After photos of Rachael Kirkconnell at an Antebellum party surfaced online, many people were left wondering what exactly an Antebellum party is and why it has been considered racist.
The Bachelor contestants are no strangers to the spotlight of public scrutiny because of their participation in the popular reality series The Bachelor.
There aren’t many sorts of scandals that previous and current candidates on The Bachelor haven’t tried to get themselves involved in at some point or another.
These controversies may range from extramarital relationships to on-camera broken relationships. Despite this, viewers were somewhat aback when images surfaced earlier this year showing Bachelor star Rachael Kirkconnell enjoying an Antebellum-themed party.
Despite the fact that the images themselves provide sufficient evidence of wrongdoing, many spectators weren’t just left thinking what an “Antebellum party” is, as well as what precisely makes gatherings of this kind so racist.
For the benefit of those who are not in the know, the term “Antebellum” is often used to refer to the Old South before the Civil War, when slavery was always allowed and plantations were quite widespread.
Celebrations of the South and the Confederacy during the time of the Antebellum period are what are known as “Antebellum Parties.”
Participants of these events are, in essence, glamorizing the Confederate south and the overt, violent racism that existed during that time period, and they are showing tribute to these things by arranging and attending these events.
Even while some admirers have justified Rachael and her appearance at the time by saying that she was only paying respect to the aesthetics and fashions of the time, this does not change the truth that Rachael and her other partygoers opted to explicitly romanticize the Antebellum south.
If it had merely been about dressing in clothing from the era and having a great time playing with the more naïve elements of history, the attention would have been focused on those elements rather than being brought directly to a period of time where the legalization and acceptance of black slavery were prevalent.
In addition, it has been discovered that Rachael and several other individuals who attended the Antebellum party organized the event despite the fact that their fraternity had prohibited the hosting of Antebellum parties in previous years.
This indicates that they were aware that what they were performing was inappropriate at some point, but they obviously did not mind.
Antebellum parties and other events like them are still rather frequent in some regions of the southern United States, despite the fact that many people may find it difficult to comprehend why gatherings with such problematic aims would be conducted in this day and age.
Despite the fact that discussions concerning racism in the United States and the country’s troubled connection with it have grown more popular, nostalgia for the Confederacy is a tendency that continues to affect southern states.
It is difficult to believe that this aggressive way of thinking regarding the past will disappear any time soon considering the trend of participants sweeping off and ignoring critiques as the consequence of their excessive sensitivity or intentional misinterpretation of their critiques.
In spite of the fact that the photographs of Rachael were disturbing, it is possible that their publication may have the unintended consequence of drawing attention to the racial character of antebellum parties and, by implication, the practice of romanticizing the antebellum south.
In addition to this, it stands as a warning of Rachael Kirkconnell and the show’s problematic and dismissive approach toward racism.
The images don’t mislead, and ideally, at this point, viewers are aware that despite how desperately the marketing and production staff behind The Bachelor attempt to present her as a vivid innocent, the photos tell the real story.
