Fear and Self-Loathing in Love Island
Emily writes her irregular rogue post.
Along with 2.95 million others, I sat glued to the telly box on Monday night eagerly anticipating the devilishly basic treat that is Love Island. (It has a BAFTA now and is actually quite highbrow). We waited with bated breath to see what batch of neanderthals ITV would serve us hot and frisky this year. Would there be a world saving Camilla, a muggy Mike or a Kem and Chris-esq bromance? Who would be a grafter, a melt or get the ick ? We couldn’t wait for the cracking on and the pieing off.
And they did not disappoint.
The girls arrived in a very eco-friendly fashion (one car each - obvs) and tottered, shrieking into the villa. Tanned to a tee and poofy hair galore, they were dressed to impress in their most minimal garb - I mean who doesn’t wear stilettos with a bikini - sooo practical (especially for the grassy poolside terrain). They were without exception the most barbie doll, gym honed gaggle of gals that I have even seen. And whilst I admire their dedication to the bod and the lengths they have probably gone to achieve such a look - it raises a lot of problems.
The overwhelming body type of women on the show is skinny with large boobies. Bearing in mind that the camera *allegedly* adds 10 lbs, I dread to think what they really look like. Between them they don’t have enough bum to make up one Kardashian.
We all know that no matter who you are, bikini season is problematic for ALL females (no thanks to you Protein World). I challenge even the most body confident lass to not worry when slipping in that first bikini of the summer. Some girls go to crazy extremes to get ready for their holidays, crash dieting, tanning, scrubbing, juicing (or if you are me, just hoping for the best). The pressure whether conscious or not if definitely there - egged on by social media, and scary Hadid drones.
Now, let’s take a step back and remember that:
‘ITV says more than 85,000 people applied to appear on the reality TV show this year, giving applicants about a one in 8,000 chance of making it into the villa as one of the first 11 contestants.
More people will be introduced as the series goes on - last year a total of 32 people entered and left the Love Island villa. If the figures are the same this year, that brings applicants' odds down to one in 2,656.
In contrast, 19,938 people applied to undergraduate courses at Oxford in 2017, with 3,771 people being offered a place - a one in five success rate.’
That is INSANE!
The huge number of applicants just goes to show the popularity and influence that Love Island has gathered, and that is only set to increase over the next 8 weeks as the media amplifies every sordid move in the villa.
Now couple (up) the most popular TV show of the summer and an already ingrained anxiety about body image and you have got a bit of a pickle. Throw into the pot that the younger, most impressionable age group are probably the biggest fans and the plot really thickens.
The producers of the show are in a position of power and have a very real responsibility in who and what they are portraying to their vast fan base. And the bigger the audience, the heavier the weight of that responsibility falls on their shoulders. Maybe they should consider showing people a bit more reflective of their audience.
That is to say, normal?
Last year we had Jess and the year before we had Malin - who were both unbelievably beautiful and a move away from their fellow Twiglets. The lack of anyone this year who could be called 'curvy' shows an unhealthy step in the wrong direction.
Obviously I'm not going to stop watching, and I'm not suggesting the format be rearranged to show the Dursley Family on their summer holiday. But it would be nice to be able to watch, safe in the knowledge that at least some of the contestants aren't going to snap in half or topple over their inflated assets.
The ball's in your court ITV ...
