Love Island UK: Deaf Representation and Ableism, Written by Tasha Ghouri

Updated on August 19, 2022 15:50 PM by admin

It has been her privilege to be part of Love Island UK, but now that she has left the villa, Tasha Ghouri has written a piece on deaf representation and ableism.

On the long-running dating series, only a few disabled contestants, including Hugo Hammond, have appeared on the show, including Tasha, a fashion icon with a cochlear implant.

Her article about ableist bullying importance

At the beginning of the series, Tasha revealed she had a disability she called a "superpower." She had been born deaf and received a cochlear implant as a child. During her fourth-place appearance on the show, Andrew Le Page gushed about her bravery and superpower, making viewers swoon. She used her platform to talk about ableist bullying and representation.

The article was published on August 18 by Glamour Magazine UK, which praised Mattel for its newly diverse Barbie doll line, including one with a visible hearing aid. According to the model, growing up deaf negatively affected her self-esteem because there were no deaf people in pop culture who shared her superpower. It made Tasha cry that "young kids with hearing impairments can play with Barbies and finally see themselves represented," as she coincided with Barbie during the Love Island heart rate challenge.

Tasha spoke about her struggles and success.

Afterward, the dancer reflected on what she had gained by appearing on the ITV show as a force for representation. "I didn't expect to be chosen because of my superpower," she admitted. She made headlines for being the first ASOS model to have a cochlear implant before entering the villa. Tasha did admit, however, that she faced shocking ableism from viewers, even though she was proud of the advancements she made.

On and off-screen bullying made some fans of Love Island season 8 unable to watch. People mocked her voice and even joked about removing her implant. Even though she was tempted to avoid mentioning ableism in interviews, Tasha pledged to stand up for her community despite her discomfort with others' opinions about her. "You should never use someone's superpower against them because that quickly turns into ableism."

It makes you more special and unique." her 'Love Island' journey demonstrated that ableist attitudes still need to be changed to change people's perceptions of disability. She added, "I want to ensure that all young people know they shouldn't be afraid to achieve their dreams if they have superpowers."

Issues that are not in the article

Despite not mentioning it in the essay, Tasha also suffered misogynistic bullying from fellow islanders like Jacques O'Neill. This situation got so bad that thousands of complaints were made to the UK media regulator Ofcom.

As a result of her incredible style, Tasha was named eBay UK's first fashion ambassador after leaving the villa with a supportive boyfriend in Andrew and close friendships with the other girls. As a role model for children with superpowers and an advocate for sustainable fashion, Tasha uses her fame for good.