Cosmopolitan has pulled their magazine cover featuring The Bachelor’s Peter Weber and 26-year-old contestant Victoria Fuller after an old campaign Fuller did for a white marlin conservation organization sparked controversy. Fuller, who was selected for the cover in Monday night’s episode, previously took part in a “white lives matter” marketing strategy to promote white marlin conservation. The controversial gig wasn’t revealed until the show had already begun airing.
Fuller, a medical sales rep from Virginia, has quickly won the affections of 28-year-old Peter Weber. The two had a knockout one-on-one date at Cedar Point in Cleveland on last week’s episode, where it was clear to fans that the two are smitten. For some, however, the couple is hard to watch. It was revealed after the show aired that Fuller once modeled for a white marlin conservation campaign that used the slogan “white lives matter.” The models in the campaign were also outfitted in patterns resembling confederate flags. Cosmo, however, wouldn’t have known that when they selected Fuller on a group date to photograph for the cover of an upcoming issue.
Since the “white lives matter” campaign has come to light, Cosmo has been in discussions about what to do with the now-controversial Bachelor cover. ET Online reports that despite an inset of the spread being included in their print issues for March, they eventually decided to pull the cover from their website altogether. While some may argue that the campaign had good intentions - to stop the overfishing of white marlins - the editor-in-chief of Cosmo, Jessica Pels felt differently: “In my view, the nature of the organization is neither here nor there - both phrases and the belief systems they represent are rooted in racism and therefore problematic.” She continued, “Unequivocally, the White Lives Matter movement does not reflect the values of the Cosmo.” Fuller has yet to comment on her modelling history.
This season of The Bachelor has only been airing for a few weeks and yet Fuller has found herself at the center of drama a couple of times already. On her one-on-one date with Weber last week, part of the day included a Chase Rice concert where it was revealed that Fuller and Rice had a romantic history before the show. Fuller has tried (and failed) numerous times to brand herself as someone shy and introverted but continues to prove the opposite week after week. Fuller also got into a verbal argument with fellow controversial contestant Alayah Benevidez, who returned to the show after being sent home and revealed Fuller’s history with Rice to the other girls - something Fuller was apparently trying to keep private.
Weber, who seems to be struggling with leadership so far this season, has also not yet commented on Fuller’s “white lives matter” campaign. From what fans have seen, Fuller appears to be a front runner for his heart. Perhaps in the future, there is room for the show’s production team to do a more thorough search into the candidates’ pasts. It will be interesting to see if Fuller doesn’t end up with Weber if the show allows her to participate on Bachelor in Paradise or The Bachelorette, given her controversy.
Next: The Bachelor: Peter Weber Details the ‘Freak Accident’ Golf Cart Injury
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8pm EST on ABC.
Source: ET
