Fans of The Bachelor are divided about this season’s early villain Victoria Larson, but one thing we can all agree on is that no one deserves to be body shamed. While it’s true Victoria has been participating in mean girl behavior, her appearance has been getting criticized online. Recently Bachelor Matt James’ friends made some disparaging comments, and Victoria is not here for it.
Victoria made waves as soon as she stepped out of the limo with her “Queen” persona that everyone assumed was a night one gimmick. Well, it’s week four and Queen Victoria is still around, much to the ire of many fans. While some are entertained by her regal antics, other fans think Victoria is a manipulative bully, especially with the way she was trashing eliminated contestant Sarah Trott on this week’s episode. Criticizing her actions is one thing, but criticizing her body and appearance is completely unfair, which is unfortunately what has been happening.
A Bachelor Nation Instagram account uploaded a video of current bachelor Matt James playing golf with several friends, including Bachelor Nation fan-favorite Tyler Cameron. In the video, one of Matt’s friends (not Tyler) says, “How was Victoria’s body? Because when I look at her, it doesn’t look g—and you’ve been making out with this woman.” The comment garners raucous laughter from Matt’s friends, though both Matt and Tyler are not in the frame, so it’s uncertain whether they were laughing too. But it’s notable that Matt doesn’t do or say anything to shut down the topic. Watch the body-shaming video below:
It would seem Victoria wasn’t laughing, however, as the season 25 contestant took to Instagram to clap back at the body shamer. Victoria posted a meme to her private Instagram of a man watching a group of beauty pageant contestants, commenting, “Her nose is too big,” alongside a golfer emoji in the caption to make sure fans know what she’s referencing. Soon after, Victoria posted shots from one of her bikini photoshoots to underscore how little credit she gives her haters.
Fans varied in their response to “golfgate." Many were quick to criticize Matt for not standing up for Victoria, calling the conversation cruel and uncalled for. But others pointed out Victoria makes these kinds of hurtful comments about the other contestants on The Bachelor, so it’s hypocritical of her to act like Matt’s friends were out of line. While the environment for the women on The Bachelor seems to be getting more toxic by the episode, the world outside the show can be just as bad. Bachelor Nation loves to roast a good villain, but hopefully fans can keep it above the waist from here on out.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 pm EST on ABC.
Source: People, Victoria Larson, Bachelornation Scoop