“Love Island” is a British reality show currently in its fourth season. Here’s a description of what it’s about from Season Two (I can’t imagine it’s changed that much):
Pack your cases and get ready to feel the burn! “Love Island,” round two, is about to take over your screens this summer, and this time, it’s all about survival of the fittest!
Some seriously hot singles will be taking over the hottest villa in the Balearics for six weeks of sun, sea and smooching in their quest for the ultimate summer romance and £50,000 prize!
But it’s not just their fellow Islanders they’ll have to impress. To be in with a shot at love and the glorious prize money, our Islanders will have to capture your hearts too as YOU have the final say over who gets dumped, and who goes home with the cash.
Prepare for even more pie-throwing, bed-hopping, and breaches of girl code. After all, all is fair in love and Love Island.
I mean, what’s not to love about this island?
Here’s “first look” trailer for one of the current season’s episodes — my, oh my!
Things are obviously not perfect on the island, but neither are the islanders’ personal lives. At least, that’s what the media wants us to think.
I recently came across some “Love Island” scandal (“scandal”) from last month via the U.K. Sun, screaming “Love Island’s Megan Barton Hanson poses nude on sex worker site as she offers £170 an hour webcam sessions.”
Okay…
They continue with the sensationalism:
Reality star uses the name Fifi-XXX on Adult Work – an escort website where sex workers set up profiles to try and tempt in clients.
Megan, who had sex with partner Eyal Booker on the show last week, wrote a lengthy profile to go alongside the series of sexy pictures on the website, where people can find women and men offering escorting services and online sex sessions.
The 24-year-old wrote on her profile: “Hi and welcome to my page – call me Fifi. I’m back and feeling naughtier than ever, offering HD webcam, phone chat and SMS chat. You can watch me play on my own with my collection of toys and indulge in your fantasies and fetishes.”
The website, OnlyFans, allows people to pay for uncensored pictures and videos of Megan.
Megan has also worked as a glamour model and said she’s previously worked as a stripper.
You get the drift.
Here’s my question though: Is this news? Especially given the nature of the program (which is totally cool/fine), why are we so potentially scandalized by the idea that a reality show star would also be doing sex work online? (I know why. It has to do with wider cultural sex negativity and discrimination. Just like Insta models can be basically naked but a model who also works in some form of sex work and engages in the same poses gets banned.)
And another question: What happens when mainstream celebrities drift over into cam? Though Queen Cardi B is 100 person open about her past career in sex work, she doesn’t seem to be going back anytime soon. Is there a difference between a “repentant” post-sex work celebrity and a public figure who is also concurrently a sex worker? Further, what impact will Hanson’s presence on sex work-related sites have on the community and vibes therein?
These are all questions I wish they would address on the next episode of “Love Island,” but I doubt they’re going to.
Show your support for Hanson on Insta at @meganbartonhanson_ #cammunity
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Erika is a sex positive people watcher (and writer). Email her at erika@ynotcam.com.
