I said I'd never watch Love Island, but I gave in this year when I was sitting with my sister whilst she was watching it and I just had to know whether Lucy would pick Joe or Tommy...(she picked Joe by the way).

I have to say, it's quite interesting, not just because of the drama, but also because of the Islanders' behaviour. As a feminist, of course I observed the show from a feminist point of view.

Whilst there were some 'yesss things are finally changing for our generation' moments, there were also some 'are we living in the 18th Century?' moments.

Here are some fabulous feminist and some 'we still have work to do' moments that I picked up on whilst watching Love Island 2019:

Top 4 Feminist Moments on Love Island 2019 

 

1. A true bromance expresses emotions

When Tommy and Curtis went to the roof to have a private chat about their bromance, they hugged it out and even shared a quick peck on the lips. Let's face it, if this had happened 10 years ago, they probably would have been called 'gay' as if it were a bad thing. It was honestly refreshing to see 2 guys expressing their love for one another and celebrating a strong bromance.

 

 

2. Girls like sex too

Maura is not shy about her enjoyment for sex and we praise her for it. We also love how she stands her ground. Comedian, Katherine Ryan, has even called Maura a 'feminist icon'!

 

3. Boys cry too

When Ana made the decision to send George home, Ovie was devastated. The man who constantly talks about how he's a 'proud man' shed a few tears when his good friend George left the villa. Ovie even encouraged Michael to have a cry when Joanna left the villa. 

'Macho' men can cry too and we are here for it. 

 

 

4. The first 'plus-size' woman in Love Island...

People were both shocked and excited that Love Island were introducing their first plus-sized woman to the villa, but when my sister and I watched it, we didn't know who the plus-sized woman was. We had to Google it, and when we found out it was Ana we thought '...but she's not plus-size?!' From what I can see, Ana is taller and more curvy than the other girls and has a Kim K-like figure. She has a beautiful healthy body, I'm not sure if that qualifies for plus-size...

 

The not-so-feminist moments

 

1. Girls still feel threatened by one another

From what I observed, it seemed that the girls often asked the guys 'if another girl walked in, would your head turn?' It suggests that there's still a mentality that it's expected for boys to mess around with multiple girls at one time, whilst girls feel threatened by other girls and compete on looks.

 

2. Locker room talk is still a thing

Maura overheard Tom slagging her off to the guys, and she did not hold back her anger. Maura shouted at Tom, rightly so, but gave him another chance. Some of the guys spoke to Maura after, excusing Tom's behaviour as 'guy talk', but in reality it's not just 'guy talk', it's a reflection of how men treat women. Guys need to stop being excused for their behaviour because 'boys will be boys'.

I always say, if a guy can't respect a woman behind her back, he won't respect her to her face.

 

 

3. Women are not property

Ana had a dilemma about whether to choose Jordan or Ovie (first world problems ay), so she had a chat with Ovie when she realised that her feelings swayed more towards Jordan. The conversation escalated quickly into an argument when Ovie stormed off, shouting at Jordan 'you can have her. She's all yours'. In girl world, this translates to 'this woman now belongs to you, I don't want her anymore'. Amber stepped up and told off Ovie, telling him 'you can't say stuff like that'. Tut tut Ovie.

 

4. No means no

'Consent' is a topic often talked about in feminism and the phrase 'no means no' is a common phrase within that conversation. Statistics show that it's mostly women who are victims to sexual harassment/abuse, but in the Love Island villa, it was Maura who wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. Maura sat on top of Tommy despite him telling her multiple times that he didn't want to kiss her. Not cool Maura!

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Have you been watching love Island this year? Have you observed any proud feminist moments? Lets us know in the comment box below!