On the fourth series of Love Island UK in 2018, Megan Barton-Hanson invited fellow islander Wes Nelson for a chat.

Moments earlier, she had ended her relationship with Eyal Booker after admitting the pair had little more than physical chemistry. Now, sitting across from Wes, who had been paired with Laura Anderson since the beginning of the competition, she decided not to wait for him to make the first move.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that I really like you,” he told her. “And I felt like if I didn’t say something, I would really regret it.”

At the end of the episode, viewers gave her a new nickname: “Muggy Megan.” Critics accused her of moving too quickly between relationships and breaking the “girl code.” Others admired his honesty.

At the time, Barton-Hanson argued that she had been treated differently to her male counterparts. “People definitely make it harder for girls than guys… It’s sexist.”

But eight years later, scenes like Barton-Hanson’s no longer seem so out of the ordinary. Until this series, in the initial pairing the men always chose first. This year, the rules of the show changed and the women took first choice.