As Love Island takes to our screens for its 13th season, itâs worth reflecting on just how much the show shapes self-perceptions and relationships among its viewers. Like so many viewers, I canât help but question what draws me in to this show that often leaves me feeling so self-critical and dubious about my relationship standards.
Beauty Standards
Love Island is a reality show in which a group of hand-picked men and women live together in a villa, hoping to find love, and potentially win ÂŁ50,000 in the process. As with most reality shows, image is everything. The stars wear swimsuits for most of the day, showing off toned bodies- the women rarely larger than a U.K. size 8, and the men sculpted by hours in the gym. This immediately highlights a gendered double-standard, which although not coined by Love Island, can be seen all around us; male beauty standards are achieved by healthy habits like eating more and exercising to build muscle, and the female âbeach bodyâ is often pursued by restrictive eating. Watching these beach bodies grace my screen for weeks at a time often leaves me, and so many others, wondering how my body would measure up, and having to remind myself that my body doesnât need to be TV screen ready after a gruelling semester at uni. Presenting these ideals so prominently on a television programme targeted towards a young audience reinforces the unhealthy and unachievable standard to which young women are held.
This leads me on to my next qualm; the heart-rate challenge, where the islanders don lingerie and dance seductively with contestants of the opposite gender. The framing of this challenge suggests that a womanâs physical appearance and sex appeal are the most important parts of attraction, a message that can affect body image in young viewers, particularly girls.
Don’t settle for less
Notably, this yearâs contestant Angelista waited until she felt certain before allowing a male islander to kiss her. This is an effective way of promoting the fact that consent and comfort are super important when starting relationships, an idea that isnât spread enough to young women. This was so striking as it contrasts those gendered double standards and presents the idea that girls can be particular about their relationship standards, and should be patient until the right person comes along rather than settling for something that isnât right for us- relationships donât define us.
Double standards
The double standards continue through the way islanders interact with one another; being a âgirlâs girlâ or âone of the ladsâ. With ÂŁ50,000 at stake, the instinct for islanders should be to play the game as well as possible in order to win the prize money. However, sharing a villa with your competitors for 2 months canât be easy. A common trope consists of the girls getting to know the boys, some of whom are coupled up with other girls. This results in a chat, where both girls are forced to over-explain their feelings and state that theyâve âgot to do what theyâve got to doâ in the villa. Regardless of this, one will usually end up upset and telling the other girls that the girl who has taken their man isnât a âgirlâs girlâ. Conversely, the male contestants are praised for flirting with multiple women and being âgame playersâ; that is, they are only on the show for the money and fame.
Although this season has made positive steps by promoting conversations around consent, Love Island continues to reinforce superficial beauty standards and gendered double standards. As one of the U.K.’s most popular reality television programmes, its influence extends beyond the television, shaping how young viewers perceive attractiveness and their own self-worth.