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The Independent
35 minutes ago
- The Independent
Love Island revives conversation about racial bias and misogynoir in dating
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 navigate thorny social issues like racial preference in a mate. '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 12th season of its U.K. version, casts conventionally attractive 'islanders' who are generally in their early to late 20s 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, many 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,' said Oghosa Ovienrioba, a content creator from London. 'It's very anti-Black.' It's not simply that Black women are picked last for coupling or eliminated first on the U.K. or U.S. versions of the show. Many 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 said she prefers ' Love Island USA.' 'I feel like the dark skin Black women on that show always find men who fit their vibe, who respect them, who are attracted to them, desire them, treat them like queens," she said. 'Love Island' U.K. irks fans over treatment 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. Many have also noted that it took eleven seasons before a darker-complexioned Black woman was declared the winner. Now in its 12th season, Love Island U.K. is still dogged by allegations of male contestants' bias against Black women. After 23-year-old Alima Gagigo, a Black woman, chose to couple up with 26-year-old Blu Chegini, a white man, he said, 'I'll be honest, on paper, you're not my type.' Gagigo responded, 'Of course,' 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 some in audience felt was an implicit bias against Black women in the villa. 'Love Island's only stipulation is that applicants are over 18, single and looking for love. Our application and casting process is inclusive to all and we are always aiming to reflect the age and diversity of our audience on the show,' a show spokesperson for 'Love Island U.K.' said. Black American contestants, too, say their complexion impacts their treatment 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 13 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 some 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 always felt like I was getting the short end of the stick,' Craig said. '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 said they appreciated her representation on the show, given the perception that Black women are less desirable on dating shows. 'I felt honored by the amount of Black girls that were like, 'JaNa, you inspire me,'' she said. 'Love Island USA' producer Peacock, which on Sunday debuted a spinoff to its popular Season 6 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 culture and mass media. While Love Island contestants are not being outright racist to Black female competitors, many viewers feel the interactions Black women have had on the show have been laced with implicit bias. Few viewers see anything wrong with 'Love Island' contestants being open about the specific traits they look for in potential suitors. Tall over short, fit over average build, tattooed over unmarked. But contestants' racial preferences, whether real or simply perceived by fans of the show, can't be seen as objective truth about who is or is not desirable in the world, said 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 said. 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 some producers that look like some of the women on there who can kind of anticipate some of that drama,' Beightol said. 'They do frame those women as beautiful. In the history of reality programming, they've busted through a lot of the implicit views that the media used to hold itself to.'
North Wales Chronicle
36 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Beth Mead lauds ‘unbelievable' Ella Toone as England reach Euro 2025 quarters
Georgia Stanway opened the scoring with a 13th-minute penalty before Toone found the top corner and then turned provider for Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo, who sent England into the break with a four-goal lead. Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones both got on the scoresheet in the second half, while Wales' consolation came from substitute Hannah Cain, a welcome parting gift for the passionate support who had travelled to Switzerland for their first major tournament. 'I think she was unbelievable,' said Mead, who also provided the assist for Beever-Jones. Post match feels! 😍 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 13, 2025 'I think Tooney is really coming into her own and sometimes in, you know, situations where you feel a little bit low, it brings you to the top of your game and I have completely felt that and done that before, been in a tough place and come back and I think you can see that she's given that kind of aura, that type of energy and she deserves everything she's getting right now because she has worked really hard for it.' Mead and Toone have both lost parents since England lifted their first major trophy at their home Euros in 2022. Mead's mother, June, died from ovarian cancer in January 2023, while Toone lost her father, Nick, to prostate cancer last September. Toone pointed to the sky after scoring on Sunday night. Mead added: 'I think we've both said the first game we really struggled a little bit, you know you look to the stands for your person who is standing there and they're not there anymore. 'I think my mum was the first person I would look for in the stands. So I obviously understand what Ella felt in that moment. And it's special to be able to have that moment and think about them and dedicate to them.' England bounced back from a tournament-opening defeat to France to beat the Netherlands 4-0, but still finished runners-up in Group D after France claimed top spot with a 5-2 victory over the Dutch. 🏆 The final eight are locked in 🔐#WEURO2025 — UEFA Women's EURO 2025 (@WEURO2025) July 13, 2025 That means England will return to Zurich's familiar Stadion Letzigrund on Thursday night, where they will face Sweden. 'I mean, it doesn't seem like it at the time, but (the France loss) was probably was the best thing that could have happened to us as a team,' added Mead. 'I think it motivated us. 'We had conversations, we figured things out that we maybe needed to. And I think, you don't win or lose a tournament in the first game. I think it's cliché to say it, but you don't and we're now in a position where we're building quite nicely and hopefully we can continue that momentum now we're into the quarter-finals.' England boss Sarina Wiegman agreed it looked like her side were enjoying themselves, adding: 'That's what it looks like! 'Really good. Six goals, I think what we wanted to do was dictate the game, and that is what we did, so that's really good to see, and the most important thing is that we are through, and out of this very hard group.'
