Today I watched my first episode of Love Island and instantly felt doomed for love’s existence today. Perhaps this is me being dramatic as usual, or the times are very scary. It also doesn’t help that I’m currently reading Communion by bell hooks.

While watching the episode, all I could think about was what she would say about the show, but I also couldn’t help but think of how Toni Morrison would also respond. So here is how I think some of my favorite authors would react to Love Island.

Toni Morrison

What could we expect a bunch of young adults in their 20s to know about love on a show based on sexual attraction? This is not love they are experiencing. They are not even looking for love, though they think they are. Sometimes you have to learn what isn’t love before you can understand what love is. They are living their lives freely, which is what being young is about. We’ve all been young and in heat… we all just haven’t been on television.

bell hooks

Everyone desires love in their lives, but this is centered around patriarchal desires. The women wear swimsuits not because they are on an island, but so the men do not have to imagine the women naked. The women in these relationships are not experiencing genuine love, but rather an illusion of what they believe love is. Sexual attraction should not be ignored, but should not be mistaken for romantic compatibility. Love should never be a competition in an arena for spectacle. 

Alice Walker

Perhaps the two young women who shared a kiss on screen should explore their sexualities together and be open to the idea of love outside of men. I’m sure it would be just as or more fulfilling, and would empower them to explore womanhood, love, and sexuality in a romantic relationship absent of the theatrics. Love is monumental. Though it is important to be sexually enlightened, I doubt much enlightenment is happening while the participants are competing for fame and brand partnerships.

Audre Lorde

This could be a more compelling piece of media if the women were more focused on exploring their sexualities rather than finding love. The idea that these women may find love and wealth simultaneously clouds their ability to fully explore what they may be interested in sexually and gain power from their sexual freedom. If the women explored their sexuality and embraced it in all aspects of their lives, love may find them in ways they never expected.

Nikki Giovanni

There is no problem with these young adults wanting to have sex and being direct with sexual desires toward one another. It’s healthy and important for them to explore sex for themselves, but this is not love. I think the title would be most accurate if they just called it Lust Island.

Maya Angelou

This is just foolish and a mockery of love. There is no shame in wanting to live a sexually liberated life; leave love out of it and focus on the cash prize.