The newest episodes of Love Is Blind season three follow the five engaged couples as they gear up for their wedding day. But for cast members Zanab Jaffrey and Cole Barnett, there’s one major obstacle that remains in the way of their happily ever after: Barnett’s parents.
In episode 10, Jaffrey revealed that Barnett’s parents refused to meet her until they were married. While chatting with the other female cast members, she recalled a conversation Barnett had with his family about her.
“I’m still really bothered because Cole’s family still doesn’t want to meet me. They don’t care to meet me,” Jaffrey told the girls. “They want nothing to do with me unless I marry him.”
Jaffrey – who comes from a Pakistani background – explained why it was important to form a relationship with her fiancé’s family, seeing as her own parents died when she was young. “My parents are out of the picture. These are the living grandparents that my kids will spend every holiday with. This is every holiday for me, moving forward,” she said.
Jaffrey continued: “He’s had a conversation with them and they’ve straight up said, ‘She’s just not the type of girl we’d see you with.’”
The rest of the Love Is Blind women were shocked by the admission. But they assured Jaffrey that his family was in the wrong for passing judgement without even meeting her. “What does that even mean?” asked fellow cast member Alexa Alfia, while Raven Ross agreed: “There’s something weird about that.”
The realtor also revealed that Barnett’s mother and sister followed her on Instagram, but still refused to meet her. “Not FaceTime, not phone calls, no nothing,” Jaffrey said.
This season, 27-year-old Cole Barnett hit it off with both Zanab Jaffrey and Colleen Reed – a 26-year-old ballet dancer – in the pods. Ultimately, Barnett and Reed were unable to form a deep emotional connection, so he proposed to Jaffrey sight unseen.
When the five engaged couples travelled to Malibu for a post-pods retreat, Barnett told Jaffrey that he finds Reed more physically attractive. Barnett even told his fiancé during episode four that he would rate Jaffrey a 9/10, but Reed was a 10/10.
Throughout season three, Jaffrey has been open about her insecurities and self-esteem issues, and has even internalised some of Barnett’s thoughts about Reed.
“Colleen is a knock out and I will never look like her,” Jaffrey said during episode seven. “I unfortunately will never look like Colleen.”
But when Jaffrey mentioned her insecurities and concerns to Barnett, he replied: “Do you think I thought a girl with the name Zanab would look like the other girls I’ve dated with names like Lily?”
The recent episodes of Love Is Blind seemed to have resonated with many fans, as some viewers took to Twitter to share how they empathise with Jaffrey.
“All my fellow women of color watching Love Is Blind know that this situation between Cole and Zanab is a tale as old as time,” one person tweeted. “WOC have to be twice as attractive to even be considered ‘desirable’ meanwhile mediocre white women just get to exist.”
“Zanab saying she ‘unfortunately won’t ever look like Colleen’ is heartbreaking. She’s so beautiful to let Cole of all people get her f***ed up,” another person said.
“For anyone watching season three of Love is Blind, please know it’s not okay for your partner to make you feel less than about the way you look. It’s manipulative and mean,” said someone else. “You don’t have to stay with a partner who makes you feel bad about the way you look. It’s not YOUR fault.”
The first ten episodes of Love Is Blind season three are currently streaming on Netflix. The season finale, which airs on 9 November, will reveal whether Zanab Jaffrey and Cole Barnett tie the knot.
