Love Island 2021 star Sharon Gaffka addresses whether show is damaging to young women
The civil servant from Oxford says calling the show un-feminist is "unfair" and is ready to "break the stereotypes people have about reality TV".
This year's highly anticipated edition of Love Island is set to take ITV2 by storm as of Monday 28th June, with this year's Love Island 2021 contestants being hailed by some as 'the most diverse line-up' yet.
Despite efforts to make this the most diverse line-up ever, there are still critics of Love Island, in particular, focusing on the lack of body diversity and plus sized contestants; the conversation on whether the show is damaging to young people in general and young women in particular is still ongoing.
One 2021 contestant who has weighed in on the issue is civil servant Sharon Gaffka.
When asked whether she thought the show was un-feminist and damaging to young woman, Gaffka told RadioTimes.com and other press: "I've put myself here, nobody's forced me to be here, it's out of my own free will so to say that it's un-feminist is really unfair because I consider myself to be a feminist.
"It's the same with beauty pageants. Like, it's my decision, it's my body, so therefore it's my choice."
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She added: "The stereotypes that people have about reality TV and it being damaging to young women may be because there's been a stereotype in the past where, you know, a lot of the women aren't necessarily role models in some people's opinion. But I think that I would probably break that stereotype in a sense."
The 25-year-old hails from Oxford and has worked with the Young Women's Trust. "I've come from a professional working career and I describe myself as a feminist and as a role model, especially when working with the Young Women's Trust," she said. "So I think that I'm probably going to break that stereotype and that's something that I'm really happy and proud to be a part of."
Love Island begins airing on Monday 28th June on ITV2 at 9pm. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Entertainment hub.
