Love Island- Why The TV Show Should Bin All Attempts At Diversity

Summary

The author of the article criticizes the TV show "Love Island" for its lack of genuine diversity and representation, suggesting that the show should stop pretending to be inclusive if it cannot portray attraction among a diverse cast.

Abstract

The article titled "Love Island- Why The TV Show Should Bin All Attempts At Diversity" expresses frustration with the show's superficial approach to diversity. The author acknowledges the show as a guilty pleasure but points out a recurring pattern where black contestants are consistently marginalized, with black women receiving little to no screen time and potential suitors, while black men are often relegated to a mentorship role. The author argues that the show's attempts at diversity feel like tokenism, especially in light of the creative director's comments about wanting contestants to be attracted to each other, implying a narrow standard of attractiveness. The article suggests that rather than trying to force diversity into a show that resists it, "Love Island" should either genuinely embrace diversity or revert to a more homogenous casting that reflects the actual preferences of the participants. The author concludes by questioning the longevity of the show and expressing a preference for authenticity over token diversity.

Opinions

The author believes that "Love Island" engages in tokenism by including black contestants without genuinely integrating them into the show's romantic narrative.
The preference for certain physical traits among contestants indicates a lack of true diversity and representation on the show.
The creative director's comments on representation are seen as a cop-out, revealing an unwillingness to challenge the status quo regarding attraction and diversity.
The author suggests that the show's attempts at diversity are not only inadequate but also potentially damaging, as they highlight the lack of genuine inclusivity.
The article implies that "Love Island" is not the appropriate platform for solving issues of inclusion and representation in the media.
The author would prefer the show to either commit to real diversity or abandon the pretense and stick to a casting format that aligns with the contestants' actual dating preferences.
There is skepticism about the future of "Love Island," with the author predicting its cancellation in the near future due to its lack of meaningful progress in terms of diversity and representation.

Are the producers really trying? Or doing the bare minimum to keep us quiet?

Love Island 2019 contestants

I am going to start this off by saying, I know. Love Island is trash tv, no denying it. But it’s also my guilty pleasure. Though I only started it last year, I like to unwind, think of nothing and see hot people fight it out. I also watch it for the twitter content. For one hour each day black and Fiat500 twitter combine to release some pretty funny content (excluding the borderline racist content from the latter but more on that later).

On the whole, the show is an easy watch. Well, it was until I saw a pattern forming. Year after year black contestants are picked last. The black women on the show get near to zero screen-time and no potential suitors. The black men fall to being the wise old uncle, giving advice to fellow contestants. They fair a little better than black women on the whole but for both, it is extremely slim pickings.

Which is why I would like the Love Island producers to just stop. Stop adding black contestants for the sake of ‘diversity’ if you are unable to provide fellow contestants who find them attractive. Preference is not a good enough excuse. Thousands of people apply each year but somehow in 2019, everyone picked for the show has the same, very specific type?

What we have here is tokenism and WE DON’T WANT IT.

None of this is very surprising, however, following creative director Richard Cowles’ comments on representation. After claiming that there would be a plus-sized contestant, he doubled back on this stating, “Yes we want to be as representative as possible but we also we want them to be attracted to one another.”

It is apparent in this case, there is no use trying to change the foundations of the show.

“Love Island is not the arena for inclusion to be solved.” — Vanessa Kisuule

Love Island isn’t groundbreaking, a champion for diversity or even self-care. No boundaries are being broken, there is no LGBTQ+ or disability representation.

So let's regress further!

I do not have to sit here and watch beautiful black women get dodged by boys only interested in women with blonde hair and blue eyes. Nor go on twitter to see every black contestant compared to Didier Drogba.

I would much rather the show be filled with skinny, white and mixed-race contestants who are all wanted.

So, let us make Love Island white again!

I promise I would still spend my summer watching and tweeting about it.

Let’s face it, there is only one or two seasons left before cancellation anyway.

When your best is not good enough

Love Island- Why The TV Show Should Bin All Attempts At Diversity

Are the producers really trying? Or doing the bare minimum to keep us quiet?