‘Love Island’s’ Chelley and Olandria Bonded Over Braids
‘Love Island’ Stars Chelley And Olandria Dish On Being Labeled ‘Mean Girls’ And Bonding Over Braids
Season 7 of Peacock’s massively popular Love Island USA brought some of the most polarizing TV moments making the Islanders the center of pop culture conversations and discourse. The show’s two breakout female stars, Chelley Bissainthe and Olandria Carthen dealt with the fame, and sadly, the undeserved and vicious online backlash many Black female reality stars face. The pair recently spoke with Teen Vogue about their journey in the villa and why their friendship is built to last.
Right after filming the highly-anticipated Love Island reunion, set to air on Peacock on Aug. 25, besties Chelley and Olandria made their press rounds — and their interview with Teen Vogue is yet another eye-opener about how Black are constantly held to different standards.
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Being unfairly labeled “mean girls” after rightfully holding controversial cast member Huda Mustafa accountable for actions, Chelley and Olandria shared their collective shock and disappointment at the online backlash they received after leaving Fiji.
“It was confusing and so weird because we knew who we were in that villa,” Chelley said. “We know how much we showed up for every single person on that island, how well everyone spoke of us. So for us to come out of the villa and see that we’re mean girls, we’re like, ‘Mean girls where?’”
“How dare you guys say something like that to us, but not to everyone who was having that mean girl energy or mean girl moments? It goes back to the whole, you have to act a certain type of way [as a Black woman] because the moment you act ‘out of character’ you’re done,” Chelley continued. “We didn’t call anyone names, we didn’t sit here and run up and down the villa yelling, screaming. We just spoke our truth and held people accountable for their actions.”
Olandria added that what hurt even more about the unfair narrative is that the Islanders who left the villa prior went online no further fueled the bullying accusations.
“To see our fellow islanders playing into that narrative was hard,” she told the outlet. “It’s like, you knew us, why would you get out and let America, let social media get to your head? A lot of them played into that mean girl, bully narrative. I’m like, ‘Okay, this is not fair.’”
“I knew going into the show, especially as a Black woman, I was representing more than just myself,” Olandria added. “The world always tries to label us as ‘angry Black women.’”
“They use a moment of weakness and make that one specific time our whole character. I knew that when it came to my emotions, I had to dial that back, which I did for the majority of the season,” she said of her calm demeanor despite her rocky journey on the show. “The moment that I did break and I kind of blew, people were like, ‘I knew it. That’s the real her. I wanted to be unapologetically me, but it’s like this world doesn’t allow Black women to do that.”
However, luckily for them they had each other. Both ladies had been approached to join the show during previous seasons, but shared they felt them both being on season 7 was meant to be.
“We’re soul sisters for a reason,” Olandria told Teen Vogue. “We’ll always say to one another, ‘God knew we needed each other.’ I’m so happy the past seasons did not work out for us because season seven was the year to be here at the same time.”
Chelley quickly backs up her bestie, saying “We were supposed to be here together.”
The two shared an unbreakable bond in the villa immediately, with some of their favorite one-on-one moments revolving around their hair, as both opted for braids to combat the Fiji heat and multiple messy challenges.
“I think one of the biggest things for us is when we both walked out, got into the villa, and looked at each other and we’re like, ‘Oh, we both got braids,’” Chelley recalled.
“On our off days, Chelley and I would be on the floor crocheting my hair, looping my braids through [to freshen them up],” Olandria added. “We didn’t have anyone there to braid our hair.”
That bonding over their hair, something that Black women know very well, is what initially solidified them as friends — something they both say will undoubtedly continue.
“That was just a moment of like, ‘Yo, you’re my girl. You know you’re stuck with me, right? You’re not going anywhere,’” Chelley said. “My girl — we are in it for the long haul,” Olandria added.
‘Love Island’ Stars Chelley And Olandria Dish On Being Labeled ‘Mean Girls’ And Bonding Over Braids was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
