“The Love Island effect”? The reciprocal relationship between body pressure while watching Love Island and engagement in body change strategies

Love Island is a reality dating series that has faced criticism for consistently casting contestants with highly idealized bodies. There has been widespread concern that these casting choices may increase body pressure among young viewers and subsequently motivate them to engage in body change strategies to conform to the ideals presented on the show. However, no longitudinal research has explored this possibility. Using three-wave panel data collected during the 2023 series of Love Island UK (N = 344; Mage = 20.42, SD = 1.98), this study examined the reciprocal within-person relationships between body pressure while watching Love Island and engagement in—or desire to engage in—three body change strategies (i.e., weight loss, muscle gain, and cosmetic procedures). Nearly all (97.38%) participants reported some degree (i.e., M > 1.00) of body pressure while watching Love Island, and elevated body pressure persisted across the series. Body pressure at the beginning of the series did not predict body change strategies at the midpoint of the series. However, increased body pressure at the midpoint of the series predicted heightened engagement in weight loss and muscle gain strategies, and increased desire for cosmetic procedures, at the end of the series. Furthermore, heightened desire for cosmetic procedures (but not heightened engagement in weight loss or muscle gain strategies) at the beginning of the series predicted increased body pressure during the series. Overall, results suggest that interrelations between body pressure while watching Love Island and body change strategies may be dynamic and time dependent.