Love Island USA has found itself at the centre of yet another media storm after former fan-favourite Cierra Ortega’s alleged posts, in which she used a racial slur against Chinese people, were unearthed. In one message, it’s claimed she said she wanted Botox to avoid having eyes that looked Asian. Cierra has since been removed from the show, with the narrator saying the contestant left due to a “personal situation”.
Love Island Australia winner Tina Provis tells Chattr it’s a clear example of anti-Asian racism that’s rampant — both in the USA and here in Australia.
“My eyes used to be one of my biggest insecurities because I spent years brushing off racist remarks like the one [allegedly] made by Cierra. I’ve seen people online defending Cierra’s use of the slur, and it just shows how much we downplay anti-Asian racism,” the Chinese-Australian reality TV star says.
“Taking the slur out of the equation, even if Cierra had said she uses cosmetic procedures to avoid looking Asian, that would still be racist, derogatory and hurtful to the Asian community.”
The I’m A Celeb star notes the Love Island audience can be impressionable, and the people on screens become role models. “Not only could [Cierra’s alleged] comments lead young people to feel insecure about their identity, but conversely, it normalises casual racism if we fail to call it out. If you’re calling out the features of an ethnic group as undesirable and unattractive, that is inherently racist. The fact that so many people online don’t see the issue with the slur makes it clear that production made the right call,” she adds.
Love Island hasn’t released a statement about why Cierra was removed, and boiling it down to a “personal situation” is “disappointing”, Tina says. “It’s one thing to remove a contestant for poor behaviour, but if you aren’t going to be transparent and back the decision publicly, then that is a missed opportunity to stand up for POCs [people of colour].”
Is anti-Asian hate rampant in Australia?
Tina has been outspoken about her experience as a Chinese-Australian woman in the media over the years, and tells Chattr she has been made fun of for her ethnicity since she was a child. She grew up in a very white area, and was “self-conscious” of her differences.
“In school, my race was brought up and made fun of in the form of throwaway comments. As a coping mechanism, I joined in on the jokes about my race, and eventually, I would beat people to the punchline,” she recalls.
“The people who are quick to defend themselves after making a racist comment and say that they ‘didn’t know it was racist’ are the very same people who complain when you stand up for POCs and explain why it is, in fact, racist.”
@tinaprovis Two cents on #loveislandusa ♬ original sound – Tina
She tells Chattr the reason why she continues to speak up for the marginalised is to stop this culture of casual racism in our society. Hopefully, the producers of Love Island will see the backlash and make a statement condemning anti-Asian hate, but until then, Tina will continue to speak out.
You can stream Love Island US on 9Now.
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