On last night’s Love Island, Tasha Ghouri asked Andrew Le Page to be her boyfriend. The days of‘tit-gate’feel like a million years ago, as Tasha asked Andrew to be 'official' in a speech she read to him, after getting him to go around the villa on some sort of romantic treasure hunt. (It was giving Luke Trotman and Siânnise Fudge vibes, as they did the same sort of thing back on the inaugural Winter Love Island.)
But, of course, there have been some on the internet who have criticised Tasha for asking Andrew to be her boyfriend. It would be understandable if some people think Tasha might not be right to trust Andrew, after what happened in Casa Amor. But many are taking issue with Tasha simply asking the question, and not Andrew's behaviour. Sadly, a woman asking a man to be her boyfriend is still seen as something odd in 2022, as one person summed up in a tweet: ‘Tasha is a better woman than me cos I ain’t ever asking a man to be my boyfriend.’
For some reason, it’s still seen by many as unacceptable to admit your feelings to a man first. I think it’s a combination of men still being expected to take the lead, and women looking ‘desperate’ if they wear their heart on their sleeve. When it comes to dating and relationships, we're still not on a level playing field.
But why should a woman have to wait until a man asks her to be his girlfriend? Quite frankly, life is too short to be hanging around. If the question isn’t asked, and there’s no clear discussion about where the relationship is going, sometimes you can get stuck in situationships which aren’t going anywhere for months. Even if you get rejected, then at least you know and can move on - instead of being strung along, just in case he does ask.
It shouldn’t be abnormal for a woman to make her feelings clear. It isn’t desperate, or clingy. It’s just knowing what you want, and Tasha should be applauded for that, whether or not she and Andrew last. Let's all take some inspiration from Tasha, and normalise women asking The Question.