Creating a communal, and safe, space for all people, but especially women was one of the goals Schwartz had in mind when she opened the bar. “I know firsthand as a female social media influencer how hard it can be to make friends and feel supported,” she says. “Building a space where everyone can be themselves and have a great time enjoying good company and great food is something I am so proud to be part of.”
I’m blown away by the sense of community on every level. Not a single person in the crowd looks unhappy. Even a local business owner has shown up to support Schwartz and her team. Everyone is genuinely excited to be there, happily chatting with strangers about a reality show that’s captured our hearts and minds. It feels like an escape—a welcome break from reality and the monotony of everyday life.
Love Island has always been that kind of escape for me. Seven months ago, I lost my father, Elliot, unexpectedly. It’s been a devastating journey, and I know how wild it sounds that Love Island has brought me joy in such a dark time, but it has. It is 60 minutes a day where I can lose myself in the drama and joy of it all. To find a place and an event that is all about community and positivity has honestly made my life feel lighter. Speaking to others that night, I found I wasn’t alone. Heidy Cuadra, 23, tells me, “I feel like this has all brought us together. There’s so much craziness going on in the world, but I feel like we can all bond over this. It’s a moment to forget about all the crazy shit going on and have fun.”
Outside of this being a safe space for so many women and watching people make new friends, it wasn’t totally a single-sex experience. I loved that maybe a fifth of the patrons were men. Seth Goumba, 25, tells me that he and his friend Melki had just been on vacation together in the Dominican Republic, where he convinced Melki to watch the show for the first time. As soon as they got home, they saw Babylon Social announce the live watch party. “Melki was like, ‘Yo, let’s pull up to the bar and watch it.’ I was like, no way this guy is telling me this right now. So I was like, we have to pull up, and it’s been a great time,” Goumba says.
And this show that’s on six nights a week (well, five, if you’re not into the AfterSun recap on Saturdays) has become a nightly ritual for my partner, Mike, and I. It’s something we bond over and get so excited to talk about. Sometimes we see eye to eye on the actions inside the villa and sometimes we wildly disagree. It’s (dare I say it) made our relationship even stronger. He’s a sports guy, and I’m a reality TV girlie. If there’s a game on, you better believe it’s playing in our living room. But now he’s more excited to watch Love Island while still checking in on sports via his phone, of course. It’s the element of reality TV plus the competition aspect that’s meshed our two worlds together.
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