Love Island highlights that colourism is still a harsh reality

Casa Amor, on season eight of Love Island USA, wrapped up and was filled with moments that had people talking. We saw the removal of Casa Amor bombshell Alannah Keyser three days after her arrival due to a video and screenshots of her using a racial slur resurfacing. We also saw an explosive recoupling between islander KC Chandler and Casa Amor bombshell Tierra Davis at the expense of islander Aniya Harvey. However, another outstanding moment involved the girls’ pick of the Casa Amor boys they wanted to explore.

Twelve Casa Amor boys arrived at the original villa, giving the remaining six girls a wider variety of men to explore a connection with. When it was time to choose which six boys the girls wanted to keep in the villa, they chose: Carl Lee Schmidt, Gal Tshneider, Dylan Wrona, Chay Nehra, Corey Sawyer Jr. and Ronnie Gunter.

Since Trae Taylor, Tino Ellis, Ryan Ten Hulscher, Kyle Greene, Keyon Harry and Chandlar Wilson were not chosen, they were vulnerable and dumped from the villa. With four of the six men not chosen being dark-skinned Black men, it led to online backlash with Black men, along with some Black women, who feel as if the Black men who were not chosen were snubbed and began to understand colourism and its negative impact.

For far too long, we have seen Black women, especially the melanated ones, be placed on the back burner and/or disrespected while either Black women of a lighter complexion or women of another race are chosen by Black men, who are usually around the same complexion. During the Casa Amor segment of Love Island USA season eight, the girls diversified their options. Their choices led to unnecessary problems, but in the same breath, made people begin to realize the repercussions of colourism.

We have seen this play out a lot throughout the history of the Love Island franchise, as Black women on the USA and UK versions are often overlooked, treated as a backup option and disrespected by Black men on multiple occasions and even men of other races in some cases. This is not only an issue within the Love Island atmosphere. This is a problem that also exists on multiple virtual dating shows, Streeter-style videos and in real life for years. Now that Black women are choosing not to limit their options and give men of other races a fair chance, it is making some of these Black men realize they cannot have their cake and eat it too.

Personally, I do not think this is something people should be making a big deal out of. Black women are allowed to have a preference as well, and it is not like they disrespected the men not chosen, all the while uplifting the ones chosen, something that Black men have done one too many times to Black women.

I am all for people going where they are appreciated and loved correctly, whether it be through Black love or interracial love. What people need to understand is that they cannot put down a group of people over something they cannot help, then act surprised when that same group of people choose to keep their options open.