Nobody was expecting a whole rant about rangas being oppressed to erupt on the first episode of The Bachelor. But somehow, Zoe-Clare came through with the unhinged goods, and here we are.
Not even the producers are sure how it started. All we know is that suddenly, Zoe-Clare felt very, very oppressed due to the colour of her hair, and she absolutely needed the rest of the contestants (and the rest of Australia, apparently) to know.
What we do know is that when Areeba came up to her and Locky while they were chatting alone, Zoe-Clare apparently felt threatened.
“Honestly, I get it. I’m the only redhead in the whole entire house,” she said.
“And the rest of them… I think the only colours are blonde, brunette, then there’s me.”
There are a lot of things one can use to get sympathy, but using the colour of your hair is the most ridiculous victim card ever, according to Twitter.
I AM SCREAMING I CANT HANDLE THIS THE RED HEAD CRYING BECAUSE SHES A RANGA I CANT IM SO SORRY GIRL BUT WHAAAAAT THIS IS FAR BETTER THAN I COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED IM SCREAMING #TheBachelorAU
— aliya عالية (@_aloo_gobi) August 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/aussiekim72/status/1293500659606544385
why does this redhead chick wanna be oppressed so bad LMFAO #TheBachelorAU pic.twitter.com/HYW9MBjBRV
— 𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 🌱 (@BUSYBEYS) August 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/iliabenattar/status/1293502093383221249
Seriously can’t believe she’s upset about being marginalised for being a ranga when she’s sitting next to a penguin, notoriously marginalised for being flightless birds #TheBachelorAU
— WC Otter (@KiannaRoar) August 12, 2020
“What’s wrong with a ranga? I’m sorry, do you want me to dye my hair every 10 seconds, I’m SO sorry but this is natural guys,” she added, not that anyone asked.
“This is not going anywhere!”
It started out as a dumb meltdown by someone pretending to be oppressed. But things took a serious turn when she started having a go at Areeba, the one brown woman on the show, to her face.
Zoe can’t handle that a brown girl even had the AUDACITY to interrupt a white girlfriend and since she’s so threatened by Areeba being ‘different’ she had to make being a minority about herself lol #TheBachelorAU
— Rafiqa (@rafiqa_f) August 12, 2020
Sorry but “she’s targeting me because I’m a ranga!” Is the saddest thing when you are so white you’d go missing in Thredbo, and you’re talking about a BROWN WOMAN. #TheBachelorAU
— The Albert Santos, in cinemas now (@albertinho) August 12, 2020
Zoe-Clare is legit playing the race card, (she’s white as fuck, btw) because she’s a ranga, and against a woman of colour. Somewhere, Pauline Hanson is skulling a XXXX saying “preach” #TheBachelorAU
— BeakerBaby (@Beaker_baby) August 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/nochuyg/status/1293503555710545925
https://twitter.com/resistancecult/status/1293503028075442176
It also says a lot about the casting that something like this can (and did) happen on episode one.
https://twitter.com/_tori_maree_/status/1293501821126766592
“I don’t want to go through this experience being different because… this sounds so stupid, but because of the colour of my goddamn hair,” she went on.
“And that sucks. The colour of my complexion.”
In case it needed to be said: shut the fuck up.
And then… it turns out nobody even mentioned her hair? Like when the producers even asked her… she said nothing happened? What?!
PRODUCER: Did ANYONE mention your hair? Did someone touch it? Did they look at it. ANYONE?!
Zoe-Clare-Epponnee-Ray: No. (*Wipes tear) BUT RANGAS MATTER OK. #TheBachelorAU— Em Rusciano (@EmRusciano) August 12, 2020
Then, when it was time for the rose ceremony, Zoe-Clare was nowhere to be seen. That didn’t stop us from unanimously guessing.
‘Zoe Clare has taken ill’. I once ‘took ill’ too after 9 cruisers and a bottle of warm passion pop #TheBachelorAU pic.twitter.com/QMqnKCULLl
— Bridget Scott (@bridgetannscott) August 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/beyourbird/status/1293505881917685760
i can’t relate to having zoe’s luscious red locks or bird-like bone structure, but i can certainly relate to having ‘taken ill’ (after drinking 19 pineapple cruisers) at a party #TheBachelorAU
— luci (@llluci) August 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/adriannerachel_/status/1293504799879491584
Hahaha imagine drinking so much not even the evil producers think it’s appropriate to be on camera 😂 #TheBachelorAU pic.twitter.com/DqsBo6CBGD
— Sarah 🧡🧡🧡 (@saphirre_jones) August 12, 2020
What was said:
“Zoe-Clare has taken ill and Locky has asked she’s been given a rose”Translation:
“Zoe-Clare passed out drunk and producers wanted her to stay in for the drama”#TheBachelorAU— han ♡ (@Hannah_Strong_) August 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/oatmilkheadass/status/1293506100138930176
“You know what? I’m proud of being a ranga. I will be a ranga until the day I die,” she said, prior to her rose ceremony absence.
“We are more striking than any other human this worth… that walks this Earth.”
Fine, maybe gingers do have souls. Just not Zoe-Clare.