Oh, The Ick – how we love you. What a convenient way to express the depths of irrational disgust and horror people can feel at basic human behaviour. How did we explain the sudden gut feeling that a person you were once attracted to is now not only unattractive but actively repulsive, before The Ick?
For several years now, The Ick has taken over the internet and girls’ minds. It first took hold as many contemporary dating concepts do: via Love Island. While describing things as “icky” has, of course, long signalled disgust, it was the brain of one-time contestant Olivia Attwood that brought us The Ick. Since she used the term in 2017, every subsequent series has only implanted the concept deeper into the collective psyche. Indeed, Love Island and the idea of The Ick have become so synonymous that it has already emerged in this year’s Winter Love Island, despite the series only starting today. Entry interviews are where the first clutch of Islanders can make their mark, dazzling the public with puns and quips, or confessing to a cheeky foot fetish. Last week, two of the new girls decided to show off their unique personalities, tastes and talents through the medium of “The Ick”.
