While infidelity, backbiting and jealousy are ingrained in “Love Island,” extreme weight loss has not typically been part of the reality series’ narrative until now.
After video footage of Season Eight contestant Melanie Moreno surfaced of her as a plus-size model in a 2023 Miami Swim Week fashion show, some critics went into overdrive, suggesting that she used Ozempic or other weight loss drugs. A relative of Moreno’s reportedly denied that claim. While celebrities’ bodies are a constant point of fascination and scrutiny, the current debate about Moreno’s physique raises broader societal questions, according to a few authorities.
Representatives at Wilhelmina, the agency that Moreno signed with, did not respond to requests for comment. In addition to modeling, the 24-year-old Los Angeles resident works in a bikini store.
After images of a heavier Moreno modeling a pink one-piece swimsuit with cut-outs for PrettyLittleThing circulated on social media, one of her cousins posted, “She worked hard to get her current body!!! She wasn’t insecure when she was plus size, and she’s not insecure now.”
While bikinis, weight loss and insecurity are relatable to many “Love Island” viewers, the show’s format seems ripe for the current social media chatter that is buzzing about Moreno’s body. Peacock’s American dating show features “Islanders,” who reside under constant surveillance in a villa, where the objective to couple up with another Islander — for love, friendship, or survival to take home the cash prize. Moreno’s alliance with Sincere Rhea is one of the reality program’s central storylines that millions are now watching play-by-play.
