The Bachelor's Tiffany defends her relationship with Megan after Maxim cover backlash.

Reality television contestants turned real life couple Tiffany Scanlon and Megan Marx have again been forced to defend their relationship.

This time, it’s come after the pair appeared topless on the cover of a men’s magazine.

Scanlon, 30, who met her girlfriend on the set of The Bachelor this year, explained their decision to pose for Maxim despite knowing full well it would “ruffle feathers”.

“I’m excited and I’m super proud of what [Megan] and I have achieved here,” she wrote in a long post on her Instagram account.

“I do what I want because I want to; not for anybody else; not to impress or offend or any other reason than because I WANT TO and I honestly don’t need anyone’s approval.

“I have always and will always continue to advocate acceptance and no labels in all areas of life. I don’t label myself or my relationship; I simply live and love and create life on my own terms.”

She also attacked the idea that the cover was “anti-feminist” and said she admired the magazine for “pushing boundaries”.

“If you think that this is some fake anti-feminist lesbianised sexual male fantasy then you are only aiding in the judgemental backward thinking of society whether you are straight, gay, bi or however else you choose to label yourself.”

Scanlon and Marx shied away from labelling their relationship for several months but repeatedly hinted at it on social media, before officially declaring their romance five weeks ago.

The photogenic couple has also appeared topless together a number of times and recently gave new meaning to the concept of being ‘Facebook official‘ when they launched a shared Facebook page.

Two days ago Marx, 27, posted an intimate photo them both in lingerie, declaring they were living and loving on their “own terms”.

“If you took the whole same-sex ‘issue’ out of our relationship, it would still be untraditional,” she captioned the image.

Scanlon posted a matching image on her own account with, with a dedication to her partner:

“You drive me insane… You’re the scariest, most clever, bravest person I know, and sometimes I can’t catch my breath because I’m trying so hard to keep up. There will never be another like you. You realise that, don’t you? Billions of people will come and go in this world, but there will never be another like you.”