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Furore over Love Island's 'plus size' star

Is Anna Vakili the answer to Love Island's body diversity problem? [Photo: ITV]
Is Anna Vakili the answer to Love Island's body diversity problem? [Photo: ITV]

Love Island is known for many things, but body diversity isn’t one of them. And now a furore has erupted online after the show revealed its first apparent ‘plus size’ star.

One of this year’s contestants in the UK, Anna Vakili, 28, is purported to be the programme’s answer to complaints they favour ‘slim’ women.

Anna, a pharmacist from London, describes herself as “different to anyone who has been on the show before”.

And in pictures released ahead of the show airing, she does have a noticeably more curvy frame compared to her fellow contestants, and, for some, she represents a change of heart from producers.

“You are an idol and someone curvier girls can look up to,” one person wrote beneath a picture shared on Anna’s Instagram account, while another added, “Glad to see someone curvy gals”.

However, others aren’t buying the idea that Anna is the answer to the show’s body diversity problem.

“So apparently this is the plus size model??? Wouldn’t call her plus size at a stretch,” was one comment.

Actress and activist Jameela Jamil went so far as to query whether the show’s producers were drunk:

However Jameela has been accused of hypocrisy by former contestant Kady McDermott.

Kady, 23, who appeared on series two of the UK show, shared Jameela’s tweet, adding: “Who even said she was the plus size contestant?”

“Maybe we shouldn't be labelling women as anything and just letting them be who they are. Skinny/slim/curvy/obese who cares,” she wrote.

In all the hit ITV show’s previous four seasons, there has not been one plus size female contestant, and last year, viewers took to Twitter to complain about the potentially damaging implications on the audience’s body image.

The debate continued this week with people calling it “sad” that no women on the show are actually plus size, which is generally considered as clothing size 16 and above. Incidentally, size 14-16 is also the average clothing size for women in Australia.

While it is not known what size Anna wears, some are claiming she is a size 12.

Former Love Island contestant Alexandra Cane also tweeted to draw attention to the lack of “curvy girls”.

In response to Yahoo UK’s request for comment, a representative of the show clarified “we have never referred to Anna as a plus-size contestant”.

Anna’s casting follows rumours that plus-size model Jada Sezer, who is a size 16, would be on show.

However, Jada was nowhere to be seen in the show’s line-up, suggesting either that she will no longer feature or she may join the villa at a later date during the show.

Australian audiences can watch the UK version of the show on Nine Now from June 5. A local version is expected to air on Nine later this year.

With additional reporting by Francesca Specter.

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