You're not above Love Island
Trust me honey- oh babe believe me you are not too good for Love Island. You may think you are and it's sweet but you are not above a fucking tv show and sitting on your high horse moaning about it instead of jumping on the bandwagon and actually watching it does. not. make. you. a. better. person.
It's no secret that Love Island is a trashy tv show, that's fine it's not exactly News Night or University Challenge, it won't expand your mind or teach you anything. But it's fucking hilarious. And this whole 'I'm too good for a popular trend' thing is something I'm very well versed in. I understand it can be easier to sit from the sidelines judging something rather than actively taking part in it and believe me I used to do this a lot. As a part of my whole 'I'm not like other girls' phase I was regularly avoiding mainstream pop culture in an attempt to keep my edgy and interesting reputation as my public persona. (In all honesty I was a complete nerd who was internalising misogyny and I had an awful relationship with my own femininity but that's not my point.) My point is for many years I would have actively bitched about shows like Love Island, seeing myself as intellectually, culturally and socially above it which is just so fucking sad. Imagine thinking you're too good for it and missing out on it just because you're punishing yourself to such boring television in an attempt to seem more intelligent like no babe that's just so counterproductive.
I would definitely have been that girl at school sitting with my friends talking about that kind of trashy tv and saying it's rotting peoples brains blah blah blah. I can't even tell you how glad I am to have matured from that weird phase of my life. But the show itself is actually so interesting in so many ways, this season for example has already sparked debate between people about emotional abuse, healthy relationships, sex and even at one point Brexit was discussed! (not even sure if discussed is the right word here but it was mentioned so)
Now I'm not in any way suggesting that the show is perfect because it really could be improved, for example the shows inclusivity of differing body types, sizes and races is really bad. Most of the contestants are white and all of them are slim and toned. There has been some uproar about this and I would be totally for a more diverse range of body types and people in the villa, however I do understand why they're all conventionally attractive and slim- sexy sells and for now that's not a main concern of mine. But the show isn't perfect and I get that but nobody's watching for it to be totally perfect, they're watching because it's pure entertainment. Watching a bunch of singletons in a villa fighting to stay in couples, taking part in challenges and the drama omg the drama! This season hasn't had tons of drama yet and believe me I'm waiting for it, but the drama keeps the villa going. It keeps us wanting to watch it and it makes the show so entertaining. The shows format just works, it's fun, light and so easy to watch. It's easy to become addicted to it every year it's on.
But for those people not interested in it that's fine, I don't expect every person to enjoy it and I completely understand if you don't want to watch it. But don't act as if the people that watch it are stupid or trashy because they choose to enjoy it. I actually heard a girl on the train station say people who watch Love Island are 'seriously delusional' which is just so strange to me. We're not delusional for enjoying a light hearted reality show, but you certainly are if you whole heartedly believe you're too good for it. Some people need to lighten up and understand that it is just a tv show, nothing more and nothing less. Don't shame, mock or ridicule people for enjoying it. It doesn't make you stupid or vapid to enjoy these kinds of programmes trust me. And with the toxicity of global news at the moment and the awful things happening in the UK and around the world, surely we should be allowed to unwind with a silly, lighthearted television programme about love, what's the harm in that?
It's no secret that Love Island is a trashy tv show, that's fine it's not exactly News Night or University Challenge, it won't expand your mind or teach you anything. But it's fucking hilarious. And this whole 'I'm too good for a popular trend' thing is something I'm very well versed in. I understand it can be easier to sit from the sidelines judging something rather than actively taking part in it and believe me I used to do this a lot. As a part of my whole 'I'm not like other girls' phase I was regularly avoiding mainstream pop culture in an attempt to keep my edgy and interesting reputation as my public persona. (In all honesty I was a complete nerd who was internalising misogyny and I had an awful relationship with my own femininity but that's not my point.) My point is for many years I would have actively bitched about shows like Love Island, seeing myself as intellectually, culturally and socially above it which is just so fucking sad. Imagine thinking you're too good for it and missing out on it just because you're punishing yourself to such boring television in an attempt to seem more intelligent like no babe that's just so counterproductive.
I would definitely have been that girl at school sitting with my friends talking about that kind of trashy tv and saying it's rotting peoples brains blah blah blah. I can't even tell you how glad I am to have matured from that weird phase of my life. But the show itself is actually so interesting in so many ways, this season for example has already sparked debate between people about emotional abuse, healthy relationships, sex and even at one point Brexit was discussed! (not even sure if discussed is the right word here but it was mentioned so)
Now I'm not in any way suggesting that the show is perfect because it really could be improved, for example the shows inclusivity of differing body types, sizes and races is really bad. Most of the contestants are white and all of them are slim and toned. There has been some uproar about this and I would be totally for a more diverse range of body types and people in the villa, however I do understand why they're all conventionally attractive and slim- sexy sells and for now that's not a main concern of mine. But the show isn't perfect and I get that but nobody's watching for it to be totally perfect, they're watching because it's pure entertainment. Watching a bunch of singletons in a villa fighting to stay in couples, taking part in challenges and the drama omg the drama! This season hasn't had tons of drama yet and believe me I'm waiting for it, but the drama keeps the villa going. It keeps us wanting to watch it and it makes the show so entertaining. The shows format just works, it's fun, light and so easy to watch. It's easy to become addicted to it every year it's on.
But for those people not interested in it that's fine, I don't expect every person to enjoy it and I completely understand if you don't want to watch it. But don't act as if the people that watch it are stupid or trashy because they choose to enjoy it. I actually heard a girl on the train station say people who watch Love Island are 'seriously delusional' which is just so strange to me. We're not delusional for enjoying a light hearted reality show, but you certainly are if you whole heartedly believe you're too good for it. Some people need to lighten up and understand that it is just a tv show, nothing more and nothing less. Don't shame, mock or ridicule people for enjoying it. It doesn't make you stupid or vapid to enjoy these kinds of programmes trust me. And with the toxicity of global news at the moment and the awful things happening in the UK and around the world, surely we should be allowed to unwind with a silly, lighthearted television programme about love, what's the harm in that?
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