Love Island’s statement about body diversity is pretty divisive

Here’s everything you need to know…

It’s that time of the year again. The evenings are getting longer, our wardrobes are getting more colourful and summer TV is finally here. Yes, we’re obviously talking about Love Island 2019, with series 5 already proving to be full of drama.

The show has only been going for a fortnight and it’s already making a lot of headline news. From Sherif’s exit and accusations of Amy’s bullying of Lucie, to Joe being used by Women’s Aid as an example of emotional abuse - it has been non-stop.

One of the most talked-about aspects of series 5 however has been the body diversity - or lack thereof, with viewers questioning the lack of relatable body types, with the slim Anna Vakili assumed by some to be this year’s ‘plus sized’ offering.

‘The producers of Love Island think this slim woman counts as their new token “plus size” contestant? Are they drunk?’ posted Jameela Jamil to her Twitter.

Love Island have since responded to the demands for more body diversity, and it’s pretty controversial.

‘First and foremost, it’s an entertainment show and it’s about people wanting to watch who you’ve got on screen falling in love with one another,’ announced Love Island creative director Richard Cowles in an interview with RadioTimes.com. ’Yes, we want to be as representative as possible but we also want them to be attracted to one another.’

Yup, we told you it was divisive.

Richard continued: ‘Also, we’re not saying that everyone that’s in there is how you’re supposed to look. We’re saying here’s a group of people that we want to watch for eight weeks, and we want to watch them fall in love. That’s not at the front of our mind, but we do want to be as diverse as possible.’

Hmmmm.