‘Shows like Love Island are perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards’

Kat O'Connor

As addictive as it can be, shows like Love Island can often make us feel insecure.

Realistically, we’ll be curled up on the sofa in our tracksuit bottoms, rocking a Miss Trunchbull-style bun with a mountain of snacks in front of us.

We may not look our best when we’re glued to the telly on a Wednesday evening (who does?) but it’s nearly impossible not to beat yourself up because you don’t resemble the girls on the screen.

Love Island stars are known for being flawless with many stars confirming they’ve had work done before entering the villa.

If that makes them better then good for them but is the show perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards? You rarely see anyone on Love Island who is mid-sized, nevermind plus sized. Their hair, skin, and nails are pristine. Their outfits are perfect and rarely ever repeated.

Psychotherapist Bethan O’Riordan recently spoke to Her.ie about the pressure shows like Love Island can put on women.

She said: “Shows like Love Island can negatively impact women’s mental well-being and self-confidence by perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards.

“It’s a real mixed message to the “love your body” message that people say…the reality on TV is quite different,” she shared.

Bethan explained that having a non-diverse cast is one of the biggest issues.

“I personally stopped watching Love Island a couple of years ago after I noticed it was damaging my self-esteem”

“Participants are often selected for their physical attractiveness, reinforcing narrow ideals of beauty. Moreover, the show’s emphasis on romantic success tied to physical attributes can foster insecurities about one’s worth.

“The portrayal of dramatic relationships and often superficial interactions may also skew perceptions of healthy relationships.

“This further impacts viewers’ mental health by promoting a distorted view of reality,” Bethan explained.

“However, we must remember that it’s entertainment and a choice to watch it. Ultimately we’ve to take responsibility for what we spend our time seeing and how we influence how people feel about themselves.”

I personally stopped watching Love Island a couple of years ago after it started impacting my self-esteem. As a size 14 woman, I suddenly found myself being overly critical of my body and weight. I didn’t look like the people on screen therefore I wasn’t good enough.

I may have missed out on the Love Island office chats, but walking away from the show has really helped. Now, I don’t feel exposed to the toxic beauty standards as much and the chance to compare myself to the stars has faded away.

Bethan explained that the media we consume can negatively affect our confidence and even our mental health.

Following people who encourage body positivity is more valuable than tuning into Love Island where there is little diversity.

Love Island and similar shows could make a major difference by being more inclusive but the chances of that happening are unlikely as society is so transfixed on celebrating small women rather than all women.

For now, I think it’s time to dump Love Island as well as its unrealistic beauty standards.

Bethan O’Riordan is a psychotherapist specialising in parenting and co-host of The Mum Mind Podcast.