The cast and producers of the hit Netflix dating series “Love is Blind” are under fire as viewers believe the most recent season six shows several white couples over-sexualizing the one Black woman on the show.
“Love is Blind” is a matchmaking experiment series where single individuals endeavor to find the love of their lives and get married. The premise is that these contestants develop emotional bonds without the initial influence of physical appearances.
Participants engage in conversations and interactions with potential partners through pods solely based on personality and shared values. The goal is to develop a relationship built by prioritizing an emotional connection over physical attraction.
After days of communication, Amber Desiree “AD” Smith paired up with Clay Gravesande and they are engaged to be married. They are also the only African American couple on the show.
Most of the people, particularly the whites on the show, noted while AD has a great personality, upon seeing her in person, she has a beautiful body.
It became the focal point of two conversations in episode 6. The first took place when Jimmy, while looking at AD from across the room, blurted out to his fiancée Chelsea that AD was “stacked.”
Chelsea instantly agreed, taking it a step further and saying her butt looked like a shelf and yelling across the party that her man thought that AD was “stacked,” asking her how her butt got so big and firm.
AD coyly responded that she was blessed by Jesus and works out, making light of the remark by giving her “new friends” a little twerk of her assets.
Jimmy then went over to apologize for his comment. He wanted her to know that he didn’t want to offend her nor did he ask Chelsea to repeat what he said.
Graciously, AD smiled it off and engaged him in light but flirty banter afterward by the bar.
AD was “objectified” in the next instance when Jimmy, Jeramey, and Clay were talking about their matches and AD joined the conversation.
Jeramey brings up that his fiancée, Laura, told him to bring up “bean dip” to her.
“She is gorgeous, she’s amazing. She’s taught me about, what is it, bean dip? She told me you would know what that means,” he tells AD about Laura.
“Bean Dip” is a crude expression that means “(flicking) a woman’s (or man’s) breast with the index finger.” It’s “dubbed ‘bean dip’ because the move is similar to that of scooping up bean dip,” according to Urban Dictionary.
Embarrassed by the joke, AD turned to Laura to figure out why would she bring it up to her man.
“I said, ‘Do it when we walk in. She will literally die.'” Laura remarked, not seeing why there would be a problem.
“No, she told me to do it to you and I was like, ‘I’m gonna get f—— canceled,’” Jeramey said to clear his name.
AD was firm and said that if he attempted to do it, she would fight him. He promised her would not.
AD was not the only person upset at a joke about touching the woman’s breast … so was Clay. He said, “You offended me,” to Jeramey and Laura, who was trying to play the entire situation down.
After the first six episodes premiered on Valentine’s Day, social media exploded in outrage about the comments about how AD was treated.
“It’s very distasteful how they are sexualizing AD. From Jimmy over stepping and flirting with her to the stupid bean dip “joke” #LoveIsBlindS6,” one person posted.
It’s very distasteful how they are sexualizing AD. From Jimmy over stepping and flirting with her to the stupid bean dip “joke” #LoveIsBlindS6 pic.twitter.com/fTERDU96TB
— ᴍɪʟʟᴀɴᴏᴠᴀ💞 (@mylifesamilly) February 15, 2024
“Maybe I don’t have sense of humor but wtf is a “bean dip” and why is it a joke for your fiance to slap or hit another woman’s boob … where’s the joke? #loveisblind,” another wrote.
Maybe I don’t have sense of humor but wtf is a “bean dip” and why is it a joke for your fiance to slap or hit another woman’s boob … where’s the joke? #loveisblind pic.twitter.com/U359sxu54B
— Stacey 🦋 (@Beautifulndbold) February 15, 2024
“They objectified AD for that whole episode, such weird going ons. #loveisblind” one person posted, with another adding, “How is that bean dip “joke” even funny when it’s giving misogynoir and sexual assault?”
“AD is trying in the nicest way to tell Laura the bean dip joke wasn’t cool and Laura is somehow finding a way to escape accountability and not apologize by pinning it all on Jeramey?? #loveisblind #LoveIsBlindS6,” one X user wrote.
Many thought that this might have messed up the two women’s relationship on the show. Though AD said nothing could be further from the truth.
“I don’t really relish on that moment too much because it didn’t really affect me and I’m kind of shocked that it affected them so much,” AD said in an interview with People.
“So, I don’t really think about that often,” she admitted, adding, “It was a girl’s thing that translated and went left, I guess.”
In a conversation with “Today,” she shared the same sentiments, adding she thought about it as a statement made “in passing.”
“We’re having a conversation and now we’re here. I didn’t think it would be that big,” she noted.
She continued by letting the world know, “I didn’t lose any sleep over it.”
Find out what happens once the next batch of “Love Is Blind” episodes are released on Thursday, Feb. 22.
