by Lara Parry
After the success of BBC’s ‘I Kissed a Boy’ (IKAB) last year, the BBC released a lesbian spin-off.
Presented by a very glam Dannii Minogue, ‘I Kissed a Girl’ (IKAG) draws similarities to its popular heterosexual counterpart, ‘Love Island’. The main difference? It’s full of queer and bisexual women.
Similarly full of gorgeous contestants, it follows 10 single women's journey to enter the Masseria (Italian Villa) looking for love and hit it off by sharing a kiss. Spread over 9 episodes, and much like Love Island, some contestants are eliminated, some new ones join, and some stay.
With contestants from all over the country, the show not only offers much-needed queer representation but adds a diversity of races, sexualities, and preferences. This is something to be celebrated.
Speaking to the Guardian, Thea Hallow, who entered IKAG on episode five, commented; “I’ve never seen anyone like me represented before. We weren’t [presented as] stereotypes … I can’t think of anyone who is dark-skinned, Black, femme and queer who’s been on TV or anywhere. I hope that we can act as representation and that people can be more bold about who they are in any field.”
Often be overlooked in mainstream TV, particularly dating shows, this queer representation runs deeper than just the contestants as even the production crew were queer women too.
As a result, nearly every episode highlighted significant issues concerning the lives and experiences of lesbian and bisexual women in the UK, sparking discussions both online and offline. These conversations often address topics such as masc/femme identities, how upbringing influences one's relationship with sexuality, and the challenges of coming out.
Among the three bisexual women in the Masseria, there have been essential discussions about the negative opinions surrounding bisexuality. They explored the persistent false stereotype of being indecisive or greedy, not feeling "gay enough" for lesbians, and being seen as a means to satisfy a straight man's desire for a threesome.
“I always feel the urge to say, ‘I’m not a kink,’” shared Northern Irish Cara Kinney - who was one of the first girls to join the cast.
In a poolside chat early in the series, the women delved into their complicated relationship with the term "lesbian," after school had often framed it negatively in their lives.
Contestant, Georgia Robert, explained the historical reason why the "L" in LGBTQ holds the prime position in the community acronym, as a tribute to the support lesbians provided to gay men during the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
“This should be taught in schools," she said, in tears, “but it’s not."
And she is right, there needs to be a wider conversation about queer history in schools, but we also didn’t have shows like IKAB and IKAG despite them being long overdue. Hopefully this representation this can inspire the new Labour government to modify the curriculum.
As well as touching on key issues, it was a celebration of female solidarity and friendship. Even those who kissed and broke up expressed their happiness at being surrounded by fellow queer women. It still packed the usual drama and tears you’d expect from a good reality show, but lacked the toxicity you often find in its heteronormative counterparts. Instead, there is genuine queer solidarity and stellar communication - something younger viewers could benefit from seeing.
The only critique is the show's limited representation of women who weren't cisgender and of average size.
It still caters to narrow beauty standards with no one over a size 10 (12, at a push). Real women, both queer and straight, come in all shapes and sizes and should be celebrated.
Also, as a show making such waves in the LGBT community, the inclusion of trans women would have not only provided representation but emphasised how they are an integral part of the queer community both in the UK and globally.
Historically, trailblazers like Marsha P. Johnson, who played a pivotal role in advancing queer rights in the '80s and beyond, reinforce the importance of such representation. After all, trans women are women, and their presence would have enriched the show's portrayal of diverse queer experiences.
Besides this, I absolutely loved finally watching queer joy on screen and the positive impact its had on queer representation in mainstream TV through creating wider conversations.
For those in the UK, you can stream the show on BBC iPlayer now.
Edited by Emily Duff