The Men On “Love Island UK” Were So Bad This Season, A Women’s Aid Group Literally Released A Statement About It

This year’s season of Love Island UK garnered an average of 2.7 million views per episode, with lovers of the show tuning in to see the chaos, drama, twists, and turns.

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But more so this season than ever, an eerie and quite scary undertone has emerged from the group of islanders, and that is the worrying nature of the men in the show.

From two timing women, to gaslighting and talking down to their partners, the show saw more than 9,000 Ofcom complaints, and millions of tweets from viewers sharing their disgust of the boys and their poor behaviour. Could this be the worst line up of men yet?

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Harrison Solomon’s entry into the villa on day eight saw the young bachelor join forces with fellow islanders Harry Cooksley and Dejon Noel-Williams, completing the trio that would go on to terrorise our screens with their fragile masculinity and poor behaviour.

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Let’s take a further look at the iconic trio and their misdemeanors…

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IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED WATCHING LOVE ISLAND UK SEASON 12, THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!

And please note, while we as viewers draw great pleasure in discussing all things Love Island UK, we do not promote bullying cast members in any way, shape, or form. 

Problem #1: Harry Cooksley

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From the start, it was clear that 30-year-old Harry would be a ladies man, but despite his poor behaviour, he still managed to snag a spot in the final.

He initially coupled up with Sophie Lee before being coupled with Shakira Khan. His head was then turned by Helena Ford. During this time, Harry constantly entertained new bombshells, engaged in flirty conversations with any new, hot singles that entered the villa and disrespected Helena to the max, even going on to secretly snog several women on the island.

Harry’s actions lead to an onslaught of hate towards Helena online after she repeatedly forgave his poor actions, and continued to explore their connection.

Two people sit on a couch, engaged in conversation. The woman wears a fitted dress, and the man wears a patterned shirt

Even when the Love Island producers added his real life ex-girlfriend of three years to the Casa Amor line up, the semi-professional footballer couldn’t help but entertain, engaging in flirty conversation directly in Helena’s vision.

But the real kicker came when Harry decided, in the final week, that he still had feelings for Shakira the entire time, recoupling with her once more, despite being exclusive with Helena. She was dumped just days later.

Even when fellow ladies man Harrison Solomon exclaimed to his mate that he couldn’t believe he had gotten away with as much as he had, Harry replied “You know I get away with everything.”

His actions caused major discourse online, with some saying he is an “all time great” whilst others criticised his behaviour, saying it encouraged the idea that “messing around is the way forward.”

On many occasions, viewers were subjected to seeing Helena beg Harry for some form of understanding, question herself, and ask why he is the way he is, while Harry sits there looking as disinterested as a toddler at church.

His avoidant style of confrontation and failure to take responsibility for his actions did not go unnoticed by viewers, and the scary realization that poor patterns of behaviour like this are often accepted in the current dating realm. Despite this, Harry still managed to snag a spot in the final with Shakira, even going on to place second.

Problem #2: Dejon Noel-Williams

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Despite being the only islander to have remained in the initial couple he began with, Dejon caused a major stir online, thanks to a slew of repeated “passive-aggressive” actions towards the women and his so-called womanizing behaviour.

Dejon remained in a couple with Megan “Meg” Moore since the start, but that didn’t stop him from entertaining several bombshells throughout the show. Even when Meg explicitly said she wasn’t happy with his actions, he continued to do the same, bending the truth, and crawling back to his couple, knowing Meg would be as loyal as ever.

But that is not all. Viewers of the show noted his poor behaviour towards the other girls in the villa. During heated discussions with other female islanders, Dejon was shown to be quick to interrupt and has even been described as “manipulative and calculated” in his responses.

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Even in his arguments with Meg, his tone and persuasive nature meant most conversations ended with Meg either walking away in frustration, crying, or ignoring her fears and concerns and moving on without resolve. This led to many viewers accusing Dejon of “gaslighting.”

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His behaviour has even been described at times as “emotionally abusive,” with most viewers celebrating his and Meg’s dumping in the final week of the show. It became apparent that his behaviour resonated with many viewers, who seemed to have recognized what they deemed as the “red flags” he showed, perhaps resembling those of their previous partners.

Dejon, along with his partner Meg, may go down as one of the most publicly disliked Love Island contestants in the show’s history despite being one of the so-called strongest couples since day 1.

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Problem #3: Harrison Solomon or, as he refers to himself, “Yung Bull”

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If we’re talking about the questionable men in this season, then we really have saved the best  — or perhaps worst — until last.

Harrison “Yung Bull” Solomon shocked the nation with his boyish charm and “womanizing” behaviour. Entering the villa as a bombshell, it was clear that his devilish smile would be a hit with the ladies.

After initially coupling up with fan-fave Toni Laites, Harrison consistently engaged in conversation with other hot singles, including fellow islander Helena Ford, whom he secretly snogged in the hideaway.

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Harrison then brought Lauren Wood back from Casa Amor, before crafting one of the most dramatic Love Island love triangles in history. The young single consistently lied to both Lauren and Toni, leading them both on, kissing both in secret, and telling both girls individually that they were the one he wanted.

He even became intimate with Lauren before crawling back to Toni and asking her to pick him in the next recoupling, to which she did, leaving viewers at home screaming at their screens.

But soon after, Harrison decided it was Lauren he wanted, choosing to leave the villa and go after her, a shocking twist in the love triangle. But only after watching her be dumped from the island, and subsequently being told by other islanders that he should probably leave too…

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His actions stirred up so much conversation and concern that Women’s Aid released a statement, claiming that “more must be done to educate contestants on sexism and misogyny” on the show.

Women's Aid campaign highlights reality TV patterns: male contestants lie, hide info, treat women poorly. It's a concerning pattern, not just drama

Social media was flooded with viewers sharing their disgust of his behaviour, the phrase “we fear men” cropping up constantly, and many shocked by his ease in playing several women, lying blatantly to their faces, and continuing to swan around the villa as if nothing had happened.

Two people sit closely outdoors, smiling and looking at each other. They appear relaxed, wearing swimsuits with microphones attached. Text: "toni & harrison"

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This season has shown us the terrifying mindset of men in the dating world, and the behaviour patterns that women have learned to accept. We have spent eight weeks seeing a group of men gaslight, two-time, manipulate, and treat women like commodities, more so than any other Love Island season.

But maybe seeing these behaviours on the big screen is a wake up call to all of us. To notice these poor behaviours in our partners, and communicate better about how we should be treated in relationships.

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