Love Island - An apology

If there is any programme that can divide the masses more than the world cup, its Love Island.
Love it, or hate it, there’s no denying that this ‘utter drivel’ (as my grandad would say), is a bit of a big thing. But why??

It’s true that there is a big teenage following. It’s pretty obvious that a load of hormonal teens are going to watch a gang of twenty somethings, who are plumped, tanned, waxed and sculpted to within an inch of their lives, battle for who is the ‘fittest’. What teenage boy is going to opt out of watching a load of girls parade in thong bikini’s for an hour, on a programme they can actually admit to watching to their mum ? Not many!

While the girls at school giggle and swoon over the six packs with their flock, the lads talk about football, followed by who is ‘well fit’ on Love Island. That’s your playground chat sorted for the rest of the year.

With the world cup this could possibly be the best summer ever for a footy loving teenage boy!! Nightly football games, followed by an hour of sexy females in their two pieces. All before 10pm!!!! #winner

Obviously I am being hugely stereotypical here, but when it comes to Love Island, that’s the name of the game. This for many, is the biggest problem of all.

The message it sends to these impressionable young teens is a dodgy one. It’s a reality TV show that is a million miles away from what these kids know as real, and I’m not just talking about the veneers and fake boobs.

Its shallow. There is no denying it. The contestants are all beautiful in the stereotypical sense of the word. Picture perfect, former models, glamour models, strippers, aspiring actors/actresses and personal trainers are the calibre of this years crop. All hungry for their 15 minutes of fame.

Its tacky. Unless classy means parading yourself around eager Males in a bikini best placed in an eighties porn film, like a cat on heat? Its pure sleaze! Some of the contestants will stop at nothing to get the popularity vote, swapping partners more than than they fill up their exclusive love island water bottles!

Its degrading. The opening show is men choosing which women they want to be coupled up with, based entirely on looks. The women don’t have a choice in the matter at this stage. It screams Male domination and feels like you have gone back 200 years.

It’s borderline dangerous to fill young people’s heads with such rubbish. There are some who will look up to these people and consider them role models, and to put it mildly, pride is not an emotion I would be feeling if I were some of their parents. No one wants their daughter (or son) to grow up thinking looks are all they have to offer the world, or that to get ahead in life they need to use their sexual prowess.

Its fan base doesn’t end at teenagers, either!! There are plenty of thirty somethings (myself included) who spend their days after June 4th counting down the hours until their nightly villa fix. Staring wistfully into space while on the school run wondering what the Islanders are doing. Pondering life’s mysteries like will Ellie’s clip in extensions fall out in the pool, are Jacks teeth that white in real life, and what exactly do they eat in there because you never see it.

But why???

I consider myself an intelligent individual, and am no way interested in a load of fame hungry wannabe’s, with tits up to their chin and lips you could rest your drink on. So why do I watch it???

First and foremost, its people!! I love watching people!!! Back in the day I was a HUGE Big Brother fan (pre channel 5). I watched them all!

They fascinate me. Personally the way they look doesn’t interest me at all, and to be fair probably doesn’t interest a lot of people who watch it. It’s the DRAMA! I can’t get enough of it. Its like watching your favourite Soap every night, but with actual real life people. Its addictive, just ask my husband!

I get it, its car crash TV. BUT if a load of people want to go on TV and make spectacles of themselves, all for a few hundreds thousand Instagram followers and a modelling contract with boohoo, who am I to judge?! (OK that's a lie I TOTALLY judge).

I am savvy enough to see it for what it is, and when it comes to guilty pleasures this is at the top of my list. We all have them, things we probably shouldn't do but we just can't help ourselves.

Would I want my kids watching it? Probably not. Hopefully by the time they are old enough to watch it, it will have been scrapped for all of the above mentioned reasons!! If it hasn't, then I will do a power point presentation on its flaws. 

So I hold my hands up, guilty as charged! Even though it is a terrible programme with questionable morals, that portrays all the wrong messages.......I still can't stop watching!!

Sorry.

Author: Laura @mum_bore