Love Island has finally got interesting, but tragically it has come at the expense of fan-favourite Shaughna Phillips. The civil servant's perceptive nature and hilarious one-liners have garnered her tons of support, and most recently fans have been complimenting her mature, measured reaction to her break-up with Callum Jones.
It was, in a world of f***boys and "situationships", the perfect response. Callum had crushed her when he arrived from Casa Amor with Molly Smith, and yet she never lost her cool. She may have thrown a few petty digs his way, but in the main she was calm, collected and settled her differences with Callum after just one day of turmoil.
More than that, she went out of her way to make Molly feel comfortable. She never showed her anger or that she was upset in front of Callum, mostly saving her emotional reactions for private moments with friends. It was a response many of us can relate to: that intense need to rise above bad behaviour and never show a man how much he’s hurt you.
But in doing that, are we actually exhibiting the ‘perfect’ response? Or, are we just letting them off scot-free? Because, while Shaughna’s pride can remain intact, so can Callum’s happiness. He’s had one day of feeling awkward and guilty, of dancing between Shaughna and Molly. But now, with their differences settled, he can skip off into the sunset with Molly without any further repercussions.
Now, we’re not saying Callum should be hung, drawn and quartered for hurting Shaughna, but it says a lot about how we deal with heartbreak that her decision not to shout or scream or cry at Callum is considered so commendable.
Why shouldn’t he face her wrath? Why shouldn’t he see just how much he’s hurt her? If anything, his inability to understand how he led her on was proven during their conversation in last night’s episode. He just couldn’t quite compute that sitting quietly and not expressing his ‘doubts’ when the woman in front of him was clearly falling head over heels was wrong.
Perhaps, then, rising above it isn’t the solution to a problem like Callum.
It might not be a mature reaction, and it might hurt your pride a bit, but sometimes not rising above it is the only way for someone to see how their actions have hurt you. Honestly, it’s not surprising Shaughna has chosen the mature route – she’s on TV after all and having a screaming match isn’t exactly a memory you want to be able to record and rewind forever more.
But for those of us who wish she’d just let loose on Callum, know this: you don’t always have to rise above bad behaviour to keep your pride. Sometimes, sinking below is exactly what you – and the person who hurt you – deserve.
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