The Sneaky Gen Z Conservatism Infecting Love Island USA Season Seven

Words: Kaitlin Stevens

It seems like no matter where you turn, you can’t escape the discourse around how Gen Z is sex negative, prudish, even puritanical. That attitude has now invaded the Love Island USA villa in Fiji, by way of both the Gen Z participants on the show and the audience – and it’s not doing the show, rooted in fun and lighthearted promiscuity shared between young, hot people, any good. 

While Love Island has been a cornerstone of reality TV in the UK and internationally since 2015, the USA version didn’t really take off until Season 6 aired in the summer of 2024. With new host Ariana Madix bringing in viewers, UK favorite Iain Stirling narrating, and a move to Peacock that allowed for more racy content, coupled with a once-in-a-lifetime cast, a perfect storm was created. Viewership took off, making the show a runaway hit. All that said, this summer’s season 7 was highly anticipated by many, but quite early on, it became clear that things were not going to be the same.

Before the season even started, fans looked into the cast’s public social media profiles, where they concluded that some had problematic digital footprints; namely Yulissa, a Cuban-American woman from Miami who loudly and proudly rode for Donald Trump on her TikTok, used racial slurs in podcasts she appeared on, and ended up unceremoniously getting the boot before episode two even aired. But even with her gone, elements of conservatism lurked among the remaining Islanders, especially in the ways that some Islanders were touting puritanical values.
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When the woman contestants arrived at the villa, they discussed what they hoped to gain from the experience, and many mentioned finding a husband – not necessarily the typical pursuit of a Love Islander. In many Love Island intro videos from earlier seasons, when girls are asked what they’re looking for, they keep things more surface level, like “someone tall, dark, and handsome with tattoos.” But one Season 7 girl, Belle-A, mentioned that she was a Christian and was looking for someone who shared her values. During the first episode, when girls were asked to kiss boys they’d be interested in coupling up with, Belle-A refused to kiss any of them on the lips, offering her cheek instead. A game played during the second episode revealed details about the Islanders’ dating and sexual history, like how many people they’d slept with, and Belle-A was excited to have this opportunity to show off how pure she was, shouting the lyric, “Can’t get no coochie out this queen!” when her body count was revealed to be just one.

When bombshell Cierra arrived and stole Belle-A’s partner, Nic, he tested his connection with both girls (which involved some steamy makeout sessions) ahead of the next recoupling. Stressed about his pending decision, Belle-A confided in fellow Islander Huda, calling herself a “high-value” person, a term popularised in male red-pill podcasts referring to women with low body counts. At the recoupling, Nic chose Cierra thus getting Belle-A dumped from the island. “I know it’s not my loss, and the prettiest thing about me is my heart,” she stated before making her exit from the villa. Fans online were upset to see her go, a surprising reaction considering she was only in the villa for a few days, with one fan even starting a Change.org petition to get her back on the show, currently boasting over 49,000 signatures. One tweet from a Belle-A supporter with 15,000 likes reads, “Belle-A is an example of why you don’t compromise your morals for a man. Started kissing and being sexual just to not get picked!! Lessons to be learned girls.”

During the show’s first week, one Love Island USA viewer on TikTok made a video suggesting that this season was a litmus test for what brands of Conservatism the audience is okay with, which has proven to be true. Outward support of Donald Trump? Not okay.

“Shaming women for sexual liberation? Not a problem!”

The push and support for chastity and staying with the same partner skewed perception so much that Islander Huda was largely excused and justified by fans in the wake of displaying frankly abusive and toxic behavior. Huda was territorial over her partner Jeremiah from the first day, staking her claim and cursing out any bombshell who came in and simply participated in a challenge. When America voted to re-couple Jeremiah with a new bombshell, Iris, Huda became irate and verbally harassed and berated Jeremiah for days on end, sucking all the good energy out of the villa with her stormy nature and earning the nickname “Hurricane Huda.” The same viewers who supported Huda’s behavior have simultaneously cast judgment on other girls in the villa who dared to explore multiple connections, like Hannah, who was initially a fan favourite. After crying over her partner Charlie being dumped, Hannah was criticised for getting to know bombshell Pepe, who America voted to couple her up with. The judgment led to her being in the bottom three of viewer favourite girls and made her vulnerable for elimination. When Hannah was shockingly dumped by her fellow female Islanders, viewers online claimed it was what she deserved for getting intimate with Pepe.

At its core, Love Island is a show about being young, hot and single, and hooking up with other hot, young single people on a tropical vacation. The first season of the UK version was full of smoking, swearing, and sex. While regulations and complaints had many of these rules changed, the ethos of the UK’s version has still remained the same.

Last year, Vox columnist Rebecca Jennings pointed to American values being a reason why the show failed to launch in the USA before Season 6. It’s an observation I myself have inadvertently alluded to in conversations about why Love Island has always been my preferred dating reality show – because it’s a show about dating and having fun that isn’t forcing participants into marriage, like The Bachelor or Love Is Blind. It’s not called Marriage Island. It’s even a bit ironic, considering many couples who meet on Love Island build long-lasting relationships, get married, and have children together. I’ve always argued that the freedom to explore connections without being forced into commitment by the show’s structure is why they have such a high success rate.

But as America trends towards a more conservative landscape, the ages of the contestants on marriage-end-goal shows keep getting lower, and reality shows like The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives have blown up to a surprising degree. Trad-wife content has been trending for a while, and this year, Trump is back in office, bringing along even more rolled back freedoms than we’d bargained for.

There are already so many pushes toward a more puritanical and conservative America that are out of our control, so why does Love Island have to join the list, especially when there are a number of reality dating shows that already cater to a more conservative demographic? Love Island is a playground for fun and desire, and an escape from reality for both its participants and viewers – and it’s at its best when we get to keep it that way.