One woman asked a question that was on the minds of many Black viewers when Season 8 premiered. Love Island USA On Peacock: Why don't the black women in the villa wear braids?
Warning: Spoilers follow.
The eighth season of the popular dating reality show premiered on June 2, and host Ariana Madix welcomed a new cast of singles to Fiji. It's a strange show, as all the contestants look and feel virtually identical, regardless of race. It's essentially a show about Barbie and Ken dolls, but in real life.
Among the show's contestants—and the focus of content creator Kyra Banks (@therealkyrabanks)—was 22-year-old Trinity Tatum from Newport News, Virginia. She quit her job at a hardware store for a chance at love and immediately hooked up with model Bryce Dettloff on her first night.
The premiere episode also featured a kissing compatibility game, a surprising and shocking twist, and the elimination of contestant Vasana Montgomery after a video surfaced of her using racist language.
What's wrong with the participants of the show "« Island of Love» ?
But Banks, a Black woman, wasn't focusing on the couples' regroupings «Island of Love» . She was focused on her hair.
«"And no offense, but why don't all my sisters there wear braids?" she asked, eyeing the hairpieces and unpainted hair she'd noticed on the dark-skinned women at the villa. "You're in Fiji. Why don't you have unpainted hair? Trinity, your hair really irritates me.".
Banks noted that commentators had already noticed the marks left by the tracks glued to the asphalt, and added with a laugh: "It's going to be a long summer.".
This observation has a valid point: hair extensions and leaving them down are known to require very careful maintenance in high humidity, such as in Fiji. Braids and other hairstyles would be both practical and culturally significant. In fact, this is precisely the point that Chelly Biscente and Olandria Karten emphasized last season in the context of their on-screen friendship.
«"Pigtails are literally the vacation hairstyle.".
One person wrote, "I saw Trinity's hair and immediately [worried face emoji]." Another said, "I saw Trinity's hair down and I'm nervous for her." One commenter broke her own rule: "I have a rule not to comment on my sisters' hair, but oh my god..."«
Many noted the inevitable difficulties, especially those related to water. As one woman noted, "Liquids are so difficult [crying face emoji]. Trinity girl!"«
For most, practicality was the deciding factor. "Pigtails are literally a vacation hairstyle," one woman wrote. "Personally, I wouldn't want to fix my hair every morning or after every challenge... I just want to wake up and go.".
Hairstyles of Black Women in the Entertainment Industry
This conversation is part of a larger debate about how Black women's hair is treated—and policed—on screen. As a PBS investigation found, Black actresses often choose wigs or extensions because on-set stylists may lack experience working with natural hair textures, or, more importantly, because directors favor looks based on Eurocentric beauty standards.
For Banks and viewers who shared her criticism of the contestants' hairstyles,« Islands of Love »"The question is not whether hair extensions are acceptable - of course they are - but whether it is worth it at all get this hairstyle at a tropical villa in Fiji.
The Big Lead contacted Banks via TikTok message/comment and NBC/Peacock via email.