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37: The Kids Are Not Alright
24 Plays28 days ago
We've been hearing that Gen Z is shifting more conservative—embracing traditional gender roles, "red pill" ideology, and the rise of the trad wife. But watching season 8 of Love Island has brought those conversations to life in a way that's hard to ignore.
This episode, I'm breaking down the surprisingly traditional views on dating, relationships, and gender that have played out in the villa what they reveal about the broader cultural moment. Let's explore why this conversation extends far beyond reality TV.
Is Love Island simply reflecting where a generation is headed—or helping shape it? Time to say the quiet part out loud! Let's get into it.
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Transcript
Introduction to the Episode
00:00:00
Speaker
Today on Geneva says, the kids are not all right. They're too conservative.
00:00:20
Speaker
Hey guys, this is Brittany Geneva. Welcome to another episode of Geneva Says. So happy to be here with you in a little bit of a different space. Had to switch it up this week.
00:00:32
Speaker
My mom's in town. It kind of threw off my whole studio vibe, but that's okay. Not complaining, just saying if you're watching this on video, that's why it looks a little bit different. ah That's not the only thing that's different about today's episode.
Gen Z's Conservative Ideologies
00:00:46
Speaker
We are going to dive in to one topic today, really focused on something that I have been seeing through the eyes of Love Island, which is filled with a bunch of 20 to like 23-year-olds, very young cast this season. And one thing that I'm noticing about them is that they are extra, super duper conservative. Like you hear about the Gen Zs going in a more right, like conservative direction, but actually seeing it played out on screen, seeing the trad wifiness of it all, the red pilliness of it all is actually,
00:01:29
Speaker
kind of stunning and once again shows how Love Island really is not just a trashy TV show, but really dives a little deeper into some cultural nuances. I am inspired to make this because I had a shorter video about this on my Instagram that kind of went crazy.
00:01:48
Speaker
And here's some of what I said. I'm so annoyed with like the number of Gen Z stereotypes that this ah cast is fitting, including being overly conservative and like kind of red pill ish. Like even if he was the Villa hoe, what did that mean for what,
00:02:08
Speaker
the Love Island is about. just The oldest one there, the one who is closest to millennial, Bryce, said, okay, he's promiscuous. That doesn't mean he's not looking for love. Like, why are you why are these things even being considered together? and then for Kenzie, of all people, I'm not lustful. First of all, you are. That same night you got french fries, whatever that is, you got it It's something sexual. And why are you using the word lustful like we're at church? Like, this is not...
00:02:39
Speaker
conservative Christian, like, even if you said, I'm not freaked out or I'm not da-da-da, but why did you go for lustful?
Traditional Values in Relationships
00:02:45
Speaker
Because it's just very conservative and, like, red-pilly and trad-wifey and weird. I think the girls being so overly loyal this quickly is, like, a trad-wife type of thought process of, like, I need to be a good woman for my man. And even Melanie being like, I'm gonna not sleep with Corbin and I'm gonna... It's just giving so much conservative and conservatism in a way that's like very icky for me.
00:03:15
Speaker
ah So that is, you know, the thoughts that I initially had on it were about halfway through the season. And I'm just seeing so many examples that are making me go, wait, what? Like, what show am I watching?
00:03:30
Speaker
As I referenced in the clip, there's a woman who spoke about not being lustful. You and I shared kisses and then you also shared kisses with Caleb. That's the same thing as how you guys are seeing or how the girls described they seen Gabe. No, lustful.
00:03:47
Speaker
I'm not lustful. Lustful, girl, are we at church? Why are you using that word? She said it with a hard L. I was so confused about why she wanted to emphasize that point so strongly, even though one, she is being lustful, if that's the word we're going to use. And two, who cares if you are or not? This is basically Lust Island. Have you watched the show?
00:04:09
Speaker
She was also the same person that said she wants to be captured. She wants a man to capture her the way a lion captures a gazelle. kind of just like to feel like Like a little gazelle and like the lion and running after me and only me. I don't want him to run after another one, you know? yeah Ma'am, do you know what they do with a gazelle after they capture him? They kill him and eat him. Like, you want to be prey? You want him to be a predator?
