These 17 moments prove The Bold Type is the most unrealistic show on Netflix

Jacqueline ignores a phone call from actual Beyoncé to help Jane with an article about her ex


The Bold Type manages to combine binge-worthy crap about love, friendship and drama with heavy, hard-hitting storylines that *aim* to tackle social issues. The show follows three young women in their twenties: Jane, Kat and Sutton, who are working at fashion magazine Scarlet in New York. The ideal lockdown watch, it’s the perfect show if you don’t expect too much from it. It’s also worth mentioning that the soundtrack is incredible – but The Bold Type is full of some of the absolute dumbest moments Netflix has ever seen.

With the three girls’ entire lives consumed by working at Scarlet (they genuinely seem to have no other mates or hobbies), The Bold Type is massively idealised. Their workplace is beautiful, love interests are ever present and you can be sure that every issue they face will be resolved by the end of the episode. With all four seasons available on Netflix, I hate to admit that I could not recommend it enough. However, there are more than just a few moments that make The Bold Type just so unbelievable.

Here are the most unrealistic and straight up dumbest moments of The Bold Type:

1. When Sutton gets with the only Safford board member under 70, and he just so happens to be single and extremely fit

It’s so classic and just does not happen in real life. Sutton first sets her eyes on Richard when she goes to steal sandwiches from the boardroom. He’s conveniently the only person in the room, and insanely attractive (all of his colleagues are old and balding). He’s also loaded. There’s instant chemistry and they sneak around for a bit before openly getting together. The dream.

2. Jane literally writes about two articles a month

the bold type dumbest moments

And some of them are quizzes. She spends as long as she likes dwelling over what she wants to write, finding various angles and complaining far too much.

3. And they’re all shit

the bold type dumbest moments

We think we know who we are, who we want to be. But some, most times, the truth gets in the way of that. But when we manage to look truth in the eye, the person who we are is finally revealed. Just like everything, the truth comes with consequences, repercussions. Sometimes it’s painful, but sometimes it’s pure joy.” 

Can someone tell me what this actually means? 

4. This might be because the girls spend more time in the fashion closet than at their desks

the bold type dumbest moments

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really jealous. During the fashion closet scenes Jane, Kat and Sutton share great gossip, advice and they get to steal really peng clothes. However, do they not have work to be doing??

Kat seems to be the only person working in Scarlet’s social media department at some points, and yet spends all her time arguing about things and posting on her personal social media platform as opposed to the company’s.

5. Kat then runs for NYC congresswoman with zero experience

She gets involved with a new candidate’s campaign because she’s angry at losing one of the two lesbian bars in New York, only to take on the role of the candidate itself when the other woman drops out. She is taught everything by her campaign manager, seemingly in a matter of weeks. She loses. Enough said.

6. Editor in Chief Jacqueline becomes best mates with intern Jane

Season three’s flashback episode takes us back to Jane’s first day as a Scarlet intern in 2014, where Jacqueline immediately introduces herself as Jane enters the building. I don’t understand how her path would even cross with Jane’s in the first place. Does she not have important things to be doing? 

7. This is the case to the extent that Jacqueline ignores a phone call from the actual Beyoncé in order to help Jane with an article about her ex

Even if the article was a super important one, I’d argue that ringing Beyonce should have been the priority. Also, this happens in the pilot, meaning that it’s Jane’s first ever day of being a writer. Once again, does Jacqueline not have bigger fish to fry?

8. When Sutton manages to get a job in ad sales, and then styling, and then fashion design, all in the space of about a week

the bold type dumbest moments

In series one, Sutton decides she wants to go into the business side of the magazine. Literally two seconds after she gets a job in ad sales, she realises that, actually, fashion is her calling. Her boss Lauren may be awful but honestly she’s a saint for having to write constant letters of recommendation whilst Sutton neglects her actual assistant job.

Sutton is then only put in the running for the fashion assistant job because Oliver believes she went to the Fashion Institute of Technology. She didn’t. She then gets the job with no experience and for no obvious reason, before realising that instead, she wants to be a designer.

9. She then miraculously does really well at a fashion design seminar, and decides that’s not what she wants to do either.

Oliver somehow gets Sutton into a fashion design bootcamp (she also doesn’t really seem to have experience in that) and she wins the “runway prize” due to her “primitive stitching” which is branded “witty and ironic”, although it turns out to actually be the only thing she can do on her shitty sewing machine.

Her designs are so great that a celebrity commissions her to make a dress for an event, at which point Sutton decides that design isn’t her passion after all. Shock.

10. And after all that, Sutton’s personal fashion sense just isn’t that great

the bold type dumbest moments

Is it just me who thinks this?

11. Regardless, Sutton decides to become an influencer, with only 79 likes

the bold type dumbest moments

All we really know about @styledbysutton is that she has uploaded a photo of her at a sex party, followed by a selfie of her and Richard’s mum. And now a beer brand wants to sponsor her wedding. Cool.

She doesn’t have many likes, but has gained 16k followers, I’m not quite sure what for.

12. There’s the weird gun control plot, where the gun is turned into earrings…

the bold type dumbest moments

This is one of many examples of when an actually relevant and serious topic is wrapped up quickly and without proper acknowledgement of the weight it carries. Jane is upset that Sutton keeps a gun in their apartment, and what unfolds is basically a slightly confusing argument between the two of them about whether the gun should stay or be got rid of.

The episode focuses on Jane and Sutton’s personal experiences, and thus fails to look at the wider picture and mention the need for stricter gun control laws in the US, which I initially assumed the storyline was trying to acknowledge. No real points seem to be made on either side, until Sutton randomly decides to turn the gun into a pair of earrings. Confused.

13. And the time that the girls steal the last print edition from the press and get away with it

The first episode of season four is bizarre. Jane, Kat and Sutton are annoyed that Scarlet’s last print issue isn’t being released, and so they break into the printing press building during the night to steal some copies. Sutton does so in her pants.

14. The girls cannot be being paid that much and yet they look flawless 24/7 and Uber everywhere

Considering that they’re all in their early 20s and aren’t that high up in the company, I just don’t understand where all their money comes from. Tbf, Sutton is marrying rich and Kat admitted herself that she only originally got a job at Scarlet because her parents have connections. They also go out constantly, and yet never appear hungover or late for work. How?

15. Jane makes the Forbes 30 under 30 list for no clear reason

the bold type dumbest moments

Jane speaks up about the fact that “vaginas shouldn’t smell like cookies” at a wellness conference, and somehow that is enough to get noticed by Forbes. They’ve also clearly picked up on the max. two articles she writes every month.

16. And Kat accidentally posts on Scarlet’s Twitter and gets away with it

Kat is constantly getting in trouble for her social media posts. However, when she accidentally tweets “this lesbian shit is intense!” on Scarlet’s Twitter page instead of texting it privately to Sutton and Jane, she manages to get away with it with no repercussions. I don’t understand how she doesn’t get fired in season one.

17. When Sutton cuts up the dress of a super important fashion designer

the bold type dumbest moments

When a model doesn’t fit into a dress that the designer spent a year putting together, Sutton cuts it up and redesigns it. She gets a very minor talking to by Oliver and then the designer has a go at her, before saying her reworking actually looks quite good and she’ll get them re-made in that style. Surely that doesn’t happen in the real world?!

Seasons one-four of The Bold Type are available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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