Lord knows we need more body diversity amongst the Love Island set – we've had an entire summer of washboard abs, toned arms and perfectly round bums. So it's refreshing to see former contestant Alexandra Cane – who starred in the series in 2018 – proudly putting her "cute and normal rolls" on display in an Instagram video.
"Because rolls are cute & very normal," she wrote alongside the video, which showed her stretching out her stomach and then bending over to show the rolls. "Happy Wednesday you lovely lot. Be kind to yourself today!"
Don't get me wrong – the rolls are barely even rolls and she has a realllyyyy flat stomach. But it's absolutely a start in a world where body diversity doesn't really exist…
I was SO excited to see the new Love Island line-up at the beginning of this summer. This HAD to be the year that we were going to see some body shape diversity… Right? I would have banked on ITV bosses making sure there was more representation – we're more aware of the negative impact that the media's impossible beauty standards have on young women than ever and, crucially, the average UK woman is a size 16.
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But while she, this average UK woman, is ready to see cellulite, tummy rolls and jiggly arms on such a popular, widespread TV show, it seems that the media is not – ITV creative director Richard Cowles recently revealed that the reason Love Island tends to display only one kind of physique is because non-slim contestants might be deemed less attractive to other contestants.
"I think we try to be as representative and diverse as possible," he said. "It has to come back first and foremost – it's an entertainment show and it's about people wanting to watch people we've got on screen and then reacting and falling in love with one another.
"Yes we want to be as representative as possible but we also want them to be attracted to each other."
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Eek. I'm pretty sure I don't have to explain how problematic this is – people of all shapes and sizes are attracted to people of all different shapes and sizes so this makes no sense and also perpetuates the toxic thinking that you will only find things like happiness and love if you are slim.
OK, I've gone on a slight rant here, but you get my point – Alexandra's post may not be ground-breaking but it's a much-needed start. Hopefully, the rest of the former contestants will join Alexandra in celebrating their natural bodies, too, and next year's Love Island line-up will look a little different.
