what the golden bachelor taught me about people:
I never allow myself to watch TV, especially reality TV, especially dating competitions— because when I start, I can’t stop. But somehow I found myself binging the latest season of The Golden Bachelor, and the cultural depth and human-centered insight it offered genuinely surprised me. Apparently, the show isn’t just about Baby Boomers having a little too much fun in a mansion; the layers it holds run deep.
Quick context: every season, a senior man is given a second chance at finding love within a group of 23 women in their 60s and older. At the end of each episode, there’s a rose ceremony where the bachelor hands out only a handful of roses, each granting another round and chance at a real connection. Since the cast is mature, the show focuses on love, loss, and companionship in the later years of life.
As someone who’s always been timeline-obsessed, seeing age portrayed through such an empowering lens was refreshing and disruptive. I’m a proud victim of the canon event everyone experiences in their early 20s when you think you’re running out of time. I’ll admit, I’m guilty of thinking that if I don’t accomplish XY by Z age, I’ll be behind, or even worse…a failure. The show challenged that toxic frontal-love-development mindset immediately.
The Golden Bachelor revealed that life doesn’t have to slow down with age, and that so much of what we believe about “being too old” is simply inherited conditioning. So many people think of life as a checklist: graduate college, start working, get married, have kids, and ultimately, retire. They go about life having their eyes on the same prize: easy living and comfort in their golden years, when life lets them finally slow down. They think fun and adventure is preserved for your youth, which is ironic because most only have time and money in their later years. Supportingly, the cast consists of energetic, full-of-life goldens—with high standards and a whole lot of love to give—who completely opened my eyes.
What inspired me most was watching these women in their 60s show up with confidence, openness, and emotional clarity. They allowed themselves the chance to experience romance again, be vulnerable, and share joy over a sisterhood bond without subscribing to the limiting stories society often places on aging. Their lives weren’t linear—many had navigated divorce, career detours, loss, and reinvention—yet they carried themselves with a sense of self-worth that felt both grounded and aspirational.
These women revealed to me our desires for love, safety, and companionship don’t just fizzle out over time. These women allowed themselves to get swept off their feet by an eligible older bachelor, and proved that lust for love and a genuine spark never actually goes away. Despite all the layers we develop over time, our primal instincts and child-like fantasies are still buried beneath, and are begging to be acknowledged. Whimsical, soulful play has no age.
The season reminded me that life rarely goes according to plan, and that unpredictability is never something to resist—only embrace. The women’s ability to own their stories, honor their lived experiences, and still lead with curiosity and hope left a lasting impression on me. It made me reflect deeply on resilience, identity, and the beauty of continually rewriting your own narrative.
The biggest lesson of all? It’s never too late to create a life you love and make it yours. Emotions found from a sense of possibility, child-like innocence, and yearning for love don’t have to be reserved for the youth. They can be felt, experienced, and embraced at any age. The golden women retaught me what I already knew but let my fears get in the way of: love is abundant, life is limitless, and writing a story full of chapters that make you you is sacred.
