Love Island will wrap up its 13th series tonight, but according to one Mirror columnist, the show is still making the same mistakes it did when the rebooted version first premiered in 2015.
Jasmine Allday, Assistant TV and Showbiz Editor, writes that while the show has changed, it still fails to represent real-world dating dynamics. Fans have called for more LGBTQ+ representation, but bosses cited “logistical difficulty” with coupling up in 2021, and no attempt has been seen since.
Diversity Issues Persist
Racial diversity has improved, but Black contestants have been voted out earlier or struggled to couple up. Disability representation has improved: Tasha Ghouri (2022) was the first deaf contestant, Hugo Hammond (2021) was the first with a physical disability (clubfoot), Ron Hall (2023) was partially sighted, and this year Sam Workman wore hearing aids.
However, body diversity remains lacking. The show features models and influencers with similar body types. The columnist, a plus-sized woman, questions why someone over a size 14 cannot appear on screen in a bikini.
Call for Change
Allday suggests the format may need a complete change, or at least a chance for viewers to see themselves in at least one contestant. “Whatever the colour of your skin or the size of your body, you deserve love - whether you're in or out the villa,” she writes.
