with one person writing: “It’s so baffling to me that this is still a thing because it’s SO unrelatable. Like I get WAY more invested when I see real women with real bodies on TV.”
Another person said: “I’ll applaud them when they cast a size 16 AT MINIMUM.”
“Yes they’ll NEVER! Ever. Feature plus-sized beauties. (You’re not plus-sized but still) it’s BULLSH*T. Why do I even still watch?!” someone else said.
However, others noted that Cronin’s size may not have been a factor, as someone else claimed that the show had “a woman that was closer to a size 12 on the show”.
“I was surprised and happy to see the change,” they added.
Another viewer pointed out that “so many factors go into casting a show like The Bachelor,” and it’s “hard to pin it on your size, especially if you go as far as an interview”.
The video also prompted some critical responses from viewers, as one person accused Cronin of being a “straight-sized woman complaining about body representation”.
The comment prompted a response from the TikToker, who explained that her “hope was to make the point that mainstream media needs to do better”.
“I’m complaining about their POV not lamenting my size,” she added.
Speaking to The Independent, Cronin said that she’s been “very surprised” by the response to her video, as she noted that she thought the conversation “would just stay on TikTok”.
“While it’s been a little overwhelming, I’m so happy that the majority of comments have been positive and that I’m not alone in my experience either,” she said, adding that she has gotten a few messages from people who “don’t get what I was trying to say”.
As for what she hopes people take away from the clip, she said that she wants it to serve as a reminder that “all bodies are unique”.
“All I wanted to do was rally for more body diversity and body positivity and I think we have a good thing going,” she said.
The Independent has contacted ABC for comment.
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