This summer, millions tuned in to watch season 7 of Love Island USA, the reality show that has been dominating TV screens, social media, and the minds of teenagers and adults worldwide. By summer’s end, the show had become the most-watched original series in Peacock’s history.
In the series, conventionally attractive singles arrive at a beautiful island villa to compete for love and a grand prize of $100,000. The singles “couple up” with each other in a bid to find potential love, compete in social games and challenges, and go on dates, all while facing the constant threat of elimination. Additional twists and turns, like votes from the public and “hot new bombshells” (new contestants who arrive unexpectedly) entering the villa further intensify the drama and romance.
Love Island USA is undoubtedly entertaining. To many, it is harmless and rich with glamour, drama, and entertainment. The show gives fans a sense of community: Not only does season 7 have a record-breaking 8.8 billion viewing minutes on Peacock — the series also has 4.2M followers on Instagram and 3.2M on TikTok.
But beneath the trendy surface, the flashy and competitive way Love Island USA presents the concept of love sparks a larger question: Is it just a fun sleepover binge-watch, or does it affect the way that teenagers understand love? Two months after the last episode dropped, we asked high schoolers — some of whom wished to remain anonymous to discuss the hot-button issue of love — and heard a range of takes on what the show teaches young people about romance.
Some students interviewed for this story believe the show models certain aspects of romantic relationships positively. The show has begun increasingly showcasing diverse romantic pairings across personality types, sexualities and ethnicities, despite still being foundationally heteronormative. As an anonymous 10th grader from University School of Nashville noted: “So many people from different backgrounds come together, and it’s really interesting to see unlikely couples form strong relationships with each other.” As another example, Johnnie Garcia and Kassy Castillo shared the show’s first same-sex kiss in season 5, a viral moment that brought fans together and indicated the series’s increasing inclusivity.
When it comes to how the show depicts communication in romantic relationships, students interviewed were split. When 9th grader Maddie Thomas from Harpeth Hall School was asked about communication in the show, she said, “I think they have great communication, especially when they pull each other aside for chats to try to express their thoughts and opinions about their relationship.” Communication is vital in romantic relationships, as shown by a study by the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center in which communication ranked as the most important factor for a happy marriage. But an anonymous 9th grader from Ensworth School, on the other hand, worried that Love Island USA models surface-level communication. They pointed out that the characters repeatedly ask each other “what’s your type?” and “where’s your head at?” — questions that lean into flirtation and drama, instead of delving deeper to form strong connections and get to know each other.
Some students interviewed for this story expressed concern about the series’s emphasis on appearance. It’s a common point of discussion among viewers that the show displays unrealistic beauty standards for women and men, with most characters having fit bodies and conventionally attractive faces. In fact, this shallow way of evaluating a potential connection is built into the structure of the show: The first “coupling up” process is based purely on who the contestants think are hottest.
This need to be attractive in order to advance and find love infuses the show, as an anonymous 9th grader from Franklin Road Academy noted. “I think it’s really negative how, when they wear more revealing clothes, they get more attention from guys,” she said. Another anonymous 11th grader from Harpeth Hall worried about the impact this focus on appearance may have on young viewers, saying,“I think other girls, especially younger ones, may think that since the most beautiful girls on Love Island get chosen first when they couple up [officially choose another character as a romantic partner], finding love in the real world depends on looking pretty.” Some students also felt the most sexually charged moments in the show — where maximizing attraction is the goal — were a bit much. An anonymous 10th grader from University School of Nashville who is a loyal fan of the show, said that: “The heart rate challenge in Season 6 where they try to get each other’s heart rates up made me really uncomfortable.”
So is the record-breakingly popular show a fun drama that brings people together and encourages open communication and diversity, or does it present love to teenagers as something to be defined by beauty, drama, and competition? As with real love, the picture is complicated. While there are both pros and cons to watching Love Island, the show certainly sparks larger questions about how we define love in modern life and popular media.
