As a woman, here’s everything I’ve learnt from this year’s Love Island so far

It’s no secret that Love Island isn’t exactly the most moral of TV shows. Every night we watch the Islanders getting up to unspeakable acts, completely unphased by the fact that the entire British population is watching them. But it’s entertainment, and we love it.

Season eight of Love Island has been full of drama, inappropriate dancing, and even the odd “manicure”. Not only has this season been edge-of-your-seat-screaming-at-the-telly level entertainment, it could be argued that the behaviour shown by this year’s cast has been eye-opening for all young women. Here’s what I’ve learned as a woman so far:

Don’t ignore red flags

It’s surprising just how easily boys and girls alike will turn a blind eye to a red flag just because they fancy someone. Take Jacques, for instance. He’s practically been waving his red flags right in front of Paige’s face for weeks, but her pure soul overlooked them, and it’s come back to bite her.

We all do it, think we can be the ones to change someone so we purposely overlook the signs screaming at us to turn our backs, so no one can really blame her. However, if there’s one thing this season has taught us, it’s that when a person’s actions don’t seem right, it’s probably a reflection of who they are deep down – so in short, do not ignore the red flags.

A lot of men don’t understand how to treat women

It’s not all men, even the cast has a few hidden gems. But, Casa Amor has proven that many men do not know how women should be treated. It feels like they see the girls in the villa as objects, barely giving their feelings a second thought and just using them for their own personal gain. A prime example of this is Jacques using Cheyanne for no more than to “test” his feelings toward Paige – both girls being used in different ways by the same guy.

And worst of all? They don’t even seem to know that what they’re doing is wrong. Their reactions to the girls recoupling after they did the exact same thing was honestly shocking. Therefore, ladies, we must keep our wits about us because judging from what we’ve been shown on telly, we’re doing the thinking for two people in these relationships.

Be kind

Not to state the obvious but people can be cruel. And by that I don’t mean put “be kind” in your insta bio and then go and troll someone on Twitter, commit to it. Just search Love Island on Twitter and you’ll find horrible comments about Coco’s appearance or Tasha’s voice. The girls in the villa really back each other up, and that is something we all need to learn to do.

Back yourself

Not in the “oh I look pretty today” sense. Yes, of course, self confidence is key. But in this context, Love Island has proven undoubtedly that if you have a gut feeling, you should trust it. Last night’s recoupling proved that Indiyah and Tasha were right not to trust their men and they did the best thing. But the same goes for Dami and Andrew, at the end of the day they all recoupled so none of them can be annoyed at the other – although it appears Dami and Andrew didn’t get that message.

Wear suncream

The fact that the Islanders are not channelling their inner lobster is impressive. Not many people could spend four weeks sitting outside in the Spanish sun all day and not end up tango-ed. There’s only one explanation: SPF 50+, and a lot of it. This show proves that you should never underestimate the power of high SPF.

You can end a relationship without being disrespectful

You’d think this one goes without saying, but after watching the way our cast handle most things, it seems like no one really understands that there’s a respectful way to speak to someone. You’re not feeling it? Fine, but don’t prove that to your current partner by sneaking kisses on the terrace and crawling away so no one sees. The villa is obviously like stepping into an alternate universe where people lose touch with reality, but how hard is it just to be upfront with a person before you start necking on with your new fling? Treat people how you want to be treated and all that.

Don’t take everything at face value

This one’s as simple as it sounds. As we’ve seen many a time from all the secret chats that the guys are having, and the gross way that Dami treated Casa Amor, quite often the things being said to your face are not the same as what’s being said behind your back. This year’s Islanders have proven point blank how easy it is to manipulate a person with your words, so it’s down to you to take everything with a pinch of salt and evaluate what’s really meant.

Love Island 2022 continues on ITV2 at 9pm tonight. For all the latest Love Island news and gossip and for the best memes and quizzes, like The Holy Church of Love Island on Facebook.

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