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Editor's Letter: Like Many Black Women, I'm Finding It Difficult To Watch Love Island

I had never watched a single episode of Love Island until a week ago. I didn’t even start watching out of curiosity, although I will admit Black Twitter gave me a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out). I actually started watching for work reasons. As a new full time freelance journalist, my job isn’t just to start conversations, but to react to them. I saw numerous think pieces flying around the internet about the reality show, from how bodies are perceived, to the multiple pieces on how race can affect of your chances of being seen as attractive. So I decided to bite the bullet and tune into a show that I thought I had no interest in. 

When I began watching the show, my husband kept questioning why anyone would be entertained in the show. At first, I agreed, but within 20 mins we were glued to the screen. It was actually fascinating to listen to the conversations those in the house were having and the premises on how the islanders judged how attractive someone was. We decided to catch up on previous episodes, so we could understand the back stories of each character and most importantly, every relationship.