This past summer, the seventh season of “Love Island” showed millions of young people a wide array of romantic relationships. Although entertaining, controversy lies in how relationship dynamics are presented among the contestants. Many unhealthy relationship behaviors, such as gaslighting, emotional abuse and finding love for the wrong reasons, skew young people’s expectations of romantic relationships.
The show revolves around emotional drama and suspenseful challenges for the paired contestants. Viewers watch “Love Island” for the spectacle of drama, but they must understand that these issues manifest in far different forms in the real world. Many of the contestants are influencers outside of the show, meaning that they recognize the sensationalism of drama. Contestants may appear as ordinary people in their content; however, it is apparent that some only joined the show for status or monetary gain.
These unrealistic relationship dynamics are seen early in season 7 when Huda Mustafa and Jeremiah Brown’s relationship quickly crumbled. Brown was “love bombing” Mustafa and she was described as emotionally abusing Brown. Rather than showing the impact that these behaviors have on the dynamic of a relationship, the show centers the drama of their breakup by framing Mustafa as emotionally unstable and Brown as cold-hearted.
In Amaya Espinal’s case, she is shamed by both the male and female contestants for being emotionally vulnerable. This implies that her open emotional expression is embarrassing rather than a normal response.
Drama is instigated to create a cult following of the show, but the demonstrated behaviors are harmful to young people in real life. NBCUniversal reports that over 50% of viewers are under the age of 30, and over 38% of viewers watch the show with another person. These inauthentic portrayals of love could pose issues in how adolescents approach their own relationships, as they are shown inappropriate ways to handle relationships problems.
Social media culture must also be considered when describing the real-world impact of “Love Island.” The show’s constant flow of posts on all social media platforms – by both official accounts and fans – further normalizes the behaviors on the show through groupthink. Mobs of social media users pick sides with a contestant who promotes unhealthy relationship behavior, such as Ace Green who has repeatedly demonstrated manipulation within his relationships. This online culture may translate into the real world, meaning partners could view manipulative behaviors, such as gaslighting or toxic masculinity, as normal in a relationship.
For young adults navigating their first relationship experiences, the media has a large role in setting standards for acceptable behaviors in a relationship. When viewers unknowingly internalize the show’s messages, they create harmful standards for their own romantic relationships.
However, online hate was expressed towards Mustafa when she was seen having open discussions in a relationship and confronting issues with her partner. Mustafa’s behavior was framed negatively as the center of drama on the show. Fans attacked her online for her personality, some going as far as sending threats to her family and daughter. The acceptance of extensive hate and threats towards Mustafa has shameful implications for using open communication and maturely resolving relationship conflicts.
Other romance reality TV shows, such as “The Bachelor” series, “Love is Blind” and “Too Hot to Handle,” have similar levels of unrealistic expectations due to the intense filming environment, dramatized scenes and promotion of unhealthy relationship behaviors. These shows are harmful to young adults watching with the mindset that they are representative of real-world relationships.
These reality TV shows are entertaining to watch for the drama, but the toxic relationships between contestants should not be young adults’ idea of love.
This story was written by Bella Gruber. She can be reached at [email protected]
