Is Love Really Blind?

From the Bachelor, to Love Island and Too Hot to Handle, the number of reality dating shows are practically never ending. While they are addicting and very entertaining to watch, they often depict an unrealistic expectation of dating and love. Season 1 of Love is Blind first premiered back in Feb. 2022 and Season 2 was recently released on Netflix - and a lot of people are back watching. Despite the numerous other reality dating shows, this one aims at breaking the stereotype that people fall in love for physical attraction, or that it is the main factor in relationships rather than things such as personality or connection. 

The show follows 30 men and women who are hoping to find love. Couples “speed-date” over the course of 10 days in these pods, where they are hidden behind walls, so physical appearance and attraction is completely taken out of the picture. Once they are ready, the men can propose to the women, still behind walls. If they accept, they are finally able to meet each other face to face. After that, the engaged couples head to a retreat in Mexico to spend time together and meet the other couples participating in the retreat. Of course this is an experiment, so not everyone on the show is going to get engaged and not everyone will stay engaged or make it down the aisle. 

The couples that make it to the retreat leave shortly thereafter to return to their normal lives, but this time as an engaged couple. They have the opportunity to introduce each other to their family and friends, move in together and everything in between while preparing for their weddings. The experience is part of a timeline, so after leaving the retreat the couples have one month until they say “I do.” Following their journey’s and seeing relationships form in such a short period of time begs the question, is love really blind? 

There are a lot of factors that go into forming relationships and finding that perfect person. For most of us, physical attraction is a very important aspect of that. But this show really brings that stereotype to light. Loving someone means loving who they are on the inside and not just for their beauty on the outside. While it is true that the participants fall for their partner without seeing them, it is still reality tv and the participants are all conventionally attractive according to modern beauty standards - so the transition to face to face wasn’t all that shocking. Falling in love blindy can happen in real life, but that journey certainly isn’t for everyone. Nevertheless, Love is Blind is worth the watch, and we highly recommend it.