I have to admit, Love Island is and always has been my guilty pleasure; I’ve watched most series and enjoyed watching the newly formed relationships play out on the outside. This year however, instead of being a bit of light relief each evening at 9pm, I find myself feeling very uncomfortable as male conversations and behaviours play out.
The behaviour of one Islander last week was particularly difficult to watch as he played two women off against each other ultimately leaving both broken hearted.
Earlier this month Ofcom received over 1000 complaints about the show in just two days stating the complaints were ‘a combination of alleged bullying and misogynistic behaviour by a number of contestants’
Last week, Women’s Aid also spoke out about the show. Communications manager at Women’s Aid, Jessye Werner stated,
“In recent years, Love Island and other forms of reality TV have been repeatedly called out by viewers for allowing in contestants that had a history of abusive, coercive, and manipulative behaviour in previous relationships. As a result, production companies have been more careful when it comes to selecting contestants and calling out toxic behaviours when we see them.
Despite these positive steps, we still see unhealthy patterns of behaviour on these shows, showing just how steeped in misogyny and sexism our society still is. Women are often lied to, slut-shamed and manipulated, as well as laughed at behind their backs.
Misogyny and sexism lay the foundation for the tolerance of abuse and violence – it reinforces a culture that excuses and trivialises violence against women and girls. More must be done to educate contestants on sexism and misogyny, and it is a great credit to viewers who take to social media, continuing to call out these behaviours as soon as they see them.”
Fantastic work is being done each day by Charities such as Cheshire Without Abuse, Womens Aid and Domestic Abuse Experts to raise awareness of domestic abuse and the nuances of what constitutes domestic abuse. It is because of these nuances that we no longer use the term ‘domestic violence’; the effects of repeated verbal and emotional abuse upon a person in the domestic setting where they are supposed to be safe, cannot be underestimated.
In a recent discussion, Saskia Lightburn-Ritchie CEO of Cheshire Without Abuse revealed the stark statistics;
- 2 women a week and 2 men a month are killed by domestic abuse
- 10 of each gender commit suicide a week; half of the men do so to inflict further abuse on their victims
- Only 5% of arrests lead to convictions
- Teen abusers now outnumber adults
- Cheshire is estimated to have 37,000 domestic abuse perpetrators with only a fraction known to authorities
This year in Love Island we have seen repeated examples of the power of the alpha males, male solidarity, gaslighting of women, manipulating behaviours, coercion and control. But what does this say about our society?
The fact that Ofcom have received so many complaints is encouraging; awareness is building and these typed of behaviours will not be tolerated in wider society. There is clearly more to be done.
McAlister Family Law are specialists in the law surrounding domestic abuse and the protective measures available. For advice, reach out to our team at [email protected]
