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'The Bachelor's Victoria Fuller Addresses White Lives Matter Controversy and Admits She's 'Part of the Problem'

By Natalie Zamora

'The Bachelor' alum Victoria Fuller addresses White Lives Matter controversy again as she admits she's "part of the problem" in post about racism.
'The Bachelor' alum Victoria Fuller addresses White Lives Matter controversy again as she admits she's "part of the problem" in post about racism. / Instagram / Victoria Fuller

While we've all been trying our best to just forget about Peter Weber's season of The Bachelor, there are a few members of the cast who just made too many memories on the show to erase. One of these contestants is, of course, Victoria Fuller, who joined the franchise with controversy right off the bat. Apart from allegations following her that she had broken up marriages, fans of the show also quickly discovered that she had modeled for a campaign called "White Lives Matter."

As it turned out, this "White Lives Matter" campaign was in reference to white marlins, with the t-shirts designed as to call attention to fish conservation. Yup, totally tone deaf. Victoria was obviously met with tons of backlash when the images below surfaced, especially because it was unclear that the campaign was not directly race related. The Virginia native issued an apology back in February, explaining, "My intention was only to support an endangered species."

In light of the protests going on around the country following the tragic murder of George Floyd, Victoria has yet again addressed the controversy, taking to Instagram this week to apologize for her actions. "I’d first like to say, I have been a part of the problem. And for that I am sorry," Victoria wrote along with photos from protests at her hometown of Virginia Beach. "Being naive, staying silent, or not educating ourselves of the ongoing racism in our country IS contributing to the problem. Period."

View this post on Instagram

These images were sent to me by @barryclarrk of a protest that happened in my hometown Virginia Beach this past weekend. I’d first like to say, I have been a part of the problem. And for that I am sorry. Being naive, staying silent, or not educating ourselves of the ongoing racism in our country IS contributing to the problem. Period. I don’t want to be a part of the problem. I’ve taken time to educate myself, read, listen & although I can never fully grasp or understand I am willing to keep learning. This isn’t a trend. This is a societal problem that needs change. & hopefully I can use my platform as a way to educate and continue everyday to learn from others— The BLM movement has fought to create a world free of anti-Blackness, where every Black person has the social, economic, and political power to thrive. Understanding White Privilege: White privilege are benefits granted to those because the color of their skin; in other words, purely on the basis of our skin color doors are open to us that are not open to other people. Far too many of us who are closer in proximity to being white erroneously believe that we do not have to take the issues of systematic oppression seriously or don’t feel the need to speak up. So now we have a choice. We can continue to use unearned privilege to remain ignorant, or can put aside the color of our skin in order to see clearly and live differently. “Not to decide is to decide”—Harvey Cox Decide. Do better. Be better. #blacklivesmatter #justiceforgeorgefloyd WHAT WE CAN DO: 1. First and foremost; EDUCATE yourself. As I will continue to do everyday. 2. Pick up a book/tune into an audible to READ like White Fragility(one that I have started) or articles sourced on the internet. 3. WATCH a documentary. A good one I found on Netflix was “13th”; a microscopic insight to what the black community goes through 4. DONATE to organizations like Reclaim the Block linked: https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2 5. And take time to REFLECT. Something that I personally asked myself before deciding to post this “in what ways does my proximity to whiteness afford me privileges that are not extended to Black people?”

A post shared by Victoria Fuller (@vlfuller) on

"I don’t want to be a part of the problem," Victoria continued in her lengthy caption which you can read above. "I’ve taken time to educate myself, read, listen & although I can never fully grasp or understand I am willing to keep learning. This isn’t a trend. This is a societal problem that needs change. & hopefully I can use my platform as a way to educate and continue everyday to learn from others."

Fortunately, Victoria was met with support in her comments section for acknowledging and apologizing for her past mistakes, with one fan writing, "I appreciate you for taking the time to do this and learn about my culture and community." Another added, "Have a lot more respect for you after this [heart emoji] thanks for using your platform."

The reality star also shared a screenshot of a tweet to her Instagram Story which read, "Normalize changing your opinion on something after learning new information. It's okay. I promise," clearly trying to make sure her followers know she's educating herself. If Victoria continues to encourage her followers to learn about racism and donate to anti-racism organizations, she's good in our book.