Ashley Iaconetti: I don't like how Colton Underwood's virginity has been portrayed on 'The Bachelorette'

Ashley Iaconetti sympathizes with how Colton Underwood has been portrayed on The Bachelorette given they were both virgins when appearing on the franchise.


Ashley is currently engaged to her longtime crush Jared Haibon, but she began her quest to find love in 2015 on Chris Soules' season of The Bachelor, during which she had disclosed the fact she's a virgin.

So when Colton admitted to Becca Kufrin on The Bachelorette's latest episode he's never had sex before, Ashley told Access in a recent interview, "I am definitely used to talking about it on camera, and wow, did I feel a lot of sympathy for Colton in that moment."

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"It is so hard," she added. "You really don't even have any idea how awkward it is to talk about that and reveal that on camera unless you've done it."


The two-time Bachelor in Paradise contestant, 30, then opened up about her experience dating Chris as a virgin.

"I said it to Chris Soules on that season and I have to be honest, I didn't think that he thought it was very attractive. I think he stopped looking at me as a sexual object at that point. I felt a change in our relationship," Ashley confessed.

"I do not think that is the case in this situation at all, but what I am really tired of is the show making it seem like such a big deal, such a big reveal -- like it's even something we have to talk about at this point in a relationship."

When Colton shared with Becca he's inexperienced in the bedroom and in relationships, the Bachelorette was shown excusing herself from the dinner table and taking some time to reflect on the new information.

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"But mainly what I find so frustrating is that they keep making it seem, time and time again, like it's a reason for some romantic development to stop," Ashley explained, likely referencing Becca's apparent dramatic reaction to the news.

Ashley also said a "double standard" exists because it's a huge surprise to people when an attractive man is a virgin.

"My mom said the entire time, 'He's in the locker room; he's got hot girls all the time coming at him. I don't believe him.' And I'm like, 'Mom, you can't say that, because that's like saying you didn't believe me," Ashley noted.

Although it was "awkward" for Ashley to discuss her virginity on The Bachelor franchise, she told Access that she's "glad" she was "maybe forced into talking about it a little bit."

"Because the amount of people who have come up to me and said, 'Thank you for making me not feel alone, thank you for making me feel cool and normal' -- and now Colton as a hot guy saying this? It's going to make so many other people feel normal."


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Following Monday's The Bachelorette episode, Ashley wrote on Twitter: "I'm not happy about the way Colton's virginity was portrayed on this episode. Like it's a reason not to further pursue a romantic relationship with someone..."

"Just the fact that virgins on The Bachelor franchise are set up to have these serious sit down talks about our inexperience and personal choices is ridiculous. It's not THAT interesting!!"

Ashley added in a tweet, "In the end, I'm thankful I was open about my virginity on the show because it made a lot of people feel less alone. I'll be forever touched by the people who have thanked me for making them feel like they aren't the only ones. Thank you for your vulnerability, @Colt3FIVE."

To read spoilers on how far Colton allegedly makes it on Becca's The Bachelorette edition, click here.


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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski