There is much to be said about Love Island USA, Season 6. It shattered streaming numbers, it’s taking over all of our feeds, and it’s sparking discourse that could rival the best sociology 101 classes. If Love Island is all anyone can talk about, it’s safe to say that Serena and Kordell are the internet’s collective Roman Empire.
The winners of Love Island USA S6 have become internet sensations over the summer, with many audiences growing fond of the honest yet caring dynamic between the two. A striking conversation that continues to follow the couple zeroes in on a forever hot topic in the Black community: hair.
Image Source: @loveislandusa
Love Island’s Representation of Black Contestants
If you are a Love Island veteran, you know that spending several weeks in a poolside villa with messy challenges provides a challenge in itself for textured-hair contestants. For this reason, many Black contestants with textured tresses have to be strategic with the styles they choose, lest they embarrass themselves with unkempt hair on international television.
Black islanders, particularly the women, across Love Island seasons have been the undeserving targets of global criticism over their appearance, which, of course, includes heightened commentary surrounding their hair. This commentary generates speculative weigh-in from Black communities on the maintenance of chosen styles, and altogether racist commentary from broader, less educated populations.
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The standout star of Love Island UK S10, Whitney, recently revealed her clever albeit unconventional method to accomplish swapping her wigs without the cameras’ attention, in order to minimize unfavorable content or criticism. The amount of hyper awareness Black people in these circumstances possess is revelatory of how intense the critical gaze can be.
While efforts such as the growing visible inclusivity from hair brands and policies such as the Crown Act have ushered in avenues of acceptance and understanding around Black hair, Black people are still held to unrealistic standards. In some cases, it is almost as if the more knowledgeable people grow about Black hair care, the more critical they become.
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The ability to spot someone’s lace or wig glue was not widely possessed, outside of Black women, until recently. Now, we are seeing broader audiences jump into conversations and critique Black women’s hair in detail, as was the case with UK S9 contestant Tanya and her visible wig glue. Suddenly, everyone is a Black hair expert, and everyone has an opinion.
Receiving grace as a Black woman has always been an uphill battle, with the ever changing goal posts of beauty standards perpetuating this fight. Place this reality in the context of a wildly popular, vanity-based reality dating show, and the criticism becomes amplified.
How Black Hair Is Scrutinized
With USA S6 in particular, Black hair was pushed to the forefront, becoming a character of its own, and for reasons one may not expect. The two main Black women contestants, Serena and JaNa, received relatively positive commentary surrounding their hair and overall appearance, while Kordell, the central Black man in the villa, underwent microscopic observation.
It is often said within Black circles that you can tell a lot about a person based on how they wear their hair, with the assumption that the better it’s maintained, the more culturally connected one is to the community. Further, it is believed that the way a person styles their hair can reveal a lot about their romantic preferences, as hypothesized through the “hard wig, soft life,” theory, wherein Black women whose wigs appear to be unnatural or “stiff” looking are often partnered with wealthy, yet culturally unaware white men.
Serena’s ability to keep human hair goddess braids intact for the entirety of the summer, amidst compromising challenges and a humid climate is a feat in itself, and one that has not gone unnoticed by many viewers. In addition to her overall personality, this detail garnered her even more likeability amongst Black audiences. It is this same reason, however, that stirred up apprehension for some upon first laying eyes on Kordell.
Admittedly, my first thought upon seeing him walk on screen was ‘why would he come on tv without having fresh braids?’ As it has since been revealed, contestants wait extended periods of time in the hotel prior to entering the villa, which may well be the reason for his braids not looking salon-fresh. This personal knee-jerk observation reveals how ingrained these socially constructed cues can be. My second thought was just hoping he had the ability to refresh his braids as needed as his time in the villa went on.
How Relationships Influence Hair Care
Image Source: @korde1ll
Kordell’s hair became such a large point of discussion that it evolved into a marker with which audiences tracked the storyline and the status of his and Serena’s relationship. Mid-season, it was revealed that Serena is quite the skilled braider, and therefore responsible for Kordell’s ability to keep his hair styled. The variety of styles he went on to wear prompted intrigue amongst fans and quickly positioned him as an early favorite. Once the drama unfolded and the couple briefly split, Serena was no longer maintaining his hair, and it showed. The state of Kordell’s hair soon became indicative to whether or not he and Serena were on good terms, proving further how impactful hair can be to a story, to communal connection, and to outward presentation.
Image Source: @marayjanee
The moment that cemented the couple’s fate was the clip released of Serena finally doing Kordell’s hair again in the bathroom. This scene was important not only because it signaled full reconciliation but also because it displayed a culturally resonant moment on mainstream reality television that many had never seen before. Serena caring for Kordell’s hair in this way symbolized more depth to the relationship than cameras could show. So much so that when it came time to meet each other’s families, one of the first things Kordell’s godmother did was thank Serena for maintaining his hair.
Love Island USA, with its record-breaking streaming numbers, stood miles apart from other seasons for countless reasons, one undeniably being the representation Serena and Kordell provided. Black hair has always been a source of fascination, scrutiny, beauty, and connection, and its role in this season of Love Island was no different.
With the highly anticipated Love Island USA reunion coming on August 19th, it’ll be interesting to see if there are any conversations regarding Black Beauty.
