From ‘normalising’ surgery & sex talk to catchphrases & big money deals, how 10 years of Love Island has shaped the UK
IN 2015, 12 twentysomething singles walked into a Majorcan villa for the very first time – and viewers fell head over heels for Love Island.
The premise was simple: couple up and don’t get dumped, to win £50,000.
Ten years on, psychologist Dr Louise Goddard-Crawley says: “Love Island rewired the way we think about love, attraction and even language. It normalised enhanced beauty.”
With the 12th series kicking off next Monday, here we look at how the show shaped the nation.
SKIMPIER SWIMWEAR
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THE Islanders’ clothes — or lack of — made us reassess our own poolside wardrobes.
Thongs stole the show in 2018, with contestants including Laura Anderson and Georgia Steel wearing the painful-looking cheese-string variety.
Sales of thong bikinis subsequently soared as the nation got on board.
But a family-friendly pool in Lincolnshire banned customers from wearing “thongs or see-through” garments, dubbing it the “Love Island effect”.
In 2019, Molly-Mae Hague and Yewande Biala helped spark an underboob revolution, while 2022 contestant, Antigoni Buxton, inspired us to turn swimwear tops on their head, with searches for “upside-down bikini” rising by 203 per cent.
Sun Fashion Editor Clemmie Fieldsend says: “At the start of each series I’m hit with a barrage of emails from retailers reading, ‘Get the Love Island look’ as they all quickly roll out the on-trend swimwear for that year.”
MAKE-UP RITUALS
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AS well as putting their love lives under the spotlight, the Islanders revealed their beauty hacks.
In 2018, Dani Dyer brushed her false eyelashes with a spoolie and blasted them with a hairdryer to give them a fluffy look.
The following summer, Molly-Mae sparked the top-knot trend after she gave a tutorial on how to achieve her trademark hairdo, while in the show’s Beach Hut.
And last year, Ella Thomas changed the way we cleanse our faces when she blew on a cotton pad soaked in micellar water — causing the liquid to foam.
A TikTok video on the tip has 13.8million views.
THE LOVE ISLE LOOK
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BOOB jobs, fillers, Botox — you name it, a Love Island contestant has had it.
Every summer, fans take to Google to see what islanders looked like before their tweakments, with bombshell Megan Barton-Hanson’s transformation one of the most talked about.
The “Love Island Effect” has been blamed for a boom in the number of women — many of them young or even teenagers — seeking cosmetic procedures.
One plastic surgeon said that requests for dermal fillers increased twelve-fold after last year’s series. Demand for other tweakments at High Street salons is up 31 per cent in five years.
However, many former contestants such as Molly-Mae and Shaughna Phillips have had their filler dissolved.
And series two’s Malin Andersson, has given up Botox.
TOXIC ISLANDERS
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THE show has made headlines over the years for demonstrating the problematic and toxic behaviour of both men and women.
In 2019, domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid accused Adam Collard of “gaslighting” Rosie Williams by denying he was flirting with Zara McDermott, who he later ended up with.
Similarly, in 2022 the charity was “forced” to speak to ITV after being tagged by viewers in social media posts criticising Luca Bish for his “misogynistic and controlling behaviour” towards screen partner Gemma Owen.
Contestants have also faced bullying claims.
Earlier this year, media watchdog Ofcom received thousands of complaints about All Stars contestant Elma Pazar’s “alleged bullying” of co-star Ekin-Su Culculoglu during an argument.
However, the pair were soon shown working through their fall-out before making up.
THE LINGO
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REMEMBER the time when “muggy” referred to the weather and “my type on paper” was just a font?
The show’s catchphrases have left a lasting impression on the English language.
“The ick”, made popular by Olivia Attwood, was added to the Cambridge Dictionary in 2024, defined as “a sudden feeling of dislike or loss of attraction towards someone or something”.
Linguist and interpreter Ana Clarke says the show’s own lingo has even helped British men drop the stiff upper lip and better express emotions.
She said: “Now we see younger males talking about their feelings. They talk about ‘my type on paper’, ‘being mugged off’, ‘keeping their options open’.
“They often talk about relationships and use the word ‘journey’.”
Other terms popularised by the show include “pied” (to be dumped); “it is what it is” (that’s the situation); “putting all my eggs in their basket” (focusing on one person); and “melt” (liking someone so much that you don’t mind embarrassing yourself to prove it).
