W.When a contestant registers Island of love, they know that their appearance will become a topic of discussion inside and outside the villa. You could say it's an inevitable side effect of participating in a televised mating ritual for the genetically blessed. But a recent post on TikTok subjected this summer's female islander addition to an uncomfortable new level of scrutiny.
In the video, which has received more than a million likes to date, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Daniel Barrett examines promotional images of four island women who have recently arrived at the villa ( You already know what kind of photos they are referring to: the famous and strange swimsuit photos that have become a rite of passage for every newcomer to the villa). He lists the parts of their faces that he believes have been enhanced through surgery or cosmetic “touch-ups,” before finally trying to guess their ages.
“She's 38, lips, nose… It's obvious some work has been done, in my opinion,” he says of a contestant, only to react in shock when a disembodied voice tells him she's only 25. In fact, all of her assumptions are completely wrong. “This is crazy,” Barrett adds, shaking his head. “Plastic surgery and incorrectly done injections can make you look older, so wow, I was really wrong.” He's not the only person commenting on the cosmetic work the islanders may or may not have had done. Far from it. On Twitter/X, she'll find viewers claiming that the fillers they see on screen have put them off retouching forever.
Whether intentional or not, there is an undercurrent of mockery in many of these posts. It is certainly quite disturbing to see someone whose livelihood is inextricably linked to promoting a certain kind of aesthetic ideal rate and review these women's attempts to achieve that ideal and then deem them to be failing to measure up. Essentially, the islanders are being criticised for having undergone inappropriate, overly obvious and therefore unpleasant treatments. It is a sentiment that reminds us that when it comes to our appearance, women simply cannot win.
By now, it’s widely accepted that social media has had a pretty detrimental impact on our collective self-image. To have access to sites like Instagram and TikTok is to have a constant, seemingly endless stream of photos and videos of people who seem to best fit the conventional beauty standards once propagated primarily in movies and fashion magazines. Unless you have truly astonishing levels of self-esteem, it’s hard not to feel like you’re terribly lacking in something: you’re not thin enough, you have too much bum fat, too many fine lines. And your algorithm will apparently find a way to resurface videos that explore what you can do about these perceived flaws.
It’s no surprise that “touch-ups” – often used as a generic term for non-surgical facial rejuvenation procedures such as Botox and facial fillers – are booming. In 2022, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported that demand for Botox had increased by 124% compared to the previous year, and the overall UK market for injectables is projected to reach £11.7 billion in just two years (our insecurities, it seems, are making other people rich).
In the years since arriving on ITV2, Island of love's casting producers increasingly choose their future contestants from a pool of influencers, who are likely to be very conscious of their own image and how they will appear on screen, whether on an iPhone or our televisions. And even those who have “normal” jobs might believe that a few millimeters of padding could make them feel more confident on camera.
Of course, island of loveMen also play a role in perpetuating a certain image to others: they are both victims and perpetrators. “There really is a horrible, unrealistic expectation that women should look perfect, but they should look perfect naturally,” said former islander Sharon Gaffka. “I had these procedures, I kept going Island of loveand then he was making another young woman feel like she needed these procedures to be considered attractive.” Pre-show touch-ups have become part of the love island narrative, with tabloids clamoring to place old “before” photos alongside newer, more glamorous ones.
I had these procedures, I went on 'Love Island' and then I made another young woman feel like she needed these procedures to be considered attractive.
Former 'Love Island' star Sharon Gaffka
Essentially, women are held to impossible standards when it comes to their appearance and then try to meet them through touch-ups. But when those tweaks are perceived to have failed, they are ridiculed for having tried in the first place and for making that effort too obvious. Because another insidious requirement is that feminine beauty has to be an effort.less. We don't want our celebrities to remind us how exhausting it is to live up to beauty ideals.
Mocking the islanders doesn't really help dismantle any of these standards or ask because They may have felt the need to change their appearance in the first place. He simply berates them uselessly for not having opted for “better” and more subtle treatments. There's also a not-so-subtle dose of classism at play here. Young women who may not have the large amount of disposable income needed to see, say, a Harley Street doctor, are criticized for opting for cheaper treatments with more dramatic results.
Instead of attacking these women with cruelty and brazenness, it would be far more beneficial to question the multi-billion dollar industry that is making money off of them and so many others like them. For example, why is the injection industry still so unregulated? Why aren't professionals who inject fillers and Botox required to have a license or some agreed level of qualification? Mockery is not going to get us out of this impossible predicament.
