This February, Netflix released a new show called Love is Blind that puts a twist on the typical dating show in order to test whether or not an emotional connection can lead to a successful relationship. In the show, thirty single adults date one another from individual rooms, called “pods,” that are divided by a wall. This forces the contestants to focus on creating emotional connections, rather than establishing a relationship built on physical attraction. After ten days, the pairs must decide whether to get engaged or not. While this show broke social barriers by forcing people to pursue one another based on personality instead of looks, the contestants are all conventionally attractive, which leads to the question of whether the producers truly think that love is blind.
The show prompts the audience to consider whether love is truly “blind” by posing the idea that a purely emotional connection can lead to a successful marriage. After watching the show, I do not believe love is always blind, but that in rare circumstances, it can be. As a married couple, Lauren and Cameron are an amazing example of how love can be blind. In the real world, looks may not have brought Lauren and Cameron together, as Lauren had never dated a white man before. Regardless, the pair had an amazing connection when they met on the show, and have now been happily married for over a year. Love is Blind showcases both thriving couples that are still together today and couples whose relationships failed because their emotional connection was not strong enough. We also see couples in the show, like Jessica and Mark, who initially had a deep emotional connection, but after meeting face-to-face had no physical connection, which ended their relationship.
Viewers of the show are left on the edge of their seats as they constantly wonder who the contestants will end up with and whether they will make it down the aisle. Will the contestants’ age gaps matter in the real world? Will couples with completely different lives stay together after leaving the show? These are some intriguing questions that have developed along the way, which make it impossible to tear your eyes away from the TV. Love is Blind is compelling because it features love triangles, breakups, plot-twists, and proposals, all through a wall.