“Her chance.” “Her decision.” “Her path.” “Her spotlight.”

These were the phrases ABC used to showcase Jenn Tran’s season of “The Bachelorette,” which debuted on July 8 and concluded with a disastrous finale on Tuesday night. Despite the initial tagline promising “The power is in her hands,” the show’s treatment of Tran during the finale left much to be desired.

While reality TV is notorious for putting contestants in dramatic situations for entertainment, this season of the dating show reached a distressing new low with Tran, a 26-year-old physician assistant student.

In the live finale, viewers saw Jenn visibly upset, struggling to breathe while seated among the studio audience.

For a significant part of this segment, she sat beside Devin Strader, her final choice, who heartbreakingly stated he had “never been in love” before ending their engagement over a brief phone call.

Then, to make matters worse, she had to watch a replay of her flawed proposal, all while a camera zoomed in on her tearful face and Strader’s seemingly indifferent expression for an entire minute.

This situation prompts the question: How does this empower Asian American women, including Tran as the show’s first Asian American lead?

The promised empowerment for Jenn was absent

After Tran and Strader reflected on their short-lived engagement, the host, Jesse Palmer, attempted to transition into clips of what should have been “the happiest day” of Tran’s life — now marred by a bitter breakup.

Clearly, she was reluctant to relive those moments.

But the so-called power bestowed on Tran as the “Bachelorette” shifted back to the show’s producers, editors, and camera teams, keen to showcase her heartbreak to the audience.

This approach starkly contrasted with the treatment received by previous bachelor, Joey Graziadei, who remains engaged to his final pick, Kelsey Anderson. During his “Bachelor” finale in March, he wasn’t subjected to a public display of emotions while seated with cameras focused on him, although his family was put on the spot when his runner-up, Daisy Kent, left him at the altar.

Indeed, the franchise highlighted women’s empowerment during Anderson and Kent’s segment, illustrating their bond as they were transported to where Graziadei would propose. They even had a short discussion about how they prioritized their friendship over their feelings for Graziadei.

This encouraging progress was nowhere to be seen just five months later.

As viewers express their dissatisfaction with the finale on social media, many are questioning the appropriateness of airing Tran’s raw emotional struggle for entertainment, leading to diminishing hopes for representation of Asian American women’s stories on a major TV network.

‘Do I have a choice?’ illustrates a troubling low for ‘The Bachelorette’

When it was time to showcase Tran and Strader’s engagement, the show awkwardly tried to ease into an experience that she would undoubtedly find painful to revisit.

“You were never shy about expressing your thoughts and pursuing what you wanted. You demonstrated that throughout your journey, including making history with a unique proposal,” Palmer said. “I realize you haven’t seen this yet. What do you think? Should we watch it together?”

After a pause filled with disbelief, she raised her hands in frustration before breaking into a nervous laugh. “Do I have a choice?”

These are not the words of a confident lead.

Rather, it seemed like the show disregarded Tran’s feelings, treating her as if she were merely “the star of my own love story.”

For almost a full minute, the producers displayed a split-screen view of Tran and Strader’s engagement — during which Tran made her historic proposal, followed by Strader’s response.

In a poignant moment, Tran found herself wiping away tears and suppressing her sobs.

The decision to include this intimate footage felt intrusive, especially since it seemed that Tran may not have given her consent for it to be shown. (However, in later interviews, Tran stated that she was aware the proposal would be televised.)

Palmer attempted to alleviate any discomfort viewers might have felt by emphasizing Tran’s strength.

“I can’t imagine how tough it must be to revisit that moment,” he said. “But Jenn, I hope that when you look back at it, you feel a bit empowered knowing you handled everything on your own terms.”

Traditionally, American pop culture has often marginalized Asian American women

Tran’s season had the potential to enhance Asian American representation in media. Unfortunately, just before reaching this milestone, “The Bachelorette” seemed to undermine Tran’s autonomy and failed to honor her during a sensitive time.

When Tran was revealed as the first Asian American lead in the franchise’s history spanning 22 years, sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen, who wrote “Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism,” expressed her excitement about seeing an Asian American woman in a prominent role.

“It’s incredibly refreshing to have an Asian woman at the forefront of her own romantic tale,” Yuen shared with YSL News in June. “She is the main focus, rather than being relegated to the background — a common portrayal of Asian women in Western pop culture.”

Throughout the show, Tran echoed the sentiment of lacking representation in film and TV during her upbringing. The prevalence of Asian Americans in minor roles contributed to her feeling that she could never be the “leading character.”

In the period leading up to the finale, Tran expressed that her role as the bachelorette helped her overcome feelings of impostor syndrome.

“Speaking with YSL News nearly two weeks before her season’s debut, Tran — who was still engaged to Strader then — remarked, “I was astonished at the personal growth I experienced.”

“I’ve really gained the ability to advocate for myself and for what I believe is just and necessary,” she shared.

Even after a heartbreaking conclusion to her season, Jenn Tran recognizes her worth

Fortunately, the aspiring physician assistant appears to retain her newly found confidence, despite facing heartbreak on national television.

In the aftermath of her finale, Tran has taken to Instagram and TikTok to share a light-hearted take on her onscreen heartbreak, all while gearing up for her appearance in the upcoming season of “Dancing with the Stars.”

“I entered this journey in search of my one true love but unexpectedly found an abundance of love from Bachelor Nation and beyond,” she expressed in an elaborate Instagram post.

“I am still in the process of healing. The last few months have been tough to navigate, and it might take time for me to fully comprehend my emotions.”