Within 24 hours of Love Island 2022 hitting the screens, feminists and social commentators are on the breakfast shows’ sofas bemoaning the lack of plus-sized bodies, fake-looking young women and over-filled lips and boobs gracing our screens. Next to them the celebrity pundits are excitedly raving about the new contestants, the fact the footballer Michael Owen’s daughter is in it alongside a man call Luca Bish who sells fish and another bloke who has spent his whole life thinking Elton John is two different people, ‘Elt’ and ‘John’.

It’s Marmite

Love Island is pretty divisive but mainly among different ages. Broadly, young people love it, older people hate it. Then there’s some of us in our mid forties who work in PR and marketing and know we have to watch it if we want to be relevant in our comms and really, rather enjoy it.

Last year, the Love Island launch was the most-watched digital channel programme of the year for 16 to 34-year-olds. As many as 43% of those watching Love Island are under the age of 30, and another 25% are in their thirties - some of these will be your patients.

According to YouGov, physical appearance is much more important to Love Island viewers than the public at large. Three quarters (75%) agree with the statement “it is important for me to look physically attractive”, compared to half (52%) of all Britons. They are also much more likely to say “I use beauty products to make myself look better” at 69% vs 46%.

They are far more likely than the rest of the nation to say they are interested in the topics of ‘people and celebrities’ (54% vs 24%), ‘beauty’ (40% vs 18%), and ‘sex and relationships’ (42% vs 24%). They are also more than twice as likely to say they read celebrity/gossip magazines (48% vs 22%). I’d take a punt women who have non surgical aesthetics tally higher in these topics compared to the rest of the nation, too.

So What?

Irrespective of your personal views, Love Island is a significant player in UK’s summer zeitgeist. Indeed the show has become ubiquitous in British pop culture since its arrival in 2015. You might not be talking about it but it is being talked about, a lot.

If you’re a practitioner who criticises Love Island, belittles the contestants and mocks anyone who watches it, you could be alienating a significant number of potential patients, or you could be attracting a new tribe of people who identify with you. Neither is a wrong or right position, they both have their merits and disadvantages.

I Don’t Want A Love Island Tribe

You might be thinking anyone who watches Love Island isn’t your tribe. You don’t want to do ‘lip explosions’ or ‘fox eyes’ so why would you be concerned about alienating these patients?

Well, it’s rather simple. Just because someone enjoys a TV show it doesn’t mean they want to be ‘in’ the TV show. In fact, just 7% of Love Island watchers would want to find themselves on the show (compared to 3% of all Britons). And 65% said they’d rather attend one of the UK’s most prestigious universities, about the same number as the general public (61%). So, judge ye not!

It stands to reason then, that not all of the 2.4 million people who tuned in to the first episode of 2022 or the 3.2 million people who watched the 2021 final, want to look like a typical contestant.

However, they do tend to be more interested in their physical appearance, enjoy beauty products and be way more open and interested in the treatments you provide than someone who doesn’t watch it. Whether you like it or not, a fair amount of your patients or potential patients will also be Love Island fans.

It’s An Opportunity

I’m not saying you have to watch every episode every night and know the ins and outs of the relationships, dramas and arguments - but Love Island provides a relevant hook and an opportunity to educate your audience on social media about aesthetics treatments.

Yes, the contestants on Love Island do tend to be fans of Botox and lip fillers and yes, some of them go too far or clearly don’t consult with a medically-qualified practitioners. They probably don’t know that they should though.

Rather than severely admonish their choices, talk about how you do things a little differently and how you prefer to take a bespoke, careful, considered and holistic approach. Point out why the proportions don’t quite work, and what improvements you would make.

Here’s a free idea for you, why not run a ‘Casa Less Is More’ lip filler promotion (a pun for the fans there!). A bit of irreverence and a nod to the show without being too critical will go down with those followers of yours who love the show but don’t love all the looks!

Don’t Be A Snob About It

Of course, you don’t have to even mention it and lots of you won’t! But if you do (and you’re not a fan) rather than belittle anyone who watches Love Island, which could make them feel awkward about choosing you as a practitioner, acknowledge its existence and use it as the peg to hang your values on.

Recognise they are someone who is more likely to be interested in aesthetic treatments and give them reasons why they should choose you - the fact that you DON’T do big lips and frozen foreheads, could be the incentive they need to book in with you!

Discuss why if they are interested in addressing a concern they have about their appearance, it’s vital they consult with a medic and give them the reasons why this is so crucial and what sets you apart from non-medics. If they’re going to do it, they should do it with you. Or perhaps you can appeal to the people who now regret their Love Island treatments from a few years ago by offering the ultimate ‘Love Island Dissolve and Resolve’ package…

The Other Option…

You can use the relevance, popularity and talk-ability factor of Love Island to attract the attention of everyone else who absolutely doesn’t do Love Island. Go ahead, position yourself as the antitheses of the Love Island aesthetic. Make that your thing. Tell everyone you hate it and everything it stands for and if they want to look like a Love Island contestant you’re not the practitioner for them. It’s a harder line than we’ve discussed above, but it will resonate with some people, because it’s such a polarising show!

There will be a cohort who soak this up. There are enough people who believe that all aesthetics treatments use the Love Island cookie cutter and it deters them from exploring treatments. If you know your audience well and you know your potential patient pool is older and also, probably, despises Love Island, then use it to your advantage. It could be the aspect that tips the balance in your favour.

The Curveball?

Of course, you might actually LOVE Love Island and not be against the typical Love Island ‘look’. This might be your thing. You could be a medically qualified practitioner who is willing to provide less than subtle enhancements. We know that plenty of consumers do actively seek the ‘fake’ look, that this is their choice and how they want to look. You do it safely, you always conduct informed consent, you take a responsible approach if you believe the patient is displaying aspects of BDD and you will say no if you need to, particularly if they are young. But there are patients who are older, are of a sound mind, who do want to look particularly enhanced and are old enough and responsible enough to make that choice.

If so, perhaps the summer is yours for the taking! Use the show as your summer hook, talk about it loads with your followers every night at 9pm and you’ll be shouting ‘I’ve got a text’ in no time at all.