A Feminist watches Love Island: episode 10 & 11 - Guys' girl

An awful lot has happened in the last two episodes with tensions continuing between the women. As Danny pointed out, everyone made him feel welcome so why are the "new girls" having to deal with so much?

Amy and Lucie have been arguing over Lucie apparently not spending enough time with the girls.  

When Lucie first entered the villa she sent alarm bells ringing by calling herself a "guy's girl."

It seems to me that in most instances, identifying as a ‘guy’s girl’ like that is a shorthand for saying ‘I’m not like other girls’.

 ‘I’m not dramatic or hysterical or emotional or crazy like the other girls. I’m laid back, cool and easy-going, like a guy. I can't be bothered with any of those silly female dramas’.

The implication is that a 'guy’s girl' is more attractive, because they don't have all the "hangups" of other women allegedly put men through, of course, they are still very feminine looking.

It’s a way of rejecting the stereotypes we attach to the experience of being female for yourself while reinforcing them for everyone else.

It is a red flag for internalised misogyny, as was her comment that “girls are drama” while men “say it how it is”.

Unfortunately Amy is doing nothing to challenge this stereotype with her jealous and toxic behaviour that clearly comes from a place of insecurity. I think Amy is used to a certain kind of female friendship, one that is intense and girly, and is being selfish and mean in her need to get that from Lucie. 

Love Island is doing a damaging thing here of setting up a stereotype "female friendship are drama" then showing a single example where that is true as if that is proof that the stereotype is true. 

As Tommy and Maura, I am not sure how I feel about them. Is Maura a sexual confident woman who knows what she wants? Or is her behaviour predatory? 

It is true that if the genders were swapped her behaviour would be predatory and her refusal to take no for an answer with night time kiss crossed a line. It appears to have freaked Tommy out enough that he slept somewhere else.

That being said Tommy is clearly interested and hasn't expressed feeling sexually harassed. For behaviour to be predatory there must be a power imbalance and there isn't one here, Tommy is amongst friends, he isn't her employee and he is physically stronger. It is a double standard that certain behaviours in men are more predatory than in woman but that is being men as a group don't fear women as a group.

So I am not sure about those two, what do you think? 

Side note: loved the men's spa day, no it's not "a girly thing" if any men love a spa treatment it's these guys, do you think someone shaved Anton's bum for him? 🙊