‘Love Island’ revives conversation about racial bias and misogynoir in dating

By SARAH JONES-SMITH It used to be that dating was as simple as deciding between dinner a trip to the movies or an arcade Now understanding the dating scene has become intermingled with smartphones matchmaking apps and one s ability to address thorny social issues like racial preference in a mate Related Articles A designer dressed Chappell Roan with seaweed But don t expect to find the approach in stores yet Dear Abby Senior couple worried about the future Fans of Back to the Future movie will love stage version Dear Abby Relationship is strained and then came Brad Kate Princess of Wales presents Wimbledon winner s trophy to Swiatek consoling words to Anisimova Love Island a widely popular international reality television franchise is emblematic of the complexities of modern dating It has also sparked heated discussions among fans about the desirability of Black women and darker-complexioned people both on and off air The show which aired the finale of the seventh season of its U S version Sunday and is airing the th season of its U K version casts conventionally attractive islanders who are generally in their early to late s for a six- to eight-week stay in a luxury villa Men and women compete for long-lasting relationships and a cash prize But as the show s daters face challenges meant to test their bonds as well as elimination by villa mates or by fans vote notions of who is and isn t desirable frequently come up for viewers and contestants alike In the end multiple fans are left with the perception that racial bias colorism and misogyny are especially inescapable for Black women on reality dating shows The diversity in the U K one is terrible revealed Oghosa Ovienrioba a content creator from London It s very anti-Black It s not just that Black women are picked last for coupling or eliminated first on the U K or U S versions of the show A large number of fans say there s a recurring theme of suitors dumping or ditching Black female contestants when there is a fairer skinned option Black female contestants have also complained of not doing well on the show when they don t lower their standards for intimacy with a suitor as though they are lucky to even been considered dating material among more desirable mates Even with these viewer frustrations Ovienrioba reported she prefers Love Island USA I feel like the dark skin Black women on that show invariably find men who fit their vibe who respect them who are attracted to them desire them treat them like queens she explained Love Island U K irks fans over healing of Black women In the U K version fans have counted multiple instances where Black female contestants were left as the last choice when couples were picked or they were first to get eliminated and dumped from the villa Numerous have also noted that it took eleven seasons before a darker-complexioned Black woman was declared the winner Now in its th season Love Island U K is still dogged by claims of male contestants bias against Black women After -year-old Alima Gagigo a Black woman chose to couple up with -year-old Blu Chegini a white man he stated I ll be honest on paper you re not my type Gagigo responded Of discipline as if those were words she was not surprised to hear There is no evidence that Chegini was referring to Gagigo s race or ethnicity But the exchange was enough to confirm what specific in audience felt was an implicit bias against Black women in the villa Love Island s only stipulation is that applicants are over single and looking for love Our application and casting process is inclusive to all and we are constantly aiming to reflect the age and diversity of our audience on the show a show spokesperson for Love Island U K announced Black American contestants too say their complexion impacts their healing JaNa Craig a contestant on Love Island USA s beloved sixth season which aired last summer landed a spot in the final four couples by the end of the competition alongside Kenny Rodriguez who entered the villa days into the season Her bubbly personality made her a fan favorite Although she initially worried about how viewers felt about her the positive audience reaction culminated in her being deemed the baddest girl in Love Island history which means hot or beautiful in slang terms Still she felt selected male contestants may not have been interested in her and Serena Page another Black female contestant because of their skin complexion Page went on to win that season of Love Island USA The very first time I felt special is when the very first guy picked me because he had three options Other than that I dependably felt like I was getting the short end of the stick Craig revealed Even though we know our worth and we know we re beautiful we still felt like not good enough Ultimately Craig felt proudest when she heard from other Black women who announced they appreciated her representation on the show given the perception that Black women are less desirable on dating shows This image disclosed by Peacock shows Amaya Espinal left and Bryan Arenales from the reality series Love Island USA Photo by Ben Symons Peacock I felt honored by the amount of Black girls that were like JaNa you inspire me she commented Love Island USA producer Peacock which on Sunday debuted a spinoff to its popular Season season titled Love Island Beyond the Villa declined comment for this story Desirability concerns reflect real-world anti-Black sentiments Fans and contestants concerns about Black women s representation on the show reflect a real-world anti-Black and misogynistic views of Black women commonly referred to as misogynoir Scholars describe it as both implicit and explicit contempt for Black women much of it rooted in racist stereotypes that are perpetuated in popular lifestyle and mass media While Love Island contestants are not being outright racist to Black female competitors a large number of viewers feel the interactions Black women have had on the show have been laced with implicit bias Scant viewers see anything wrong with Love Island contestants being open about the specific traits they look for in probable suitors Tall over short fit over average build tattooed over unmarked This image issued by Peacock shows Olandria Carthen left and Nicolas Nic Vansteenberghe from the reality series Love Island USA Ben Symons Peacock via AP But contestants racial preferences whether real or solely perceived by fans of the show can t be seen as objective truth about who is or is not desirable in the world stated Alexandria Beightol host of the podcast Apathy Is Not An Option at the Southern Poverty Law Center a civil rights and legal advocacy nonprofit You recognizing you have a type should also be you recognizing you are a product of a lot of mass media Beightol revealed The show s producers should see the show s popularity as an opportunity to dispel and not reinforce notions of beauty especially ones harmful to Black women and darker-complexioned people she added It would behoove you to have particular producers that look like chosen of the women on there who can kind of anticipate specific of that drama Beightol disclosed They do frame those women as beautiful In the history of reality initiatives they ve busted through a lot of the implicit views that the media used to hold itself to