Love Island’s response to the lack of body diversity among this year’s contestants has not gone down well with viewers.
As the show has continued to grow in popularity, many have taken issue with the fact that each year, the contestants tend to all have a similar body type, and what message about body image this might send to those watching.
With the new line-up featuring the usual mix of slim women and muscular men, eyebrows were raised among those hoping for a broader spectrum in terms of how the contestants look.
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The new cast of Love Island
ITV/Shutterstock
Love Island’s creative director Richard Cowles has now responded to this, but his statement has not been well-received.
Speaking at a press conference in Mallorca, Spain, he said: “First and foremost, it’s an entertainment show and it’s about people wanting to watch who you’ve got on screen falling in love with one another.
“Yes, we want to be as representative as possible but we also want them to be attracted to one another.”
He added: “We’re not saying that everyone that’s in there is how you’re supposed to look. We’re saying here’s a group of people that we want to watch for eight weeks, and we want to watch them fall in love. That’s not at the front of our mind, but we do want to be as diverse as possible.”
One line in particular from his response (yep, it’s the “we want them to be attracted to one another” bit) has already been heavily criticised on social media...
A rep for the show previously said: “When casting for Love Island, we always strive to reflect the age, experiences and diversity of our audience and this year is no exception with a cross section of different personalities and backgrounds in the villa.”
Love Island returns to our screens on Monday 3 June at 9pm on ITV2.
Love Island Contestants 2019
Yewande Biala(01 of12)
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Age: 23
From: Dublin, Ireland
Occupation: Scientist
She says: "I think people may be surprised. Every time I say that I’m a scientist, people are shocked. I think there are loads of intelligent people on reality television." (credit:ITV)
Lucie Donlan(02 of12)
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Age: 21
From: Newquay
Occupation: Surfer
She says: "I stand out and I’m different to the usual girls that might go on the show. I’m more into sports as well as being glam. I can do both, which makes me stand out compared to other girls. I’m more of a guy’s girl than a girl’s girl."
Claim to fame: "The last guy I was with was Charlie [Frederick] from last year’s Love Island. We got together a few weeks after he came out of the villa." (credit:ITV)
Amber Gill(03 of12)
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Age: 21
From: Newcastle
Occupation: Beauty therapist
She says: "I like tall guys who are muscly and athletic, I like people that go to the gym because that’s what I like. I want someone who is funny and that I can have fun with and doesn’t take themselves too seriously because I am daft."
Claim to fame: "I know a few of the former Islanders from Newcastle, like Adam Collard and Ellie Brown. Everyone knows everyone in Newcastle!" (credit:ITV)
Amy Hart(04 of12)
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Age: 26
From: Worthing, Sussex
Occupation: Cabin crew
She says: "I I have weird celebrity crushes like David Walliams and Simon Cowell. You’d never go there obviously but there is something about them."
Claim to fame: "I went on a night out once and Liam from One Direction was there. We were in the VIP bit and so was he and he walked past me and I smiled and he said ‘Hey, you alright? What’s your name?’ He told us to come and sit in his booth and we had a picture together." (credit:ITV)
Anna Vakili(05 of12)
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Age: 28
From: London
Occupation: Pharmacist
She says: "I’m difficult to handle, I’m a drama queen and I overreact. I’m clumsy and I’m a messy eater. I spill my drinks all the time. I’m stubborn as well, if I’m in a mood then it’s really hard to get me out of the mood."
Claim to fame: "I ended up on the Iranian News earlier this year when my sister and I were away in Qatar with two Iranian footballers who have a huge following. Suddenly my followers went up by 20,000 and I started being tagged in fan pages!" (credit:ITV)
Anton Danyluk(06 of12)
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Age: 24
From: Airdrie, Scotland
Occupation: Gym owner
He says: "That’s a medical condition that I have… a wandering eye! I’ve never really been loyal in any of my relationships. My last relationship, I actually got caught cheating for the first time in my life and it changed everything for me. I saw how much it hurt her and what it did to her. So, for me going to into Love Island, it’s going to be the biggest test of my life." (credit:ITV)
Tommy Fury(07 of12)
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Age: 20
From: Manchester
Occupation: Boxer
He says: "I won’t be afraid to go and have a splash about in the pool, I’ll mingle with people and find out about everyone because at the end of the day I’ll be living with these people for a long time so it’ll be nice to see if I have a bromance in there, along with a relationship. It’s nice to be a bit standoutish."
Claim to fame: "It’s probably my brother, Tyson, but I’m my own man and I’ve said it throughout my whole boxing career. I don’t want to be labelled as his little brother, I’m my own man and I’m doing the best that I can do in life and that’s all I’m setting out to achieve." (credit:ITV)
Joe Garratt(08 of12)
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Age: 22
From: South east London
Occupation: Catering company owner
He says: "I’ve only had one girlfriend. I knew her locally but I think we started chatting through social media. I meet people in bars, that’s my go-to."
Claim to fame: "I used to play semi-professional rugby." (credit:ITV)
Michael Griffiths(09 of12)
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Age: 27
From: Liverpool
Occupation: Firefighter
He says: "I get complimented on my smile a lot. People seem to be obsessed with my lips. I’d rate myself ten out of ten, I would have said nine but I’m a hero so it bumps it up." (credit:ITV)
Sherif Lanre(10 of12)
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Age: 20
From: London
Occupation: Chef and semi-pro rugby player
He says: "I’m upbeat and cheeky and outrageous with my own friends so hopefully that continues in the villa. I’m always on a mission to make people laugh.That’ll be of value in there." (credit:HuffPost UK)
Callum MacLeod(11 of12)
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Age: 28
From: South Wales
Occupation: Aircraft engineer
He says: "I would say my best feature is my tan - give me an hour and I am golden." (credit:ITV)
Curtis Pritchard(12 of12)
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Age: 23
From: Shropshire
Occupation: Ballroom and Latin dancer
He says: "I have lived a very sheltered life because of my dancing, I’ve not done a lot of going out partying, going on dates because I haven’t had time to. Being truthful I’ve probably been on less than ten dates, maybe five dates. I have never met anyone online, I’ve never used a dating app."
Claim to fame: "I would say my claim to fame is that I’m on Dancing with the Stars Ireland and AJ Pritchard from Strictly Come Dancing is my brother." (credit:ITV)