Love Island’s Julia is in her first major controversy and I’m actually so disappointed

Love Island winner Julia is in her first real controversy after a recent Instagram Story post, and this one is hard to ignore.

Content warning: The following article may be triggering for those recovering from an eating disorder. 

Cassa girl Julia took the villa by storm this summer, stirring up drama with several other Islanders. She became a lot of people’s controversial fave and went on to win with Lorenzo.

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A post shared by 𝑱𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒂 (@juliamayska)

Fresh out of the villa, she’s managed to stay out of drama – until now. Multiple people have pointed out an intense post she shared on her Instagram Story just yesterday, and lots of her supporters are disappointed.

In the picture, Julia is lifting up a hoodie to show her stomach and has an iced coffee in between her legs. Many have called this out as body checking, which is when people show off their body size on social media. It’s a popular trend in the online eating disorder community.

“She’s done this several times now,” one person on Reddit said. “This stuff is so icky especially with so many celebs/ influencers being on ozempic and peptides and how being overly thin is glamorised nowadays.”

going onto Instagram just to see julia from love island actively bodychecking with her iced coffee pic.twitter.com/OswZYmdGWA

— mae (@fawnsdear) August 12, 2026

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“Anyone who doesn’t think this is body checking hasn’t seen online ED spaces. She may not be fully conscious of what she’s doing but it’s perpetuating harmful behaviour regardless,” another added.

“It looks cute but it also could be straight off someone’s thinspo Pinterest board and that’s an issue.”

Body checking and similar habits have become a hot topic as people discuss the rise in thinness in celebrities and influencers.

In an article on body checking on social media, Altum explained why it’s so dangerous..

“Engaging in body checking can lead to serious psychological effects, particularly for those who are recovering from eating disorders or have a history of body image issues,” they said.

“Combine this with the way social media platforms are designed and how content is curated, and you have a dangerous mix.”

Julia hasn’t acknowledged the controversy as of yet.