Is Love On The Spectrum Worth Watching, Or Is It Encouraging Stereotypes?

Love on the Spectrum, a new Netflix reality dating show that follows numerous autistic
and gorgeous 20-somethings as they explore love and dating for the first time, may
provide some reassurance. The production crew isn't aiming to create drama, unlike
most reality shows. No one is expelled from the island.
Nobody tells you to pack your things and leave. Despite the fact that some viewers were
dissatisfied with the show, it is nice, and other viewers admire the creators' good
intentions. While the show continues to run on screen, is it really worth watching, or is it
encouraging stereotypes?
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What Is Love On The Spectrum?
When it comes to feel-good shows for leisure, it doesn’t get much better than Netflix’s
reality dating show, Love on the Spectrum. It is a TV show that focuses solely on people
who are on the autism spectrum. Each episode highlights one or two different single
people and, in two cases, couples, and their journey to find love.
Given that those on the spectrum have difficulty in socializing with other people, dating
is pretty challenging. But like everyone else, they yearn for social interactions,
relationships, and ultimately love. The series creator, Cian O’Cleary. Clarified that Love
on the Spectrum is not just different from traditional dating shows because of the
inclusive casting of its participants.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86TrUPszc9Y
He said, “There are a lot of dating shows out there that you see, after the show has
been aired, people speaking out against the production. They had horrible experience
and felt they were turned into villains. We’re very different from that. This is all about
telling positive stories and about being there for our guys.”
The director actually got the idea and inspiration for Love on the Spectrum from doing
other shows about people with different abilities. He came upon a fascinating and
unexpected piece of information while working on the Australian documentary series
Employable Me, which focused on how having a disability should not render someone
unemployed.
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People with autism may struggle with social relationships, but it does not mean they do
not desire them. And those with whom O'Clery worked repeatedly expressed their
desire to find love. As a result, Love on the Spectrum was conceived. This show
presents a true look at autistic people who are proud of who they are and embrace
themselves and their stories. They are not characters in a drama playing a role – they
are real people.
What they also educate viewers on is how wide the spectrum is given that each person
has a very different experience, traits, and personality. Started in 2019, the reality dating
show continues to fascinate and educate people. It has become a success on the small
screen, but is it really worth watching?
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Show?
Is The Show Worth Watching? Is It Encouraging Stereotypes?
Many critics and viewers have complimented the show for its realistic portrayals of
people on the spectrum. It's also been praised for addressing topics that are rarely
discussed, such as the difficulties in receiving an autism diagnosis, how symptoms
manifest differently in girls, leading to later diagnoses, and how each individual with
autism is unique, hence the term "spectrum."
In Reddit community, viewers flocked in to express their thoughts about the show. A
reddit member wrote, “It has two sides. On one hand, I love it, the participants are very
relatable, it’s great to see their reactions and see them talk about their interests, the
show has good autistic LGBT+ representation and talks about/shows important
topics…”
The user continued to explain, “On the other hand, there’s still infantilisation of autistic
people, like them being framed as ‘pure’ and ‘innocent’, neurotypicals talking in baby
voices to autistic adults and neurotypicals laughing about autistic people. There’s also a
lack of representation of autistic people of colour. Overall, it’s kinda being happy
whatever representation you can get, even if it’s not ideal.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX-QbcXyZug
Another reddit user commented, “It shows autistic people existing, and allows the story
to centered on them. That’s a real positive. It also highlights disability services in a
positive way. It also shows the existence of autistic women. (But definitely plays around
the idea that autistic men are grown adults who are still childlike, while autistic women
are ‘hidden’ autistics. Attractive people who have success finding relationships but are
quirky when in the relationships.)
instagram.com/p/Cd3g499OoBN/
Just like other TV dating shows don’t represent mist neurotypical people, Love on the
Spectrum doesn’t represent most autistic people’s experience – and that’s how some of
the viewers have seen. While there are people who think the show is encouraging
stereotypes, many still love a lot of aspects of the show and recommend it as worth
watching as the general public has completely misunderstood what it means to be
autistic.
Love on the Spectrum may probably unable to teach anyone anything about autism or
the realities of autistic dating. It's not science. However, if you want to watch a dating
show where everyone is treated with respect, you should put it on your Netflix list.
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