Black ladies are sometimes characterised as “robust,” and it’s problematic. Whereas it encompasses our historic resilience and functionality to take care of others, its perceived which means has additionally robbed us of our relaxation, our proper to be mushy, our freedom to simply be.
Being robust implies that it doesn’t matter what occurs to you, you battle by way of it and are available out unhurt on the opposite facet. That’s not our actuality. Our feelings, our pains, our needs are actual and legitimate, they usually shouldn’t be dismissed by others who assume that regardless of our destiny, we will merely energy by way of it.
That infuriating “robust” label confirmed up loud and clear throughout Olandria Carthen’s surprising exit from Love Island USA this week. Her reference to Taylor Williams was gutted throughout Casa Amor. And when Zak Srakaew selected to recouple with Amaya Espinal, Olandria was left susceptible and single, and in the end eradicated.
We’ve seen different women disintegrate on the fireplace pit, crying and in full meltdown mode ( you, Huda), whereas others have provided phrases of consolation. However that was not Olandria’s destiny. She obtained a “You might be so robust.” Her response? “It’s important to be. Ain’t no person out right here going to be robust for me.”
Sure, she stored her head held excessive, shedding not a single tear. Sustaining her composure, she comforted others and even mentioned, “It’s okay,” making the remainder of the contestants really feel higher over her personal elimination.
However why did she should take that route? Why couldn’t she have damaged down and been a large number? As a result of society nonetheless doesn’t give Black ladies—particularly dark-skinned Black ladies—the room to unravel and be messy and showcase the complete spectrum of human emotion.
This isn’t new. It’s the drawback confronted by dark-skinned Black ladies on actuality tv that’s, at finest, a tiring trope and at worst, a pervasive situation with deeply dangerous influence, a bias rooted in centuries of ingrained prejudice. We needed to have Megan Thee Stallion, who guest-starred on the present, acknowledge Olandria’s plain enchantment, asking the Georgia magnificence, “What’s the booty routine for actual?”
Previous Love Island opponents, like season six’s JaNa Craig and Serena Web page, have spoken out concerning the unfairness they navigated. That’s not solely in interracial couplings but in addition within the wrestle to seek out an genuine reference to Black males on display. It’s a real-world courting dynamic that performs out on display.
We’ll discover out tonight if these final cliffhanger moments of the episode with Olandria and Nic Vansteenberghe, the evening’s different eradicated contestant, imply that their Love Island USA journey isn’t really over. However no matter what occurs, this must be a turning level.
It’s time to retire the “robust Black lady” label on actuality TV. Let Black ladies be mushy, loud, joyful, susceptible, confused, indignant and all the pieces in between. It’s time for us to be seen, in all our magnificence and fact.
Love Island USA continues tonight on Peacock.