Here’s something I’m not supposed to admit as a queer woman who proudly identifies as a feminist: I adore watching Love Island. I know, I’m a hypocrite. I value body positivity, diversity, LGBTQIA+ representation and so much more – yet I tune in each summer to watch ChatGPT-generated contestants pull each other for “a chat.” But I loved watching Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury’s love story unfold. I cheered when Maura Higgins called out Tom Walker’s filthy comments and branded him a “coward”. My heart broke for Faye Winter when her worst moment spiralled into a screaming match that followed her home.
But this year, I’m struggling to find relief from the guilt of enjoying this admittedly toxic show, because this year, watching Love Island feels like scrolling through Andrew Tate’s TikTok FYP. The show has always had red flags, sure, but now it’s waving a whole damn parade of them, with no relief in sight.
From a footballer's body double to a female “CEO of empowerment”.
Each year, Ofcom receives a fair number of complaints about the show. But this time, the regulator is receiving more than ever before. Earlier this month, in just two days the regulator received over 1000 complaints about the show, with Ofcom revealing in a statement that the bulk of these concerned a "combination of alleged bullying and misogynistic behaviour by a number of contestants.”
This week, Women's Aid also spoke out about the show, accusing it of perpetrating unhealthy patterns of behaviour towards women. Jessye Werner, communications manager at Women’s Aid, told The Tab: “In recent years, Love Island and other forms of reality TV have been repeatedly called out by viewers for allowing in contestants that had a history of abusive, coercive and manipulative behaviour in previous relationships. As a result, production companies have been more careful when it comes to selecting contestants and calling out toxic behaviours when we see them.
“Despite these positive steps, we still see unhealthy patterns of behaviour on these shows, showing just how steeped in misogyny and sexism our society still is. Women are often lied to, slut-shamed and manipulated, as well as laughed at behind their backs. Misogyny and sexism lay the foundation for the tolerance of abuse and violence – it reinforces a culture that excuses and trivialises violence against women and girls. More must be done to educate contestants on sexism and misogyny, and it is a great credit to viewers who take to social media, continuing to call out these behaviours as soon as they see them.”
Alright, prepare yourself to enter Love Island's Manosphere with me. First up, there’s the way younger male contestants are idolising Harry (who’s the oldest male contestant this year) and his seemingly appalling treatment of women. When Harrison asked him about his escapades in Casa Amour, ‘exploring connections' with other women, despite being in a couple with Helena, he said in awe, “How have you got away with that?” (implying such poor behaviour is impressive), Harry channelled his inner Yoda and replied, “You know I get away with everything.. you’ll get to my level.” It’s a perfect illustration of the gamification of dating – something actively encouraged by self-styled “dating experts” who urge young men to pursue emotional manipulation, dominance, performative masculinity, and the dehumanisation of women. Love, it seems, is not the end goal of Love Island this season. Nor is it even the coveted BoohooMAN brand deal. No, from what I can deduce so far, it’s about power and control. And Harry’s “you’ll get to my level” line encapsulates that dark dynamic perfectly.
Here's everything we know about how the steamiest villa scenes make it to the screen.
But Harry’s behaviour goes even further. He admitted to faking feelings for Shakira just to stay in the villa, bragging that she was "lapping it up" – a confession that rightfully sparked outrage. When he later told her he didn’t “deserve” her, it was textbook emotional manipulation. (Genuinely, find me one woman who hasn’t heard this line from a man who’s just wronged her.)
In the “Got the Receipts” challenge, Harry shared intimate details about Helena’s past and bragged about an orgy with a women’s football team. Viewers called him a “hypocrite” and “misogynist,” accusing him of rigging the challenge to his own advantage. Slut-shaming women while glorifying your own sexual exploits is a classic manosphere move – one that normalises misogynistic double standards. Similarly, Harrison bragged about how far he got in the bedroom with his match, using ridiculous football puns and discussing how she “blew [his] whistle.”
I mean, you know it’s bad when even the host, Maya Jama, pauses to call out Harry’s behaviour and Helena’s seemingly unaffected attitude, saying, “I don’t know, I probably wouldn’t find that funny if I was in a couple with someone like that.”
Maya didn’t hold back with Ben either, after he made a crude remark about Toni in comparison to new bombshell, Lauren Wood. “I didn’t really like that, Ben. It was unnecessary,” she said, deadpan. Queen.
Things escalated again when Harry’s ex, Emma, entered the villa. He barely blinked, even as past lies caught up with him. In his intro package, he claimed the ‘E’ tattooed on his wrist was for his grandmother – but later told the boys it stood for Emma. Look, I understand not wanting to admit you’ve got ink for your ex. But why introduce yourself with that lie?! And when Helena finally confronted Harry over his treatment of her, he continued eating popcorn during her tearful outburst. It’s giving every man who sighs when you cry.
As ever, reality TV reflects our wider culture. We live in a time when men are consuming this ideology in droves – via “dating coaches”, alpha male podcasts, and manosphere influencers like Tate. (I mean, we all watched Adolescence, right?) And let me caveat, that I obviously have no knowledge or evidence that any of the men on Love Island are consuming or have consumed any of this toxic content, it may just be that their behaviour is informed by the wider culture of misogyny that is seeping in around us, unconsciously from the manosphere.
“I worry that Love Island simply serves to reinforce all the outdated and dangerous stereotypes in our society that we are so urgently trying to move away from”
While the bulk of this behaviour seems to come from Harry, he’s far from alone. During Sunday night’s Movie Night (always messy), footage showed DeJon complaining that Megan was “breathing down [his] neck”, parroting an insult thrown at his partner by another girl previously. When Megan challenged him on repeating the insult, he denied having ever heard someone use this insult towards her before. And the boys all backed him up, despite all the women confirming her version, and it having been previously aired. The group’s collective gaslighting of the women didn’t just dismiss Megan’s reality – it underscored a toxic culture of male solidarity that prioritises protecting each other over telling the truth.
Love Island isn’t just a silly, fun, dating show anymore – it’s a mirror to a deeply unsettling cultural shift. I can’t put my concerns aside while watching it anymore, because it genuinely makes me feel afraid. I’m not saying “all men”, but I’m absolutely saying too many of them. We cannot keep normalising this brand of misogynistic, domineering behaviour, whether it shows up on Love Island UK, tradwife TikTok, the Princess Treatment trend, or in the continued support of men like Russell Brand.
One saving grace, this season, is the new crop of Casa Amor boys such as Cach, Ty and Jamie who have all on occasion called out other boys on their bad behaviour to their faces, but we're left wondering if they had have been in from the beginning might they too have been swept up in the bro culture - or might they still yet?
Yes, I know it’s “just” a show. But I urge – no, I beg – the producers of Love Island to think carefully about their casting next season. Let’s allow Love Island to return to what it once promised: flirty banter, ridiculous challenges, sun-soaked friendships, and yes, cute bikinis. Also – a few curvy girls next time too please!