00:04:37
Speaker
That's a little, I'm confused by that. And then the first time that the Islanders had to send someone home, the girls had to vote to send home a boy. They sent home Gabriel, who is Brazilian. He's not like a part of this American culture. And he came in very sex positive, very um sensual and open to exploring the women that he was coupled up with.
00:05:02
Speaker
Nothing in a way that I feel was objectionable or off-putting obviously you know everybody was consenting to everything but they basically sent him home because they felt that he was overly sexual and then that is what Kenzie was responding to when she said I'm not lustful like him so it's just like why does that what do those things even have to do with each other just because he's open like that doesn't mean that he's not trying to find love on this show So there's so many examples and that's just, you know, there's a lot of comments that people left on the video with other examples of things that they saw and impressions that they had of sort of this phenomenon that everyone is sort of noticing. And it just really makes me sit back and say,
00:05:53
Speaker
Wow. You know, like what is happening that is causing the younger generation? I'll say Gen z although I think, you know, everything obviously is exceptions to the rule. But generally speaking, Gen Z to be like so conservative to the point of getting to sounding like trad wives and sounding red pill because that's really the
Nostalgia and Conservative Values
00:06:16
Speaker
issue. I mean, if you're conservative, that is what it is, but it's hard for that not to come with a side of oppression, a side of trying to keep other people from being able to make the best choices for their own lives. It kind of just all goes together. and so i I was kind of
00:06:34
Speaker
looking into like, why is this happening? And there there is sort of this kind of like bigger societal thing happening right now, even beyond Gen Z's where a lot of people are going back to like nostalgia, ah even make America great again. Like, what is that? That's like diving into nostalgia and the idea that this current time that we're in is so stressful and so bad for all of the plethora of reasons that we have to find a time to go back to that feels better, that feels safer, that feels less capitalistic or less um consumeristic. But the thing is, when we go back to nostalgia, we put on rose-colored glasses. There was a lot of
00:07:21
Speaker
terrible things happening in the past, which is why we really can't romanticize it. But I think that's like a big part of what's happening, just this romanticization of the past. And like, yes, I understand the present and the future is looking a little crazy right now. AI taking everybody's jobs.
00:07:38
Speaker
This man located down the street from me is ruining everything he touches, including, I mean, dang, the reflecting pool. Like I've lived in D.C. almost 10 years. I have never thought about the reflecting pool as much as I've thought about it in the past two weeks. Like ruins everything. I've never seen it look like bright neon green ruins everything he touches. Like this is just.
00:08:01
Speaker
ah and the And then and obviously we have all of the things going on with the younger generation around like just. loneliness and not having the social
Social Media's Role in Conservative Behavior
00:08:11
Speaker
skills. I think we can't ignore the fact that like this group of people was deeply impacted by COVID in terms of going to school and like some really, you know, their first jobs and like some really important, like formative experiences that didn't happen the way they normally would because of COVID.
00:08:30
Speaker
All of that, I think, plays into this so much like social disconnection, so much ability to just go online and do everything there and not be forced to go outside and talk to people. And I think all of that sort of plays into it. And I think too, the other thing that I, that I understand about Gen Z, or at least that I've heard is that they have a lot bigger awareness, which like to, you know, it's fair of just like perception. Like I hear all the time that
00:09:02
Speaker
Gen Z doesn't dance at parties because they're afraid of ending up on somebody's camera. Right. Like this idea that and even though obviously Love Island is on camera, not just the awareness of cameras, but the awareness of like perception and the awareness of like this. is People are going to be judging me or people are going to be.
00:09:23
Speaker
thinking about or evaluating what I do and examining and scrutinizing it. So I need to come across a certain way. and I think that that is really like hugely impacting this generation. And we can see that on the show because I'm just like, I can't imagine being on a show like Love Island, especially if I've watched it before.
