In 2017, Love Island contestant Olivia Attwood explained how she felt about her partner, Sam Gowland. “At the end of the day,” she said, “if you’re seeing a boy and you get the ick, it doesn’t go.” Six years later, and “the ick” is now part of our everyday dating parlance, joining “it is what it is”, “crack on” and “mugged off” in the lexicon popularised by the ITV show.
This season, the 10th, ends on Monday with one of four remaining couples declared the winner, taking home a £50,000 prize. Since it began in 2015, the show has influenced how we speak, what we wear, what our bodies look like, the memes we use on social media and how to decorate our gardens. The famous fire pit used in every show is now a staple in outdoor spaces across the UK.
Love Island still enjoys viewing figures of 1.5 million (although past its peak of 3.3 million who watched in 2019) and the show remains popular with 16- to 34-year-olds. It both represents this age group, and shapes it – as the relationship with language testifies. “Almost none of the things they say on the show are new,” said Tony Thorne, director of the Slang and New Language Archive at King’s College London. “But they’ve been put together in this unique mix.” While most Love Island phrases have been used for decades, they are platformed on the show and brought back into circulation. “It’s that kind of feedback loop: on the street, to the media and back to the street,” Thorne said.
Mike Spencer, the executive producer of the show, pinpoints series three in 2017 as a turning point. “The social commentary started, the ratings really spiked. It regularly became the subject of the water cooler moment,” he said.
Yet the show’s influence has not always been harmless. It has been heavily criticised for its impact on the mental health of those involved, largely due to the deaths of host Caroline Flack and former contestants Michael Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon – all of whom took their own lives. This season, ITV has made public a more extensive duty of care programme to assist islanders while they are in the villa and when they exit. It recommends contestants pausing their social media during their time on the show, helps them cope with being filmed 24/7 and provides therapy sessions when they leave the villa.
It has also been criticised for its lack of diversity, with contestants who are usually glamorous, young, heterosexual, able-bodied, gym-honed and white. Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan became the first non-white winners for the last series, and there have been more contestants of colour in series 10 with islanders Whitney Adebayo, Tyrique Hyde and Ella Thomas.
Journalist Banseka Kayembe has written about this development. She says that this is a reflection rather than a gamechanger: “It’s actually following how a lot of young people feel about their circles and who they hang out with.” She describes seeing sleeping bonnets, wig bands and durags – the hair accessories often used by the black community – on primetime TV as “heartwarming”.
As a show cast with glamorous twentysomethings, the islanders also reflect this demographic’s fondness for “tweakments” – cosmetic procedures such as Botox and fillers. This season, Jess Harding, Kady McDermott, Molly Marsh and Abi Moores have been open about having such procedures.
But the issue remains controversial: feminist organisation Level Up campaigned successfully for plastic surgery adverts to be removed from Love Island in 2018. Speaking to Grazia magazine, plastic surgeon Dr Nyla Raja said that she received 40% of her new patient requests on the nights that the show airs. When Harding mentioned “Turkey teeth”, the popular phrase for veneers done for cheaper prices in countries such as Turkey, internet searches surged.
But, according to the journalist Lauren O’Neill, attributing this to the show is simplistic: “It’d be naive to say that’s just the fault of Love Island. It’s way more the result of a globalised idea of beauty,” she said.
And when it comes to body size, Spencer argues that the criticism is “subjective”. “What my version of body representation is to yours would be different,” he said. “I think we do have a variety of body shapes on the show.” While it’s notable that there has been some variation in recent seasons, islanders do still tend to be fit and gym-honed.
Ed Conway, the founder of fitness studio Fit As in Leyton, east London, feels there is a negative impact on viewers: “It’s harmful for the young and impressionable as it promotes unadulterated body vanity. The show’s producers and casting directors have a lot to answer for. Unfortunately, swathes of the general public religiously lap it up.”
The Love Island look is now cemented as full glam for men and women or, as one viewer described it, “every night is a club night”. Every trend from upside-down bikinis to name necklaces and water bottles has been associated with the show.
Love Island’s links with fast fashion company I Saw It First have also been criticised. Last year, the show signed up with eBay to dress contestants in “pre-loved” items. This has been hailed as a big win for sustainability, although some former islanders are still endorsing fast-fashion brands.
According to eBay, searches for “pre-loved fashion” increased hugely between May and December 2022. “Partnering with the show has empowered us to reach a mainstream audience, and everyday shoppers are waking up to the real benefits of buying and selling secondhand,” said eBay’s Kirsty Keoghan. “After all, these are the ultimate style influencers.”
Fashion aside, this season the spotlight has fallen on the duty of care procedures. It’s notable that male housemates are opening up more. “I’ve noticed Tyrique [Hyde] talking about how there is that pressure for guys to have that bravado and bottled-up feelings,” said one viewer. Producer Mike Spencer agreed: “As a young man, he’s so articulate. If a young boy is watching that, it can guide them through feelings that they’re feeling for the first time.”
