As I watched the Love Island final last night with bated breath, I very much expected Whitney Adebayo and Lochan Nowacki to take home the prize. They were just voted favourite couple two weeks ago and Whitney has been a reality show viewer’s dream for the last eight weeks. From her viral 'it's giving' catchphrase to her playful personality, Whitney was one of the best characters we have seen on the show in years. After a rocky journey with former partner Mehdi Edno,Lochan waltzed in and quite literally was her Prince Charming. He was kind, patient and accepting of the Whitney the nation had fallen in love with. So, when the results were in and Whitney and Lochan were revealed as the second-place couple (with Jess Harding and Sammy Root taking the top spot,) I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
After watching ten series of Love Island, I finally feel like there are strides being made in terms of diversity. The starting line-up was promising and even featured Ruchee Gurung, the first Islander of Nepalese descent. Throughout the series I’ve watched the Black women existing comfortably in an environment where they were confident plucking and styling their wigs in the makeup room and rocking their bonnets for bed. But was it naïve of me to think that a dark-skinned Black woman could truly take home the win? This is in no way to discredit Jess and Sammy – they have both been fantastic Islanders but watching Whitney win really would have felt like a win on a show where I have often questioned how accepted dark-skinned Black women really are.
If we look back on the journeys of brown and dark-skinned Black women on Love Island – it has been rocky. Samira Mighty from season four always sticks out to me. Watching her sob and question her desirability was a moment that broke my heart. During series 7 whenKaz Kamwi featured on the show, at the start as a Black woman I could tell she was hesitant about wearing her bonnet – and she was right to because she was ridiculed online for it as viewers compared the protective style to a ‘chef's hat.’ This year I felt like there was the most acceptance we have ever seen on the show, but certain situations put us back to square one. I watched Sammy and Tyrique Hyde constantly doubt the attractiveness of Catherine Agbajeopenly question whether their white and lighter skinned partners actually desired them. The discussion of desirability politics wasn’t thrown about towards any other female Islander but the two dark-skinned women.
I’m a Love Island international fan. So far, I have tuned into Love Island USA,Love Island France and Love Island Australia. Love Island USA have seen two dark-skinned Black women Zeta Morrison and Justine Ndiba take home the top prize. On Love Island France this year Cindy Miranda also won the show. These international versions of the hit dating show are only in their fifth and first series respectively. So, after ten series of Love Island in the UK, it looks even worse that we have never seen the same results.
Some viewers have also voiced that there are still elements of tokenism on the show when it comes to the South Asian and South East Asian contestants. Ruchee and Casa Amor bombshell Tink Reading were both of South Asian descent. Whilst it was wonderful they were featured on the show, just like previous series gone by, they didn't last long. It harks back to the short journey of many other South Asian Islanders on the show, especially during series 7. From Shannon Singh’s brutal dumping within 24 hours, to Priya Gopaldaslast minute entrance. Priya came in as a bombshell during the last two weeks of the show and it was virtually impossible to create lasting bonds or break up original couples.
During the same series, South East Asian Islanders AJ Bunker and Sharon Gaffka both grappled with a lack of options and were both dumped early on into the show. Upon her exit from the Island in 2021, Gaffka said ‘It was so nice to have me and another Asian contestant, Shannon, there for the first couple of days but she was booted off within 24 hours and then AJ, I don’t know how long AJ was in there for but Priya wasn’t in there for very long either.’ She continued, ‘It’s all well and good having a diverse line-up but if there isn’t diversity in what people find attractive then you’ve completely missed the mark and kind of wasted everyone’s time.’
Representation is, undoubtedly, hugely important - and you would hope that in 2023, we would have moved past representation for representation’s sake - otherwise known as tokenism. But it seems that, on Love Island at least, this isn’t entirely the case just yet.
I have also seen a number of people state that we have seen Black female winners like Amber Gill. Whilst she wad a worthy winners and it was wonderful to watch – we can’t compare her to Islanders like Catherine, Whitney or Yewande Baila.The experience of dark-skinned Black women not just in the villa, but in life, is an entirely different experience. Research by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media noted in 2021 that nearly 80% of Black female characters on television have ‘light or medium skin tones’ and specified that ‘colourism is persistent’ on TV.
For now, I’m glad that during this series I could genuinely see huge elements of change when it comes to diversity. From the first series of the show, it's clear that Love Island has transformed for the better - but more change needs to come. One thing is for sure, I know Whitney will go on to achieve great success after the show. She has carried herself with poise and grace whilst entertaining the nation. However, my hope for Love Island is to see more diversity amongst the winners of the show – for a hit show that is now carried so heavily by Islanders from a range of ethnic backgrounds, it’s only fair to also see that represented in the winners too.