00:09:44
Speaker
and and being worried about looking lustful. I mean, that's just crazy. The whole show is kissing. But yet that is, i think, her being concerned about her perception. She's from the South, right?
00:09:55
Speaker
She's like, I still want to be seen as like this demure woman. So all of this sort of, I think, plays into what is like driving this younger generation to go further to the right.
00:10:08
Speaker
But like I said, It's not just about traditional values or going back to, you know, an old school way of thinking, because you can't just do that in a vacuum.
00:10:20
Speaker
Every time you go to those to that type of place and that type of like past
Oppression Concerns with Conservative Shift
00:10:27
Speaker
life. sort of um approach, you you're going to have a side of oppressing women, oppressing Black people, oppressing people of color, oppressing anybody marginalized, anybody gay, anybody neurodivergent. Like, that is what happens when you go in that direction. And that's what we're seeing on the show because we literally have the women, first of all, judging women and men who are not fitting into their stereotype of what the conservative value should look like.
00:11:02
Speaker
And then we even have the women keeping themselves in very, um, in very unhealthy positions. That's actually like, if you talk to anybody about the season, 99% of people will say this is the worst season. This is the worst cast.
00:11:18
Speaker
This is people who have been watching from the beginning. I know people, the girl who I do my Love Island Villa talk with has watched every season, UK, US from the very beginning. And she said, this is the worst one.
00:11:30
Speaker
And it is because these people will not actually do the stuff that you're supposed to do. The girls are so like insanely stuck in their current partnerships. The first ones that they ever had.
00:11:43
Speaker
It is so weird on the show for someone to like partner up with someone on day one or two and then stay with them for the whole time. Cause they're in there for six weeks, which is short, but long in Love Island time. And they refuse to like leave their original couples because of this. So we have women who are keeping themselves in couples with men who are not always treating them very well, but they're doing it because I think of this like red pill, trad wife kind of thought process going on. There's a woman named Melanie who's staying in this relationship with Sincere.
00:12:17
Speaker
Yes, his name is Sincere, who is the biggest liar. So it's like, I don't even, the irony of it all. And he has lied to her time and time and time again in 4K.
00:12:29
Speaker
We can see it live and she's staying with him. And she has had multiple opportunities to couple with another man and get out of this. And she won't.
00:12:40
Speaker
And it's this conservative thought process, this trad wife. I really like the trad wife stuff is crazy. Like, At first, when I used to see Nora's videos, I thought it was maybe a little bit sweet that she's like making all ah like, oh, she's making saltine crackers from scratch. Like, wow, that's crazy. But as I learn more about her and about like this movement, it's very anti-woman and it's very pro-oppression. And I'm like, I see the girls.
00:13:10
Speaker
following in the Nora footsteps as if that's something to look up to. They're constantly talking about how many kids they want to have. It's like the second question they ask every new guy. So how many kids do you want? And they're like, I want a football team's worth of kids. I'm like, okay, Stepford, like what's, what, what's happening? And maybe it's millennials like me that drove them to feel like they need to go in the opposite direction. Cause I'm successful and doing great in life, I'm single and kind of old. So maybe they're just like, you know what? No, we'll give it all up so we can have a family. I guess there's nothing wrong with being family oriented, but there is just this, this like this trad wifiness. That's very, it is very gross. And then the red pill comes in because it's not just that they are
00:13:59
Speaker
saying that they want a more conservative life and that they are, you know, for themselves choosing to do things more conservatively, but they are looking down on people who don't.
00:14:12
Speaker
And that's the red pill part. And they are actually looking to humble women who don't have the same thought process. There is a woman named
Red Pill Influence on Reality TV
00:14:22
Speaker
Soul who came in as a bombshell, literally the bombshells like goal and purpose is to come in and shake up relationships and cause the people to say, hmm, am I more interested? Maybe I should explore this. And so she comes in beautiful, confident, very, you know, head held high.
00:14:42
Speaker
And instead, the men, instead of looking at her and saying, wow, I really want to get to know her. They said they really acted like they wanted to humble her. And that was the thing that just that was the moment where I said, OK, where are we?
