Love Island: Why Alex's 'natural beauty' ideal is problematic

Alex has frequently said that he’s attracted to ‘natural looking’ women on the show

Striving to achieve a beauty ideal that is unrealistic can have a hugely negative impact on an individual’s self-esteem.

On this year’s Love Island, contestant Dr Alex George has stated on multiple occasions that he’s attracted to women who are “natural looking”.

While this preference may seem like a refreshing change from the other beauty standards that women frequently feel pressurised to attain, it can be just as damaging, as Adam Cox, a clinical hypnotherapist who specialises in weight loss, explains to The Independent.

“Any dichotomy will place one thing above the other, so if a natural look is supposedly the pinnacle of aesthetics, it means any other look is judged to be of less value, or worse, judged from some kind of arbitrary moral standpoint.,” he says.

“This is simply not the case, and if someone has worked hard on achieving the type of look they want, for someone else to invalidate it will of course leave them feeling unattractive, or worthless.”

The influence that Love Island is continuing to have on its viewers should not be underestimated.

Sisu Aesthetics Clinics has reported a 200 per cent increase in demand for lip fillers ever since contestant Megan Barton Hanson entered the villa, with many women keen to emulate her look.

While no man or woman should feel any sense of shame over their decision to have cosmetic surgery or not, the pressure to look a certain way based on someone else’s perception of beauty can have a very detrimental effect on one’s mental wellbeing.

“We come in all shapes, sizes and skin colours and our ideals of what constitutes as beauty needs to acknowledge this,” says Dr Anjali Mahto, a consultant dermatologist.

“I think we need to work on a society where self-esteem comes from what is on the inside not the outside.”

If someone is self-conscious about their appearance or has specific insecurities concerning their skin, then the prevalence of “natural beauty ideals” could induce feelings of worry and stress.

“The idea that the ‘natural look’ is desired or preferable, particularly if someone has insecurities about their appearance, is likely to make them more anxious,” says Toby Ingham, a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

“The more we judge ourselves against some apparent natural look, the worse we may feel about ourselves.

“If you get too attached to an idea that your self-esteem depends on meeting someone else’s aesthetic taste it is easy to feel like a failure.”

This year’s Love Island has sparked a myriad of debates in regard to a number of issues, including the lack of body diversity in the villa and sexual consent.