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Steamy reality shows like “The Bachelor” and “Love Island” are full of on-screen romantic drama scripted for our entertainment — but there’s one important element of any hookup that never seems to make it to air.
Have you ever watched a conversation about safeguarding sexual health in any of the dating shows that are a staple of pop culture? Sex is often center stage in these programs, but how people should broach the subject of — and protect themselves and their partners from — sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is never mentioned. You’d be hard-pressed to remember a time when a “fantasy suite date” — where couples are left alone sans cameras for some intimate one-on-one time – started with a discussion about protection and an STI test.
Yes, these shows are meant to be frivolous, but they influence a huge audience and shape popular culture and societal norms. Americans collectively spent an average of 4.9 million minutes a month watching relationship reality television shows this year, according to a Nielsen analysis for the Wall Street Journal. This is a huge opportunity for entertainment and public health to come together.
The book “Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure,” by Los Angeles........