The Bachelor franchise has seen an uprising of female sex-positivity in recent years among its cast — from Hannah Brown’s windmill confessions to Katie Thurston’s vibrator — and the current women on Bachelor in Paradise aren’t tolerating any criticism from fans, or their fellow beach mates for that matter, for getting physical in Paradise. Tammy Ly and Maurissa Gunn have both spoken out to defend their actions while pointing out the double standard when it comes to women.
Tammy Ly found herself at the center of the conversation during Monday night’s episode of Bachelor in Paradise, when some of the men took issue with Ly getting friendly with former Bachelorette villain Thomas Jacobs. Ly had previously been vibing with Aaron Clancy, another of Katie Thurston’s cast-offs, and the big issue for the men was that Jacobs and Clancy are “mortal enemies” (as dubbed by Clancy). Tre Cooper called Ly’s actions “human trash bag behavior,” and someone could be heard calling her a dog. Ly posted a series of tweets in her defense, pointing out that Clancy had kissed other women on the beach as well.
Hey remember when Aaron was making out w Serena & I got upset but STILL respected the fact that Aaron was also exploring other relationships like we agreed to do. … Normalize not having to OWE something to someone just because they 'gave' you their rose.
Tammy Ly makes a good point in saying Aaron Clancy didn’t face the same criticism for exploring his options. And while the Twitterverse wasn’t keen on letting Clancy, Tre Cooper and James Bonsall off the hook for the name-calling, Ly revealed she had no hard feelings, and even joked about updating her resume.
Adding 'trash bag human' and 'dog' to my 6+ jobs.
Tammy Ly’s tweets came a day after Maurissa Gunn posted a sex positive video on Instagram also in response to the sexism-laced backlash she received after going to the "Boom Boom Room" with Riley Christian (and his arms) after their steamy first date.
It’s OK FOR WOMEN TO LIKE SEX! Sex is a 2 person act, so there shouldn’t be a double standard regarding which gender can openly like it, and which gender should be timid about their enjoyment. What’s even harder to believe is that the majority of the negativity and hate is coming from women. It’s already hard enough being a woman in today’s society, so we as women should do everything to lift each other up rather than bring each other down.
Really though, can we agree the most surprising thing about Maurissa Gunn and Riley Christian’s date was that they were still ready to get down after guest host Lance Bass made them eat tongue? I digress. It’s good to see the women of Bachelor Nation not only standing up for themselves and defending behind their choices, but also calling on women to support each other instead of throwing shade. Lofty goals, for sure, when Mari Pepin was throwing Demi Burnett’s cake in the fire elsewhere on the beach. Baby steps.
Monday’s episode ended with Tammy Ly going down to the beach to break up the tense conversation between Thomas Jacobs and Aaron Clancy, and I’ll definitely be tuning in for all the drama to come. Bachelor in Paradise airs Monday and Tuesday nights on ABC at 8 p.m. ET. Check out our 2021 Fall TV Schedule for all of the upcoming premieres.
