On the fourth series of Love Island UK in 2018, Megan Barton-Hanson pulled fellow Islander Wes Nelson for a chat. 'I think it's pretty obvious that I do really fancy you,' she told him. 'And I just felt like, if I didn't say something, I'd regret it massively.' By the end of the episode, viewers had dubbed her 'Muggy Megan', accusing her of breaking 'girl code' and moving too quickly between relationships. Barton-Hanson argued she was treated differently to male counterparts: 'It's sexist.'
Eight years later, scenes like Barton-Hanson's no longer feel out of the ordinary. Until this year, the opening coupling had always seen the men choose first. This series, the rules changed: the women made the first choice.
“Love Island's rule change to let women choose first reflects Britain's evolving dating culture, experts say.”
Alicia Denby, a sociologist at Manchester Metropolitan University, argues the tweak reflects a broader societal shift where 'women may now be more likely to approach someone first'. For Prof Kitty Nichols, who researches relationships and popular culture at the University of Sheffield, Love Island has become 'an important cultural vehicle' allowing us to 'reflect on the dating scene and culture at the moment'.
Former PE teacher Kai Fagan met his now wife, Sanam Harrinanan, when he won the 2023 series. 'My life ever since then has been a fairytale. The whole show is about love. That's the point of it. You're put in a situation to fall in love.'
At its peak, around five million people tuned in every night. Live audiences are smaller, but it remains ITV's biggest programme among 16 to 34-year-olds. As another series approaches its end, the question lingers: does women making the first move really represent a genuine shift in dating culture?