Despite the national obsession with Love Island, there’s one consistent sticking point – its handling of diversity. Case in point was the only black girl on the show, Samira Mighty, the beautiful, funny musical actress that everyone declared to be their best mate, and despite all the endless bed-hopping, couldn’t find love.
Being stuck with undoubted bum deal Dr Alex for weeks before a lukewarm ‘romance’ with Sam Bird, Samira finally found love with Frankie Foster (who first wanted to ‘crack on’ with Megan Barton-Hanson, below, second from right). But their loved-up scenes were edited out, he was voted off and heartbroken, she eventually followed him. (Samira now confirms they’re boyfriend and girlfriend, so don’t worry).
But despite the continued fury of Black Twitter at Samira being left as a romantic bystander (and her mum thanking Samira’s supporters on Instagram for highlighting ‘What every girl of colour knows’), the reality star herself told me she didn’t necessarily feel any prejudice against her.
WATCH NOW: Grazia Meets Love Island's Samira Mighty
‘I think in the villa it came across like I was a bit insecure because I was the only black one and you do start to question things. But I’m a very strong person.’ Still, she later went on to say: ‘It was sometimes in the back of my head. Like, when I was going in, “I need to look good for everyone of any ethnicity.” When I walked in I was like “Oh, I’m here, I’m the only one, smashed it Sam.” And then when I wasn’t getting picked, I was like, “I wonder what people are thinking at home and I hope that they don’t think it’s because she’s black”. It’s just because I think they just... [I’m] not their type really am I?’
I, like many black women on social media, projected a lot of my own experiences on to Samira – and have often worried about not being someone’s ‘type’. It was heartbreaking seeing her struggle, particularly in a heart-to-heart with Megan when all the new guys named the blonde as top of their fancy lists – and none Samira. Welling up, she told Megan, ‘I don’t think you understand how beautiful you are. I don’t understand… I’ve lived life on my own, I’m fine, but it does… chip away sometimes.’ She later confessed in the diary room, ‘Not many guys in this villa go for me… and that’s fine, but I’m not Megan.’
It’s hard to quantify, but what happened to Samira is an aspect of life you can’t help but notice as a black woman – you get used to being picked last, not being seen as immediately attractive or being told you’re ‘pretty for a black girl’. Like Samira, you become left out of your friends’ dating narratives – and you can’t help but ask yourself what’s different about you. But despite my quizzing her, Samira doesn’t seem to have seen what happened to her on Love Island that way.
But being the only black girl in Mamma Mia! and other musicals before she took part on the TV show, she admits she’s adept at handling similar situations. ‘I’ve been there, done that and I know who I am. I’ve got really hard skin and I just take it with a pinch of salt and think “You probably didn’t mean to say it”.’
While the treatment of Samira would be enough to put a lot of women off entering reality shows, she hopes it will do the opposite and encourage them. ‘It’s important I was there because other people of colour and ethnicities can come forward for these shows. I made it, so can everyone else… people should go for it if you wanna do it.'
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