Why Bekah Is the Bachelor Fashion Hero I've Been Waiting For

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(Image credit: ABC)

"SOS: I'm in a room with two guys from The Bachelorette right now" is a message I recently sent to my boss on arguably the most import Slack channel of them all: #bachgirls. (I'm definitely the most active participant in said chatroom.) Naturally, she responded with "pics or it didn't happen," so I enlisted a friend to take some stealth photos of the situation. I bring up this (slightly embarrassing) story to illustrate a simple point: I'm a major fan of The Bachelor franchise. Can anyone out there relate? 

Naturally, then, I wouldn't turn down an opportunity to talk about The Bachelor at work. As a fashion writer, I've covered the franchise here and there, but there's one contestant whose style stands out in my mind: Bekah M. (Yes, the same Bekah who was on a missing persons list—but we'll chalk that up to a miscommunication problem.) 

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(Image credit: ABC)

Just like her pixie cut is a break from the norm, I think her personal style feels similarly fresh. Last week, for instance, the women went to a bowling alley. All the other contestants tied up their bowling shirts to turn them into crop tops, but Bekah pulled the ultimate nonchalant move and wore it—gasp—as a regular old bowling shirt. (Can you imagine passing up an opportunity to show your midriff?!) 

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Later in the evening, she wore a cute white corset top with a leather pencil skirt. I thought it was a welcome change from the unspoken Bachelor uniform of skin-tight low-cut dresses—in fact, Bekah was the only one not wearing a dress that night. Her style may not be groundbreaking, per se, but I think it communicates something important: resisting the urge to fit into the mold—even if you're on TV with millions of people watching. If Bekah can do it, I can do it too.

Erin Fitzpatrick
Senior News Editor

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern over 12 years ago—back when the site only published a single story per day. (Who What Wear has since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC, which is how she ended up moving to Los Angeles from her hometown of San Diego. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2016, where she currently holds the title of senior news editor (as well as the unofficial title of resident royal expert—in case you haven't noticed her numerous Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton stories). She spends her days trying to incorporate her idols, Anna Wintour and Roger Federer, into as many stories as possible. Outside of work, she loves tennis, classic rock, traveling, and smothering her dog with affection.