Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PLUG ISLAND
Contestants on dating show endorse dozens of brands on social media
LOVE Island hopeful Lucie Donlan plugged dozens of different labels to her fans BEFORE entering the villa.
The 21-year-old surfer posted messages endorsing brands of swimwear, jewellery and diet supplements on social media ahead of taking part in the ITV2 show.
And she wasn’t the only contestant to promote goods in advance. Fellow reality wannabe Molly-Mae Hague, 20, got in on the act too – posting on Instagram about dozens of brands, from hair extensions to eyelashes.
PROFILES
Both girls, rather than using their personal profiles to document their lives, appear to only post pictures to advertise clothing ranges and fashion brands. Rarely do they feature anyone other than themselves.
The show has faced criticism for bringing on board contestants with so many ties to various businesses. There have been questions raised about people on TV using their social media to push firms.
Stars of other ITV programmes are restricted in what they can promote. Coronation Street actors are not allowed to plug brands. Corrie bosses said the move adhered to Advertising Standard Authority guidelines. A TV source said of the Love Island girls: “This is the scale of the deals they are getting before they even go into the villa. Love Island is the biggest show in town and there’s a huge demand to be associated to it.”
It’s not the first time the show has found itself under scrutiny over advertising. Last year, midway through the series, breast surgery ads were scrapped after a backlash from the public. Critics said it was irresponsible to promote them to impressionable young fans. Cosmetic surgery adverts have been banned during the commercial breaks of the latest series, which kicked off on Monday.
The line-up of singletons this year has been criticised for its lack of body diversity. But Zara McDermott, from last year’s series, said: “As much as body diversity is important, it’s actually about the characters and types of people in there.
“If we focused on body, we wouldn’t necessarily have a good show. We need to focus on their careers, where they’ve come from.”
Fellow Islander Laura Anderson said: “Personality diversity is more important. It’s easy to put blame on a big show. It’s more about personality.”