“Well that’s it – I’m definitely not going on Love Island now”
It’s a fair cop.
We seem to be two of the very few people who haven’t actually been watching Love Island.
But the public interest/commentary hadn’t missed us, so we fired up the YouTube to get a feel for it.
Seems like a Big Brother kind of affair, if the producers had given contestants (characters) extra Haribo, vajazzles, designer cider and just left them to it.
The sentence above was a rather passionate proclamation at the end of another of our pretty entertaining debates/conversations/tea breaks where we reenacted the whole audition (you’re right that part was me).
It’s easy to be superior and condescending about all that ‘terrible trash’ – (and let’s be honest it is technically pretty terrible trash) but when lots of people enjoy something – to criticise it out of hand is missing a trick.
Reasons people watch Love Island:
It’s Live (well almost).
Live means dangerous! Anything could happen (well almost). We love the thrill that tomorrow’s outrageous water-cooler moment could happen any second. If you squint and push your luck you could almost call it a social anthropology study. You know you don’t watch nature programmes to see the lion just cleaning it’s paws. You want to see the chase…
It’s pure Escapism
While most of us dream about our 2 weeks in the sun, with Love Island we can vicariously go there every night…even if you are stuck in the UK having to get up for work and the school run in the morning. You do important stuff in real life, Sometimes very serious stuff. You are allowed to let your hair down and the watch TV popcorn, (although you’ll probably want to offset it with some Newsnight hummous at some point)
It’s Eye Candy
They’ve collected the most technically perfect bodies (the ones you rarely see on real beaches) together in one place and encouraged them to walk about in their pants. This is a double-edged one. These people tend not to have 3 children, a sweaty daily commute and do have youth on their side. So it actually IS easy for them. Like comparing an apple with falafel. If you don’t get drawn into that you can just admire the bottoms. If indeed bottoms are your thing.
It’s Concentrated Drama
They flirt, get together, cop off, have sex, break up, cheat on their ‘partner’.. (God we feel old-fashioned, but let’s carry on) all in 8 weeks. Some even stay together for as long as 2 months afterwards!
And while, we’ll be honest – it wouldn’t be our choice of viewing and our usual reaction would be to try to tell you all the reasons that it’s not going to make you happy (and we have a lot of those) – it’s actually a great opportunity to pull out the good stuff.
Finding the good stuff IS what makes you happy.
If you’re reading this – we imagine that you are probably not in your 20s, a size 6 underwear model and you’ve probably got what could be described as a ‘grown up’ kind of life.
Why it’s great you probably wouldn’t go on Love Island:
You stress less about what people think of you.
Twenty somethings are WAY more worried about what people think of them than people in their 30s and 40s.
They’ve grown up in a world of Instagram stars, highly sexualised images, bikini bodies and surgical enhanced assets for people in their 20s.
(When they’re bloody beautiful anyway)
Anxiety and body dysmorphia have sky rocketed for young people in that pursuit of ‘perfection’.
Add being in the public eye to that and the constant internet commentary – and it’s a recipe for anxiety and unhappiness.
Science tells us that each decade makes us measurably happier.
Tick!
You have really good friends
20s friendships are more transitory and superficial – as people move around and try to find their way.
When we go full blown adult we start to treasure a more close knit circle and those friendships tend to deepen and become more significant.
And the bonus prize here are the ones you met in your 20s and who became part of your life story.
You are MUCH sexier
So, OK I’ve deviated from Love Island – but where the 20s body is celebrated in some quarters – the 40s brain is way sexier.
Inner confidence – not in the brash “I’ll get my bum out and drink 10 shots on telly” way, but in the “here’s what I stand for, this is me, no apology like it or leave it” turned out to be what was actually irresistible. Who knew?
You know how to have a good time
Getting older means you have figured out a lot of the things that trip people up in their 20s. You make fewer big mistakes. Go down fewer blind alleys. And you don’t need the media to tell you how to have a good time.
You feel perfectly justified that going to bed with clean sheets, a good book and a face mask is an amazing Saturday night.
That shoes can be comfortable.
That you can take a jacket.
That great conversation in a restaurant or seeing a show with a friend beats a noisy club and waiting for a taxi at 2am with the hangover already starting to take hold.
What we are passionate about is that you definitely, absolutely appreciate – your happiness is the most important thing. While it’s great to be titilated by the fluffy fun – take that and let it deepen your appreciation of how far you’ve come. The lessons you’ve learned, the stories you can tell, and the wonderful people you have in your life, . And how being the stage of life you find yourself in now is the best possible place to be.
And if you want to spend a day with us taking that happiness and SUPERCHARGING it – we have planned your best day of 2018.
Are we confident of that? HELL YES!
It’s on 23rd September at the Ageus Hilton in West End, Southampton – and we can’t wait to see you there and share it with you.
Early bird price runs out when half of the seats are taken… and it’s filling fast.
Round up your friends and secure your place for £33 now.