00:14:55
Speaker
what type of Andrew Tate nightmare has taken over this villa? Because I've never seen anything like that for there to just be such a strong sense of like wanting to humble her, bring her down to size and the women participating in it as well, which I think is so insidious because that's really when you've eternalized your own ah oppression.
00:15:17
Speaker
And so this is something that to me, is like the biggest red flag of the entire thing. Like, why are you trying to humble a confident woman? That is really red pill coded. And so, you know, obviously you may be thinking like, wow, this is a very serious look at a very unserious show, but it really does reflect society at large. And I think it really is something to to examine that we're seeing these like this is like the future, like these 21 year olds who are already bought into so many toxic thought processes. And so and there really are people on the show who find like their person. There are people who are married from the show or who are with like their long term person. So it really is possible to go in there and like find love.
00:16:02
Speaker
And the way that they're going about it is just so toxic. And what we really should be encouraging them, whether they're in the villa or in real life, to do is to seek relationships with mutual respect, with accountability, not that doesn't have control, with commitment, that doesn't have ownership, which is a huge, oh my God, huge part.
00:16:25
Speaker
They are really acting like they own each other after just half the time in the villa. It's very...
Societal Reflections in Toxic Relationships
00:16:32
Speaker
it's It's too much. There needs to be, you know, ah this freeing from all these gender roles and like having to sort of choose between like being independent and being autonomous, but also like being soft and being vulnerable.
00:16:49
Speaker
There's really only one woman who's sort of like striking that balance. Her name is Trinity. I think her and her couple is going to win, I pray, because nobody else deserves it. um And really just like the culture being more free, you know, and being more focused on finding somebody who meets your needs, not just being chosen, which I think a lot of the girls are focused on being chosen.
00:17:10
Speaker
and so there's just a lot of, of like toxicity in the villa right now. And it really, i think is a reflection of what's going on in real life, unfortunately. And like,
00:17:21
Speaker
Yeah, i it was very interesting to me. It caused me to sort of go down a rabbit hole. I was listening some podcasts and and reading some articles just about, like, what's going on with Gen Z and this whole, like, conservative movement. And I do think, like, there are reasons. Like, I get it. I'm not trying to be, like, completely...
00:17:38
Speaker
um lacking understanding of like why there would be a desire to sort of like go back or like be nostalgic or back to a time when you think things were working better.
Balancing Conservatism with Inclusivity
00:17:50
Speaker
but that's just not the answer because of all the other things that that those olden times bring. And so it's something that I think, you know, as we interact with the Gen Z people in our lives, the younger people in our lives, you know, let's just definitely try to balance some of these thought processes that they are starting to embrace. And, and, you know, I think it's really important to counterbalance all of the messaging out there to show that like,
00:18:19
Speaker
the this red pill, this trad wife, this overly conservative, like leaning is not the answer to all of the issues that are out there. So that is my rant for today. I wanted to do a deep dive on that because I really saw that it was picking up a lot of steam online and I felt like it deserved a little bit of a deeper examination.
Conclusion and Call to Action
00:18:44
Speaker
That's it for today, guys. Short and sweet. This has been another episode of Geneva Says. I do hope that you will connect with me on social media. I'm Brittany Geneva on all of the things. And we'll have more conversations like this. I'll definitely obviously continue my Love Island Villa talk series until the end of the season, which is happening mid-July. And then I will also um just be doing more.
00:19:07
Speaker
um reactions and like commentary about things going on in the world. I really want to spend more time sort of looking at things that are trending like Love Island and looking at sort of like what's behind it. what What's the part that's not being talked about enough? Like in this case,
00:19:24
Speaker
you know, the, the red pilling of Gen z Jesus. So that's, you know, definitely connect with me on social. I'll be doing more of that type of content as well as deeper dives here.
00:19:36
Speaker
Um, and yeah, please, if you're listening to this, when it comes out, I hope you have an amazing 4th of July weekend, go do something fun. Please avoid downtown DC at all costs. If you live here, because it's going to be filled with MAGA craziness and and I will talk to you next time.