FACE YOUR FEARS

‘Love Island Face’ Is Making Everyone Uncomfortable

Whether you watch the U.K. version or the U.S. show, you’re bound to recognize this aesthetic.

A strange new trend has emerged from the latest seasons of Love Island, but it has nothing to do with dating. It’s been dubbed “Love Island face,” and fans can’t stop talking about it, as PureWow explored in a report this week. Usually, the lips are full (often as a result of hyaluronic acid fillers), noses tend to be narrow, foreheads are virtually motionless, and cheeks are plumped and sculpted. Not everyone’s a fan of the aesthetic hitting Gen-Z faces, with the New York Post warning that “experts are alarmed” at the trend. “It represents our culture’s pursuit of perceived safety through conformity,” therapist Erin Pash told PureWow. So, why does it weird out millennials, Gen Xers, boomers, and beyond? According to Pash, “People over 35 have reference points for natural aging and human variation that younger generations may lack.” This analysis doesn’t feel far-fetched; on Love Island, the goal is to attract as many mates as possible and strut around a villa in barely-there bikinis, captured by cameras from every angle. Naturally, contestants feel pressure, and the pursuit of beauty is always just a pre-show injection (or five) away...especially if all your friends are already doing it.