MENTAL HEALTH
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SADLY, Love Island has been hit by a number of tragedies, which highlighted how reality TV shows that thrive on conflict and emotions can harm the mental health of contestants.
After the suicides of former Islanders Sophie Gradon (series two) and Mike Thalassitis (series three) and presenter Caroline Flack within a period of 20 months, ITV was thrown into turmoil.
Bosses introduced new duty-of-care protocols including pre-show psych-ological and medical assessments, training on social media impacts and ongoing support both during and after the programme aired.
Following Caroline’s shock death early 2020, Love Island and its sponsor JustEat replaced advertising with messages from charity Samaritans.
PR expert Nick Ede said: “ITV understood that they do have a duty of care. They put in place stringent guidelines to really support each of the contestants.
“After Caroline, it was important for them to support their viewers as well.”
A STAR IS BORN
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A BEVVY of beauties have found fame on the show — becoming some of the our most talked about and successful celebs.
Even the losers have walked away winners thanks to lucrative brand deals or showbiz gigs.
Nick Ede says: “They are kind of relatable. Millions feel they could be with them or be on Love Island.” Season five runner-up Molly-Mae has been the most successful influencer.
She has made an estimated £6million from deals with Pretty Little Thing, L’Oreal and Beauty Works.
She now has a daughter with her Love Island boyfriend boxer Tommy Fury, her own clothing line and a docuseries with Amazon Prime Video.
Ovie Soko, Dani Dyer and Kem Cetinay also raked it in from brand deals.
Alex and Olivia Bowen have a son and are worth almost £10million, mainly due to sponsored Instagram deals. Maura Higgins has fashion and beauty deals and hosts a US Love Island spin-off.
Olivia Attwood makes document-aries and a podcast.
Amber Davies is a West End star.
FASHION FOOTPRINT
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CUT-OUT dresses and co-ords and, for men, spray-on jeans were all popularised on the show.
The early seasons’ contestants were dressed by sponsors including fast-fashion retailers I Saw It First and Missguided, but it soon sparked a backlash.
In 2022, the show made headlines by announcing it would now dress the Islanders in pre-owned outfits from eBay, to promote more sustainable shopping habits.
PR expert Nick Ede said it was a savvy move by ITV to appeal to eco-conscious Gen Z.
“It opened them up to a whole new generation,” says Nick. “We know younger audiences are more conscious when it comes to clothing.”
ONE SIZE FITS ALL
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YOU can’t deny there is a stereotypical Love Island look.
While the show has included contestants such as Tasha Ghouri, who is deaf and wears a cochlear implant, raising awareness around her disability, it has been criticised for failing to include any plus-size contestants.
Dating coach Eimear Draper says: “TV shows such as Love Island are putting a huge amount of pressure on beauty standards. For those who already struggle with self- esteem, this is concerning.”
Eimear, founder of Kindling Dating, adds: “All the women look the same with their bikinis, tanned skin and long, flowing hair.
“The Love Island guys likeChris Hughes are all hunks. They are buff. They, too, are tanned and tattooed.”
Young blokes have been warned by the group UK Anti-Doping not to resort to performance-enhancing drugs to achieve “ripped” physiques,
Periodically, Love Island has also been accused of tokenism, with often only one or two black contestants each series. Last year, Mimii Ngulube and Josh Oyinsan became the first black couple to be crowned winners.
LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX
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IN the early days, the show was a bit of a bonkfest.
Ofcom received complaints about one couple getting busy in front of their rival housemates in series two.
And Miss Great Britain Zara Holland was stripped of her pageant title after getting it on with Alex Bowen.
Series three winners Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies were also at it like rabbits.
In 2018, producers decided to stop showing sex scenes. Nowadays, you might just get a glimpse of a headboard banging or happy feet under the sheets.
But experts reckon the show has, in some ways, sexually empowered women.
Therapist Sergio Rebelo says: “Many women on the show are unafraid to talk about their bodies and sexuality. This can encourage others to discuss their own sexuality.”
Case in point: Maura Higgins talking about which of the men gave her “fanny flutters”.
Then there’s ex-stripper Megan Barton-Hanson, who was on Love Island in 2018 and later paired up with Ann Summers to launch her own range of sex toys.
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