AFTER five weeks ‘gravitating’ towards the All Stars prize pot, our weary Love Islanders’ masks are starting to slip.
Once voted “most popular girl”, Elma Pazar has since been slammed by fans as the “rudest contestant in history“.
Smirking Elma Pazar swore at Curtis[/caption]
Last night we saw her tell Curtis Pritchard to “shut the f*** up” when tempers reached boiling point over a public vote.
The professional dancer had already faced Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu‘s wrath earlier this series, when she swilled a drink at him for having his head turned by bombshell Danielle Sellers.
More recently, Grace Jackson was guilty of aggressively whispering “shut the f*** up” at Luca Bish after he kissed Samie Elishi during Spin the Bottle. She also turned on Omar Nyame when he got involved, telling him to “shut your mouth”.
Then Grace’s best pal Harriett Blackmore faced heat from the villa for telling Casey O’Gorman to “shut your f***ing mouth” during a tense game of To Be Honest.
Elma’s outburst last night was far from being the worst incident in Love Island history, but it was the latest in a run of aggressive slurs aimed towards the boys with no repercussions.
You can just imagine, if the tables were turned, the girls would be the first to complain if they’d be aggressively sworn at by the opposite sex.
It’s also highly likely Love Island bosses would have stepped in to remind stars of expected behaviour in the villa.
In 2019, Sherif Lanre was axed for accidentally kicking co-star Molly-Mae Hague in the groin during a play fight and then jokingly referring to it as a “c*** punt”.
Since then, Love Island has undergone major reforms to ensure stars’ welfare on and off the show.
I’m always the first to argue reality TV is, in many ways, softer than ever before because what may have aired just ten years ago wouldn’t see the light of day now. And that’s only right.
But what mustn’t be ignored is the intent behind the language used.
It goes without saying the stark difference between dropping the f-bomb and directing it at someone.
However, it feels a sexist double standard for the girls to get away with speaking to the boys like that.
We didn’t even see Ekin-Su get a warning about chucking her drink in the direction of Curtis before storming off.
Maybe the sweltering South African sun has gone to their heads, but perhaps the girls need reminding they are role models to the young people watching this series.
Elma, Harriett, Ekin-Su and Grace all have the opportunity to show arguments can be made without turning the air blue.
Instead, they should show their fans you can prove your point by staying classy, not trashy – maybe just a little bit sassy.
