Love Island is known for its cast of glamorous singles who storm the villa for eight weeks every summer.
The eclectic cast are often bright, bubbly and likeable – with a few dark horses thrown in the mix to help stir things up – but some concerns have been raised about the influence that Love Island sets on its young viewers.
The show has a majority demographic of 16 to 34-year-olds and until 2018, the show’s ad breaks featured promotional videos from plastic surgery company MYA who targeted its audience by airing adverts for their services throughout the season.
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The singletons are on display every day for roughly two months and are frequently seen in skimpy swimsuits and revealing outfits as they mingle around the poolside, in an attempt to “get to know” one another and have a shot at taking home £50,000.
Some of the lineup have openly had cosmetic procedures to tweak their look and with the help of breast augmentations, lip filler and veneers, some fans have questioned whether the series is promoting a certain “look”.
(Image: dr.motox/Instagram)
A ComRes study for BBC 5 Live found that 21% of 18 to 24-year-olds would be more likely to consider having cosmetic procedures or plastic surgery after watching reality shows like TOWIE and Love Island.
Back in 2019, Love Island hopeful Emily Dorrell spent a whopping £15,000 on surgery, only for her to be rejected four times.
(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Cosmetic surgeon and founder of timetobloom.uk, Dr Lubna Khan-Salim has weighed in on Love Island’s influence.
“In my opinion, it is undeniable that reality television shows like Love Island heavily influence and set the standard for unrealistic body images. These shows, in addition to lots of content on social media, glamorise and make non-surgical procedures and plastic surgery seem so trivial and easily accessible.”
(Image: ITV)
She continued: “Women and men are increasingly feeling undue pressure to look a certain way and this is, in turn, causing a mental health epidemic. For years there has been pressure on ITV, who commissions the show, as it tends to only depict one type of body, and that is thin.”
“I can only imagine the pressure the participants must feel on entering the show to look a certain way – after all, they are judged endlessly, not only on their actions, but on their looks and body.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
