Popular shows like Love Island UK trivialise civilian life for entertainment purposes, while also toying with the influence they have over their audience. For example, promoting a certain body type, having the contestants act as walking advertisements for the show's sponsors or even advising viewers against wearing socks and sliders because they are considered "icky".
On a more serious note, the influence of the show is frightening when considering its continuous misrepresentations of ethnic minorities, particularly by the portrayal of its Black female contestants. It seems that producers are driven by the fear of being labelled as "not inclusive" and, as a result, complete what could be described as a "tick box exercise", treating Black women as DEI candidates to preserve the respectability of ITV.
But this is not going unnoticed.
Statistics provided by the BBC show that after an episode aired in July 2024, Ofcom received around 3,600 complaints reporting racism and bullying in the show.
But how does this actually show up?
It shows up implicitly, almost like a dog whistle that only other ethnic minorities notice. However, this is not some foreign phenomenon that appears out of thin air. It is a microcosm of British society.
Are we becoming so susceptible to microaggressions and misogynoir that it is even beginning to creep into our idealised reality? Racism breaks the fourth wall of reality TV, reminding us that these issues are still living amongst us.
Love Island's attempt to eliminate racial bias
Last season, the show kicked off with its five female contestants blindly selecting partners based on male "dating bios". This subverts Love Island's traditional route, as in previous seasons, the decision has been in the hands of the audience.
For years, it has been our job to match strangers together based on aesthetics alone. However, this was problematic and just extremely predictable because "miraculously" the token Black woman and Black man would end up together.
This could reflect the audience's consciousness of racial bias within the show, as they were aware that an interracial match was likely to end in the Black woman in particular being "pied off". So thought it would be best to stick with a "safe option".
Lived examples in the show
The first Black female contestant of the season, Alima Gagigo, was what some would call humiliated by Blu Chegini, the partner she had blindly chosen. When he was asked by the show's host, Maya Jama, "Alima has gone for you, how do you feel about that?", he disappointingly responded with "good, all the girls here are beautiful".
Although he likely did not mean any malice behind this comment, it set off alarm bells on social media for implicit racism. It gave the impression that he was perhaps disappointed with the fact she was a woman of colour and instead praised her non-Black counterparts, likely to keep his "options open".
This simply comes down to Love Island's continuous inability to cast male contestants who willingly date women of colour. It has become a recurring theme throughout the show that "Black girls just don't get picked", which is a devastating narrative.
More examples
Besides being politely informed "you're not my usual type", Black women also find themselves victims of stereotypes. According to UK Youth, stereotypes surrounding Black women typically attack their character, labelling them as "difficult, sassy, rude or loud".
In 2019, contestant Yewande Biala found herself subject to these damaging stereotypes. After her current partner, Danny, recoupled with bombshell Arabella, she was evicted from the villa. Arabella was quick to call Yewande "so angry", which the majority of social media users agreed with.
This fed right into the harmful stereotypes. In an interview with the BBC, Yewande said: "I think they were trying to label me as the angry Black woman, which was kind of insane".
However, her reaction was justified. She found it particularly difficult to find a love connection in the villa, so it was right to be emotional. She also told the BBC that she and other contestants of colour "didn't find anyone that liked us, it was always someone coming in and saying, 'my type is blonde and petite'".
So, Danny was not just a potential partner; he was a symbol of hope in love. This is a canon event for many Black women, losing a love interest to their Caucasian counterparts. Yet the season saw very similar white characters who did not meet the same scrutiny. For example, Maura Higgins was outspoken and opinionated, but instead was perceived as a "girlboss" and "diva", not as angry and irrational.
What indicates this is a societal issue?
This aligns with the rise of misogynoir, an example being derogatory language within British society, particularly against social groups that are typically dense with Black women. For example, slang like "UK Beast", defined in the Urban Dictionary as women who "speak like roadmen or have a bad attitude".
This directly mirrors the stereotypical characteristics of Black women and misogynoir. Contextually, "speaking like a roadman" usually just means those who speak in MLE (Multicultural London English), which is widely spoken within the Black community. So why punish Black women for embracing their cultural norms?
The bigger picture
Overall, we cannot blame the show or even the contestants for the presence of subtle racism, as this is a phenomenon that is embedded in British society. Until we train our brains to spot and challenge implicit racism, there is no way forward. Let's call it out for what it is: racism.
NB This article was written by a student journalist participating in Youth Voice Matters, a six-week community journalism project delivered by Ipswich.co.uk and Ipswich Community Media (ICM), in partnership with Volunteering Matters.
