After watching two weeks worth of MAFS Australia, I was surprised to learn that Crocs, Dingo’s and giant bugs aren’t the only things to be worried about when travelling down under – there are some pretty “far out” people under there too!

From the opinionated 1950’s style housewife who doesn’t realise 1950’s housewives would be frowned upon for daring to have opinions, let alone voice them; to the Bogan sister who had the cheek to ask for compensation over a missing Pescatarian dinner. And let’s not forget the bride whose wedding nuptials were a lengthy list of requirements and whose love letter read like a CV. Granted, she is a very accomplished young woman who makes money in her sleep and thrives on spreadsheets but surely that’s no way to excel at marriage?

For me, it’s been fascinating to watch the social media debates and discourse we engage in online, playing out in 4K on our screens. Yes, I’m talking about Tate-isms. The misogynistic attitudes to women, the expectations, the degradation of women over 35 and the thirst for quiet, petite, women under 25. It’s all a bit icky and makes for very uncomfortable viewing. One can only imagine the impact the level of toxicity on the show has on the women.

Katie is perhaps the most noticeable casualty of this mentality. Her light has been cloaked in the darkness of Tim’s hypocritical shadow, and we’ve seen her go from hopeful to tearful in a matter of weeks. Awhina has also had a tough journey, being paired with a man who seems to enjoy the sound of his own voice, which is strange considering the rest of us can barely make out what he’s saying. Watching him repeatedly tell Awhina how unacceptable cheating was and how there was absolutely no justification for her actions, while simultaneously covering up his own cheating ways was just gross. He truly believes he’s so charming and so good looking, that both his character and his unintelligible mumblings are irrelevant.

Next up, I really have to mention the Toy Soldier – Ryan. He comes across as someone cosplaying masculinity to cover up the fact that he is very insecure. This talk of warriors and knights is great and all, but how can you expect a man to save you from falling off a cliff if he can’t even bend you over backwards on the dancefloor? And to make it worse, he went into a complete meltdown afterwards, while everyone else (including his bride) just laughed and moved on. There is nothing less attractive than a man who takes himself too seriously and carries his girth in the wrong place…

Anywho, I can’t imagine there will be many “marriages” still standing by the time the series wraps. It would seem many of the cast are there purely for self-promotion (shout out to Jacqui). Rather than a marriage experiment, she seems to think she signed up for the biggest job interview of her career. Perhaps she hasn’t watched the show before, it’s likely that Whoville doesn’t have Televisions, which would explain why being accosted by one in her  apartment’s bedroom moved her to hysterical tears.

---

If you like what you see here and would like to support me to continue, your donations would be welcomed and appreciated.