Love Island USA has been a summer tradition for the better part of a decade. The reality dating competition series originated in the UK before a US version was commissioned in 2018, and the first episode of Love Island USA premiered in 2019. Since then, we’ve been in a borderline toxic relationship with the show, swearing it off one week and singing its praises the next. For all of the steamy challenges and Shonda Rhimes-level romances fostered on the show, there are also a lot of reasons to critique Love Island USA, and especially its fandom, as it has become a breeding ground for anti-Blackness and racism, primarily targeted toward its Black female participants.
Legacy media and microaggressions
Post-show hate is not a new concept, and when Black women are platformed in any capacity, racism is nearly inevitable. But this season, the hate escaped the typical bounds of intercomunal fandoms and bigoted social media posts. Prominent influencers, brands, and even publications have made it their business to pile onto, misrepresent and promote abuse toward Black islanders.
Following the “Heart Rate” challenge during episode 24, Chelley Bissainthe found herself on the receiving end of some extremely odd backlash from all pockets of the internet.
After being upset by Mustafa’s actions, Chelley told Huda that she would rather speak to her the next day, so she wouldn’t say something she didn’t mean in the heat of her emotions.
Following this, BuzzFeed’s Tasty shared a post saying they would serve Chelley a “Knuckle Sandwich” for breakfast following the challenger. People were quick to call out BuzzFeed for inciting violence against Black women, and even though the publication issued an apology, the damage was already done.
To make matters worse, Time posted an Instagram reel bashing Bissainthe’s “Toxic Interruptions” and misquoted her, saying that she told islander Huda Mustafa to “save it” when Mustafa was trying to apologize after the heart rate challenge. This was not what Chelley said, and Time later corrected the misquote.
But the implication that Chelley was a good example for poor communication, given that her approach to the situation was perhaps one of the most transparent displays of conflict resolution, was an abhorrent mistake because, if anything, Chelley displayed some of the best communication on the show. Following the challenge, Chelley told Huda that she would rather speak to her the next day, so she wouldn’t say something she didn’t mean in the heat of her emotions.
‘Love Island USA’ as a microcosm for US politics
Both Olandria and Chelley have also been the subject of several racist memes and problematic imagery, and the show has yet to put out a statement condemning the anti-Black racism afflicting the cast.
Hate is par for the course when it comes to reality TV, and there are boundaries and protocols set in place to help the contestants navigate post-villa transgressions. But to see major publications and brands jump on the chance to misrepresent and vilify Black women highlights a rise in the tide of anti-Blackness.
It is quite clear that these institutions feel emboldened to unveil their thinly veiled racism and bigotry because there is a growing population of the public that will receive these transgressions with open arms. It’s deeper than reality TV. Love Island USA and shows like it exist as a microcosm of the world we live in, and legacy publications jumping in on these microaggressions are, above all else, a sign of the times.
