As a previously staunch abstainer from all things Love Island , I was as surprised as anyone to find myself hooked on 's series. What started as a casual observation from the sidelines has now turned into a fully-fledged dedication, with weekday evenings at 9 pm benchmarked for laughing and mostly cringing at the villa's residents. I can't pretend that the show isn't everything I had previously thought it to be β vacuous, self-obsessed, often problematic β but many things actually pleasantly surprised me about Love Island ; namely, the Longford-born unlikely fan favourite, Maura Higgins, who has won the hearts of the UK and Ireland, with her straight-talking, sex-positive and craic-filled personality.
Maura, who was a late addition to the Love Island villa, has been praised as 'saving the show' this year, which had been a particularly uneventful series before her arrival. From her first night, Maura was completely uninterested in being palatable to the public and was not afraid to be honest about her intentions in the house, however X-rated. Her unabashed honesty and confidence about her sexuality took many viewers aback at first, but has now cemented her as one of the best characters of the series, with fans praising her candour and refreshing lack of shame around sex and relationships β a topic that is all too often seen as crude or vulgar when being discussed by women.
But before we go any further in praising Maura as some sort of an example in modern feminism, I have to address the elephant in the room; Maura's behaviour towards Tommy. The Irish contestant did not initially enter the villa to a warm reception from fans, as the over-the-top stalking of her prey namely, fellow contestant Tommy Fury attracted outrage β a particular incident involving Tommy physically dodging kisses as Maura lay on top of him was undoubtedly a low point.
Let me be clear; non-consensual sexual acts are never acceptable, and Maura's behaviour towards Tommy was not okay. As sex-positive and honest as she is, it does not give her an excuse to force herself on someone, and although she may pass it off as flirty banter, the social media mob's point still stands β if the roles were reversed, and a man had forced himself on top of a woman in the house in the name of flirting, it would be absolutely unacceptable, and Maura should be no different.
But while Maura's overtly sexual personality does not give her the freedom to pressure someone into sex, it also does not give others the freedom to label or slut-shame her.
