Love Island slammed for lack of diversity in 2021 line up

The Love Island 2021 line up was unveiled on Monday—but not everyone was happy. There had been high hopes that this year’s cast would be more diverse than in previous years, with Islanders ‘of all shapes and sizes’. However, the Islanders that have been named so far bear a striking resemblance to previous casts.

Love Island responds

After many fans took to social media to express their disappointment at what they saw as a lack of diversity in the cast, a Love Island representative defended the casting in a statement to the MailOnline. They said:

As a broadcaster, ITV celebrates diversity of every sort across our range of programmes in our schedule and across our channels.

The representative continued:

In terms of casting for Love Island, the only stipulation to applicants is they must be over 18, single and looking for love. This year’s Love Islanders come from a diverse range of backgrounds with a mix of personalities and have a healthy BMI.

Love Island diversity

It’s not just body diversity that fans were hoping for. Following rumours that producers were actively looking to cast bisexual Islanders for Love Island 2021, ITV commissioner Amanda Stavri sparked outrage last month by saying that gay Islanders would present ‘logistical difficulties’ for the show.

It’s worth noting that we’ve only seen the first 11 Islanders so far and there will be plenty more entering the villa over the course of the show. However, the lack of diversity in the initial line up doesn’t bode well for those hoping for more representation of different body types in Love Island 2021.