My taste in TV Shows has never been great, but it reached a new low this semester: I started watching "The Bachelor." For those of us who have stayed away from the show, the basic concept is this: One man (The Bachelor) dates about 20 girls. Throughout the season, they go on group dates and one on one dates until The Bachelor eventually picks a girl he wants to marry and he proposes to her.

Now, you might ask me why I watch this show. It's obvious that the show is extremely anti-feminist: It pits women against each other to compete for the love of one man (who they never even met before). It tends to view women more as objects than as people, and has not included one discussion about something actually intellectual. (Although I'm sure all of the girls on the show are more well-rounded than the show makes them appear. And no, Olivia's discussion on how she's 'more intelligent, and more well rounded' than the others is not what I'm thinking about when I say intellectual.) It features women who are of the same body type: tall, skinny, very pretty (in the classically Western type of way). For example, here are the contestants on this season of "The Bachelor" (The bachelor is in the center):

Note the number of non-white contestants: two (Jubilee, fourth from the left in the front row, who already (spoiler) got eliminated, and Caila, second from the left, who is half Asian and also (spoiler) got eliminated recently).

The show is essentially a competition among women to win the love of a guy they don't even know. And every interaction, from catfights to full-on sobbing fests, is paraded in front of the camera as entertainment.

As someone who was addicted to the show, I'm pretty sure I know why "The Bachelor" still exists: It's really, really, really entertaining. Yet, like other reality TV shows, it can teach harmful values and lessons to its audience.

First of all, it teaches you that you can fall in love with someone in a seven-week period (that's how long the season takes to shoot). While I'm happy for you if this actually occurs, seven weeks is likely not enoughtime to get to know the person who you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Secondly, it perpetuates white beauty standards and the idea that women are valuable only if they fit into those beauty standards. I could discuss this more, but I think the picture above says it all.

Thirdly, it stresses the role of women as the housewife and the child-bearer. While I'm all about women doing what they want to do, whether that be forging ahead in their career, raising a family or both, "The Bachelor" star Ben Higgins made it clear that he would only propose to someone who was ready to settle down in his hometown and start a family. Not exactly fair to someone who may not want to live in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Indiana, is it?

Fourth, "The Bachelor" encourages catfights and women competing with each other. Although some women on the show actually do seem to form real friendships (Lauren B. and Amanda, anyone?) a major part of the show is watching the fighting and arguments that occur between the women.

"The Bachelor" also stereotypes women. There's the classic crazy "you-know-what" (exemplified by Lace in this season), the one who lies and goes behind the other's backs (Lauren H.), there's the one who thinks she's smarter and better than everyone else (Olivia) and there's the one who is super sweet and can do no harm, but is actually ruthless (Caila).

Possibly the worse part of "The Bachelor" is the rose ceremonies at the end of each episode, where Ben gives roses to all the ladies he wants to stay another week. It might be entertaining, but it's also really degrading for women to see all these women compete for the same guy who doesn't respect them equally. There is a very distinct balance of power difference on the show that perpetuates gender stereotypes and is just harmful for women, who feel like they need to compete with everyone else to be more beautiful and more lovable.

"The Bachelor" also stresses the fact that happiness will only come to you if you fall in love. Many of the women who leave without getting engaged are scared that they will never find love and believe that finding love is what's going to make them truly happy. This idea that you must find a soulmate in order to be happy is harmful to many people who believe that they won't be happy until they get married. Let's make one thing clear: marriage and/or a soulmate is definitely not a requirement for happiness.

It's true that there's another version of "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette," which switches the gender roles. However, many of the problems exemplified in "The Bachelor" are also present in "The Bachelorette." The Bachelorette promotes unhealthy beauty standards among men, it focuses mainly on white people and it encourages competition among people to marry someone that they don't even know.

I realize that, as someone who addictively followed along with each episode of "The Bachelor" this season, it seems very hypocritical that I am writing this article. However, while we can view "The Bachelor" as entertainment, I think it's important at the same time to keep in mind how the ideas perpetuated by "The Bachelor" can be harmful for women's self image and for our society as a whole.