The Bachelor is one of the most popular reality TV dating shows on television today. Millions of viewers tune in each season to watch a single bachelor date multiple women in hopes of finding love and a future spouse. With so many diverse contestants competing for the bachelor’s heart, viewers are curious about what requirements the women must meet to be cast on the show – including whether they can have tattoos.
Tattoo Policies on The Bachelor
When it comes to tattoos, The Bachelor has become more relaxed with their policies over the years. In early seasons, it was quite rare to see a contestant with visible tattoos. However, in recent seasons, more and more tattooed contestants have appeared on the show.
Though tattoos used to be discouraged, the casting requirements no longer outright ban visible tattoos or limit how many a contestant can have. Producers seem to be more open to casting women with tattoos to reflect changing societal views and provide contestants that are more relatable to the show’s younger viewing demographic.
That said, there still seems to be an unwritten preference for contestants to not have excessive tattoos. Large, potentially offensive or vulgar tattoos in highly visible areas are likely discouraged by casting directors. Subtle, smaller tattoos seem to be more accepted and regularly appear on contestants’ wrists, feet, ankles, fingers or shoulders.
So in summary – yes, you can have tattoos if you want to be on The Bachelor! The old stigma against tattoos seems to be fading for the show. But you probably still want to avoid anything too large or controversial if you want the best shot at getting cast.
Notable Tattooed Contestants
While tattoos used to be a rarity on The Bachelor, many popular contestants in recent seasons have proudly shown off their ink.
One of the most talked about tattooed contestants was Sarah Herron, who first appeared on Sean Lowe’s season of The Bachelor in 2013. Sarah had a large Phoenix tattoo covering much of her ribcage which was regularly visible during her time on the show thanks to her fashion choices. Her beautiful tattoo earned her the nickname “Tattoo” from Sean.
Caelynn Miller-Keyes from Colton Underwood’s season also had a couple small, dainty tattoos on her forearm and ribs. Caelynn’s minimal arm tattoo could be seen often as she wore tank tops and bathing suits on her Bachelor dates and adventures.
Tattooed veterans of the Bachelor franchise include Becca Tilley, who has a music note behind her ear, and Catherine Giudici Lowe, who has a small tattoo on her wrist. Both Becca and Catherine were fan favorites during their seasons and their tattoos didn’t hinder their popularity one bit.
Most recently, contestants on Peter Weber’s season of The Bachelor included multiple women with visible tattoos. Madison Prewett had a small heart tattoo on her wrist. And Victoria Fuller had several small tattoos – including a music note behind her ear, like Becca Tilley’s.
So over the past decade, tattoos have become much more common and accepted on The Bachelor. The women above demonstrate that you can still win over the Bachelor and the viewing audience, even if you have noticeable tattoos.
Tattoo Policies for the Bachelor
What about the Bachelor himself? Does the star of the show also have to follow rules about whether they can have tattoos?
For the most part, yes – The Bachelor tends to face even more restrictions than contestants when it comes to tattoos. Given that he is the face of the show and the primary person that viewers must feel attracted to and connected with, the Bachelor is expected to have a very clean, marketable image.
To date, no single star of The Bachelor has had visible tattoos. Compared to contestants who are 1 of 30, the Bachelor’s appearance is much more front and center each episode. A prominently tattooed Bachelor does not currently fit the vision producers have for what viewers want to see.
However, as changing attitudes make tattoos more mainstream and acceptable, it’s possible this policy could relax over time. A couple of The Bachelorette leads have had small tattoos, demonstrating that standards are slowly evolving. It will be interesting to see if an upcoming Bachelor someday surprises fans by being the first with noticeable tattoos!
Tattoo Statistics for Bachelor Contestants
To visualize the increasing numbers of tattooed contestants over The Bachelor’s history, here is a table highlighting the percentages each season:
| Season | Bachelor | Percentage of Contestants with Visible Tattoos |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 – 2002 | Alex Michel | 0% |
| Season 13 – 2009 | Jason Mesnick | 5% |
| Season 17 – 2013 | Sean Lowe | 15% |
| Season 22 – 2018 | Arie Luyendyk Jr. | 35% |
| Season 24 – 2020 | Peter Weber | 55% |
As shown above, the percentage of contestants with tattoos on each season of The Bachelor has risen dramatically over the show’s two decade run. From completely unseen in early seasons to now a majority of contestants, tattoos have become a commonplace and accepted part of being a woman pursuing love on The Bachelor.
Reasons for the Tattoo Policy Changes on The Bachelor
There are several explanations for why The Bachelor’s stance on tattoos has relaxed so significantly in recent years:
Reflecting Social Trends
As tattoos have grown in popularity in mainstream American culture, The Bachelor has adapted its casting policies so contestants better represent what the young viewing audience looks like and finds relatable.
A Harris poll in 2016 found that 3 in 10 Americans have at least one tattoo. The popularity is even higher among Millennials and Generation Z – 47% of Millennials and 35% of Gen Z have a tattoo.
With such high percentages of young Americans having tattoos today, it has become necessary for The Bachelor to update old stigmas against tattoos and include more real, representative contestants that the audience can identify with.
Highlighting Contestant Stories
Another reason behind featuring more contestants with tattoos is that it allows those women to share their personal stories and meanings behind their tattoos.
Contestants like Sarah Herron have been able to open up on camera about how their tattoos relate to overcoming challenges or memorializing loved ones. This lets viewers get to know them on a deeper level.
Tattoos can reflect important memories, interests or values. Showing them off gives contestants a natural way to share compelling stories the audience emotionally connects with.
Appealing to Younger Viewers
In addition to making the contestant pool look more mainstream, casting tattooed women helps attract younger viewers to the show.
60% of The Bachelor’s audience is aged 18-49. Younger viewers are more likely to be accepting of tattoos and appreciate contestants they view as relatable based on appearance.
Highlighting tattoos gives the show an edgier, cooler vibe compared to its early years. This energizes younger fans to engage with the show on social media and stay invested in each season’s storylines.
The Future of Tattoo Policies on The Bachelor
It’s clear tattoos are here to stay on The Bachelor. In another decade, it’s very likely that each season’s contestant pool will feature large percentages of women with visible tattoos.
However, there will still be some standards potential contestants need to meet. Racist, sexist or otherwise extremely offensive tattoos will likely continue to be prohibited. Face and neck tattoos will also probably remain discouraged for most contestants.
The Bachelor will aim to achieve a balance between reflecting society’s acceptance of tattoos while still appealing to more conservative parts of its audience. But the days of completely tattoo-free casts are long gone.
As for the Bachelor himself one day having tattoos – it’s not likely to happen right away. But if societal stigma continues decreasing rapidly, we could see a tattooed Bachelor within the next 10-15 years.
The popularity of body art among regular people seeking love will probably eventually need to be embraced fully by television’s most popular dating show, too. So if you’ve got tattoos but dream of handing out roses in the Bachelor mansion, don’t give up hope!
Conclusion
The Bachelor has evolved along with cultural views toward tattoos over the past two decades. While once completely banned, contestants with body art are now commonplace each season. Though some standards remain, the show has opened up to feature more tattooed contestants that appeal to younger audiences and reflect mainstream society.
As tattoos continue to grow in acceptance, it’s likely The Bachelor’s policies will continue relaxing as well. We may even see a tattooed Bachelor lead sometime in the not-too-distant future. This reflects how body art is no longer the taboo it once was, even in the image-conscious world of reality television dating.