<\/p>\n
People are people <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n This summer, just like the majority of the nation, I spent each night watching \u2018Love Island<\/em>\u2019. For two months, I dedicated part of my day to watching a bunch of people, not that much older than myself attempt to find the loves of their lives. I feel like over the two months I formed opinions on those people, and recently I found myself having to take a step back and remember that these are real people.<\/p>\n With the ever-changing status of \u2018celebrities\u2019 in this day and age, everyone has an opinion, and everyone feels their opinion deserves a platform. But, when you\u2019re seeing people attack someone online, the lines can get blurred and dangerous. As a society, we put celebrities on a pedestal, but sometimes people on the internet can forget that celebrities have hearts of their own. And when they\u2019re thrust into celebrity life by shows like Love Island<\/em>, they may not be as strong as they appear in a villa, cut-off from the outside world. Re-entering everyday life when everyone suddenly knows who you are must be hard, but especially when it also comes to comments about their appearance or being vilified for their reasoning behind entering an environment like Love Island<\/em>.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s Love Island <\/em>final seemed close, far closer than the one we all endured in 2018. Despite the fact that Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury were the longest-lasting couple to have made it to the 2019 final, Amber Gill found love in Greg O\u2019Shea after being mistreated by Michael Griffiths. The final seemed close, and despite the fact that Greg and Amber hadn\u2019t long been coupled-up, Amber\u2019s status as the nation\u2019s sweetheart suddenly meant the final was hard to predict.<\/p>\n But whilst I, like probably about 80% of the UK, impatiently waited for the result, I decided to check Twitter to see if I could predict the final vote. What I found, however, was that \u2018#MoneyMae\u2019 was trending on Twitter. I laughed for a second, but then I realised that this is her life. Molly-Mae would be leaving the solitude of the Love Island <\/em>villa, at just 20 years old, to a status as \u2018fake\u2019 by just about everyone on the internet. I admit, some of her actions on the show seemed as though she was desperate to win, but never did I question her love and admiration for Tommy. And let\u2019s be honest, if you\u2019re joining Love Island<\/em>, finding fame (and maybe getting some of that prize money) must be in your peripheral. Molly-Mae was vilified for playing the game, but others won our hearts for being better at hiding the fact they were doing the same.<\/p>\n It feels like because reality-TV stars are putting their lives out to the world, the public think they owe us more of their private lives. Sometimes, with people like Gemma Collins, we see some reality-TV-made celebrities as more of characters than real people. We can sometimes perceive their personality as an act; but making comments on their personality can be harmful. It\u2019s easy to forget that these are real people. These are people who, despite putting parts of their life to the public, deserve privacy.<\/p>\n I was astounded recently when I saw that Good Morning Britain had practically forced Love Island contestant Curtis Pritchard to label himself as bisexual. On the Love Island <\/em>Reunion show, which followed a week after the live final, the host questioned islanders on whether or not they\u2019d slept with one another since leaving the villa. Surely, they deserve that privacy? They\u2019ve put their lives in the spotlight, but we don\u2019t need to know every little detail of their life. It must feel as though they\u2019re living in The Truman Show <\/em>and you can imagine how disturbing that must feel.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the trolls on the internet. People who think they deserve a say in everyone\u2019s lives and do all they can to promote negativity. Why waste your time on nasty comments? I should hope they have jobs to do, or lives to live. \u2018#MoneyMae\u2019 might seem like a bit of fun, but it can easily be considered trolling. There\u2019s joking about certain decisions or actions made by celebrities, but there is a point where things can be pushed too far.<\/p>\n As of 2019, two former Love Island <\/em>contestants have committed suicide due to online trolling. Allegedly, more than 38 suspected suicides have been linked to reality tv shows worldwide. Love Island <\/em>has dozens of therapists ready for the islanders; Amy Hart of this year\u2019s cast said she had visited the therapist numerous times whilst on the show and needed desperately to visit them again when she got her phone back. Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury have been told to stay away from social media since their return to everyday life due to the onslaught of negative comments they\u2019ve received. We as a society are obsessed with the lives of others, but it is important to remember that these are people, not characters in a fiction show.<\/p>\n As the saying goes, \u2018it\u2019s all fun and games until someone gets hurt\u2019. Be mindful of the comments you are making on others\u2019 lives. They\u2019re still people.<\/p>\n By Tirion Davies<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" People are people This summer, just like the majority of the nation, I spent each night watching \u2018Love Island\u2019. For two months, I dedicated part of my day to watching a bunch of people, not that much older than myself attempt to find the loves of their lives. I feel like over the two months I formed opinions on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[274],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-1H8","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7248,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=7248","url_meta":{"origin":6518,"position":0},"title":"Hoping For a Career in the Media","author":"Alan Williams","date":"29th February 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s not news that I\u2019m hoping to follow a career in the media. Although I currently work for Cardiff University\u2019s newspaper, Gair Rhydd, I don\u2019t think I will pursue a career in newspapers. But despite my aspirations to become a journalist, it doesn\u2019t mean I can\u2019t hold the media accountable.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Play Hard Work Hard"","block_context":{"text":"Play Hard Work Hard","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=274"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6812,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6812","url_meta":{"origin":6518,"position":1},"title":"A Fan of Taylor Swift","author":"Alan Williams","date":"10th December 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Did you think I wouldn\u2019t hear all the things you said about me? If you know me well, you\u2019ll know I\u2019m a fan of Taylor Swift\u2019s music. Since her Fearless album (the first album I ever bought) to her most recent Lover album, I\u2019ve followed her transition from country music\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Play Hard Work Hard"","block_context":{"text":"Play Hard Work Hard","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=274"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6291,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6291","url_meta":{"origin":6518,"position":2},"title":"June is Pride Month","author":"Alan Williams","date":"30th July 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Shade never made anybody less gay June is Pride Month, a time when the LGBTQIA+ community should be able to celebrate being themselves. Being a part of this community even in today\u2019s age is possibly one of the hardest things a person can do, so I celebrate anyone who identifies\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Play Hard Work Hard"","block_context":{"text":"Play Hard Work Hard","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=274"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6967,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6967","url_meta":{"origin":6518,"position":3},"title":"People With Power Get Away With It","author":"Alan Williams","date":"31st December 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"People In Power Get Away With So Much \u00a0 By now I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve all heard about the scandal surrounding Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and a trafficked 17-year-old. Prince Andrew has since stepped down from royal duties, but he\u2019s not been completely cut off from the royal family. His family\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Play Hard Work Hard"","block_context":{"text":"Play Hard Work Hard","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=274"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4780,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4780","url_meta":{"origin":6518,"position":4},"title":"The “Ideal Summer Body”!","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th June 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 As the idea of a \u2018summer body\u2019 becomes more and more relevant, so does the idea of the \u2018ideal summer body\u2019. I\u2019ve struggled a lot with how I look, and the size of clothing I wear doesn\u2019t count as \u2018plus-sized\u2019 but neither does it count as \u2018the ideal body\u2019.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Play Hard Work Hard"","block_context":{"text":"Play Hard Work Hard","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=274"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7957,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=7957","url_meta":{"origin":6518,"position":5},"title":"Back To The Future","author":"Alan Williams","date":"10th August 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Back To The Future Well at least for the time being, Covid 19 seems to be in retreat. During lockdown we have enjoyed walks around the village, often discovering paths and trails we never imagined existed. At last we can now visit our local pubs again and venture further afield.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Picture51-213x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6518"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6518"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6519,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6518\/revisions\/6519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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