Latinas took over Season 7 of “Love Island USA.” Some found love, and others found themselves in hot water after resurfaced problematic social media posts went viral for the wrong reasons. As a result, two Latinas contestants on the massively popular reality TV show were unceremoniously evicted from the Love Island Villa.
Maria Hinojosa and three culture thinkers and writers, dig deep and get political about the racial politics of “Love Island USA.”
Juliana Pache, creator of Black Crossword, says she wasn’t surprised “at all by any of the islanders… So when Yulissa entered the villa, I was like, okay, she’s white Cuban, she’s from Miami. I could make assumptions, but I’m not going to.” We also speak with comedian and journalist Tess Garcia, who keeps a close eye on all things Latino social media, “And… as we know, [Latinos] overindex on everything in this country because we are the predominant consuming population and continue to grow. That meant love island.”
And that meant this season of “Love Island” mattered more to some Latina watchers than ever. As Latino USA producer Monica Morales-Garcia explains, “I was at the watch party, and there the National Guard was still outside… literally right outside of the bar…then you come into the bar and… it’s just a bunch of Latinas in there screaming for Amaya Papaya and Bryan.”
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This story was produced by Monica Morales-Garcia. It was edited by Fernanda Echavarri. It was mixed by Stephanie Lebow.
Featured image by Diego Perdomo.
