Men and women didn't have equal voting rights in the UK until 1928. And it was another four decades until abortion was made legal in Great Britain in 1965, the same time that women were also given access to the contraceptive pill. Forty years later, lesbian couples were allowed to adopt children for the first time, and in 2014 the introduction of shared parental leave gave mothers the opportunity to transfer periods of leave to fathers.

Looking back over the last century, it's clear to see that the equality gap between women and men is no longer the vast, cavernous hole that it once was. Yet, in 2022, there's still a long way to go (*cough* gender pay gap and cost of childcare *cough*), especially when it comes to how women's romantic confidence – and sexual desires – are treated in comparison to their male counterparts.

Take Love Island's Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, for example. Over the past few days, viewers have watched on as the 27-year-old finds herself on the receiving end of increasing criticism from her fellow Islanders. Their issue? Ekin-Su's decision to kiss Jay Young whilst coupled up with Davide Sanclimente, later going on to couple up with the former. After a few days of apparent bliss, cracks started to appear between Ekin-Su and Jay, and in the latest episode the pair clashed when he revealed that he wants to get to know Paige Thorne.

Despite Ekin-Su's obvious upset at the revelation, her fellow Islanders were quick to say she 'had it coming', with many pointing out that this was simply 'karma' for her kissing Jay whilst she and Davide were still coupled up. And it's not just the Islanders, but the people behind the Islanders' social media accounts, too.

In fact, just last week the friends running Davide's Instagram account were forced to apologise for a post steeped in misogyny, in which they directed the following to Ekin-Su: "If you want to be treated like a lady, act like one first."

In last night's episode, Davide confessed in the Beach Hut that he plans to kiss two Islanders – Danica Taylor and Antigoni Buxton – in order to find out which one he likes best. But, isn't this exactly the behaviour that Ekin-Su is being punished for?

Everyone's clicking on...

It's become apparent to me (and thankfully, the viewers at home) that the Islanders’ treatment of Ekin-Su is nothing more than misogynistic slut-shaming, rather than 'karma'. For proof of that, let's rewind to last year's season – which saw Liam Reardon (who'd been coupled up with Millie Court for quite some time) share several kisses with Casa Amor bombshell Lillie Haynes and a three-way kiss with two other Islanders. He later went on to win the show after reconciling with Millie back at the main villa.

"So funny how everyone is treating Ekin-Su like sh*t for the same thing a man will get praised for," one viewer tweeted in response to the backlash Ekin-Su has received. "People in that villa persistently bully and slut-shame Ekin-Su, and the worst part is that the public passes this behaviour off as 'funny' and 'karma'," someone else pointed out.

"Friendly reminder Liam won after this behaviour but Ekin-Su is getting slated," a third Love Island fan added to the conversation, with another agreeing: "People voted for Liam to WIN last year’s Love Island, but are slut-shaming Ekin-Su for 'betraying' a guy she knew for 2 days?"

And let's not forget that this is Love Island, a game show where contestants are encouraged to get to know as many Islanders as they can – inevitably 'turning heads' along the way – to find who they are most compatible with, with the ultimate aim of finding a romantic match.

With that in mind, why have Ekin-Su's co-stars condemned her for doing just that? Perhaps they are confronted by a confident woman playing the game better than they are? Or, perhaps they are simply confronted by the fact she is a confident woman altogether? As one viewer put it on Twitter: "I hate how everyone is slut-shaming Ekin-Su… this is literally a DATING show."

With Love Island holding so much kudos amongst its massive fan following – ITV reported this season's launch had three million viewers – and therefore, so do the contestants who appear on the show, isn't it about time they use the platform to take a stance against age-old tropes, like slut-shaming? After all, we rise by lifting others, not dragging them down.

Cosmopolitan UK has reached out to ITV for comment, although the Islanders' behaviour is their own and not influenced or controlled by ITV.

Headshot of Jade Biggs
Jade Biggs
Freelance Writer
Jade Biggs (she/her) is one of Cosmopolitan UK's freelance writers, working across all sections including entertainment, beauty, body, and sex and relationships. She previously held the position of Features Writer, covering everything from breaking news and the latest royal gossip, to the health and fitness trends taking over your TikTok feed. Jade has a degree in journalism and has been a journalist and content editor for ten years, interviewing leading researchers, high-profile influencers, and industry experts in that time. She is a cat mom to four fur babies and is obsessed with Drag Race, bottomless brunches, and wearing clothes only suitable for Bratz dolls. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.