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Five things we learned as England booked place in Euros quarter-finals
Six different scorers provided the goods for the Lionesses as Hannah Cain grabbed a late consolation for Wales. With France having triumphed 5-2 against the Netherlands in Basel it means England finish Group D in second. Here are the five key takeaways from their victory over Wales… Fate decided The three points against Wales saw England confirm their place in the quarter-finals at Euro 2025 as they finish second in Group D. It means they also now know a potential route to the final with a last-eight tie against Sweden on Thursday in Zurich confirmed. With the Netherlands falling to 5-2 defeat against France, despite leading 2-1, England finished three points behind Les Bleues but three ahead of the Dutch. It sets up a rematch of their Euro 2022 semi-final victory when they won 4-0, including a standout backheeled goal by Alessia Russo. But the Group C winners look in brilliant form, having just defeated Germany 4-1 to top their group. Should England manage to overcome that challenge, they avoid Spain on their side of the draw and will face a semi-final against Norway or Italy. A fine display all round 🌟#Lionesses | @chase_uk Toooooone Since Sarina Wiegman left Ella Toone on the bench for England's opening loss to France, the number 10 has made it a personal mission to ensure she never ends up back there. With two goals in two games and a 100% pass completion against Wales, she certainly has the stats to back up her selection. Her goal and two assists against Wales came in just one half of football. And that has been backed up with the performances to match. Toone has looked tenacious as a key cog in the English press, closing the ball down as soon as it enters the central pockets and creating turnovers high up the pitch. She has been equally as instructive in attack, putting the ball on a plate for both Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo to finish in the first half as well as grabbing a goal herself. While she might mistake the 'Toooone' shouts for boos, there is no doubting the travelling English support only have reason to celebrate her performances in Switzerland so far. England a step above At points in the first half in St. Gallen, it appeared Wales were giving goals away as though they were bottles of Prime in Waterloo Station. The reality was that the gulf in quality just proved too stark. England were faster and stronger as they pressed Wales high up the pitch, forcing them into errors early on. Ella Toone's goal highlighted the problem. As Leah Williamson pinged a ball out to Lauren Hemp on the left, the forward saw her cross cut out, but Georgia Stanway pounced as Wales failed to clear their lines fast enough. The ball squeezed through to Alessia Russo, who took the goalkeeper out of the equation before Toone was allowed two attempts at goal before finally hitting the back of the net. At each stage England were faster to react and their six-goal total proved they were simply too much to handle for Wales. It represents the biggest margin of victory at the tournament so far, while Wales' goal difference of minus-11 is the worst on record in the group stages of a women's Euros. But Wales have reason to be proud While the performance left much to be desired on Sunday evening and saw Wales heading home from Switzerland, they have plenty to be proud of from their stint at the tournament. The debutants not only scored their first-ever major tournament goal to equalise early on against France, they managed to repeat the feat against an England side in their stride. Jess Fishlock's pass through to Cain demonstrated the levels Wales can rise to as she played the former Leicester player in behind with a perfectly weighted pass. Cain's finish was equally brilliant as she fired past Hannah Hampton into the far top corner with aplomb. For a first major tournament with a significantly smaller player pool than their opponents, they have not disgraced themselves in the 'group of death' and have given the travelling fans plenty to celebrate. A big win to secure progression from Group D! 🔒🙌 The Red Wall stands strong Despite travelling to Switzerland with a strong possibility that their side may not even win a match, Wales have brought the numbers for their first appearance at a major tournament. Nowhere was that more evident than in St. Gallen where red shirts flooded the city during the day before piling into Kybunpark for what proved to be their final game at the tournament. In fact, despite the gulf in expectations, the Welsh fans brought a 2,400-strong contingent for their allocated section, with plenty more spread out in the neutral seats, compared to the 2,100 sold for England's end. The red, yellow and green bucket hats were in full force, and the Welsh were in customarily fine voice with a goosebump-raising rendition of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. The loudest roar of the night came in the 76th minute when Hannah Cain brilliant strike earnt a late consolation for Wales and gave the wall of red reason enough to commence celebrations.
