Maura Higgins regularly shares glam snaps with fans on social media but has shown off a more stripped back look in her latest post as she admitted “hiding behind filters” while speaking out about the pressures of social media.
The Love Island star – who recently teased a return to the villa – opened up to mark Mental Health Awareness Week and urged her followers to “stop comparing” themselves to others.
She wrote, “So many of us hide behind filters & I am not going to come on here and lie... I am one of them BUT don’t do it to impress others... do it for yourself, just like everything else in life.
“DO YOU!!! Stop comparing yourself to others. We are all human, we all have our bad days, bad photos, bad angles etc. I want to let every person reading this know that NOBODY IS PERFECT.”
Maura continued, “Being in the public eye we have the privilege of having stylists, makeup artists, PT’s etc. But behind all that glam and social media we are just normal people! If you want to be happy, don’t take stuff personal, let things go & let other people be!
“I have been trolled my whole life like many people & the best thing to do is IGNORE IT! Those people being nasty or behind their keyboards are far from perfect too!”
CHECK OUT Love Island lingo: your ultimate guide to Love Island chat
Love Island lingo: Your ultimate guide to Love Island chat slider
1. NVQ Level
The Love Island 2021 girls decided to use NVQ levels (aka National Vocational Qualification levels) as their code for sex in the villa. So Entry Level NVQ means a snog, NVQ1 means a sexual act using hands, NVQ2 is oral sex and NVQ3 is sex.
2. The G
This one is pretty simple, The G means girlfriend. For example Faye is worried about the moment Teddy may or may not bring up 'The 'G question - aka asking her to be his girlfriend.
3. Football code
The Love Island 2021 boys decided to use football terms as code for sex in the villa. FYI - one nill means a sexual act performed on a fellow Islander, handball is a sexual act using hands, a header is oral sex and a streaker on the pitch is complete nudity.
4. Moving mad
This is basically when someone starts to move out of character in the villa. For example Toby being coupled up with Kaz, then dumping her for Chloe, then dumping her for Abigail.
5. Dead ting
People usually use this phrase to describe something as boring, dull or ugly however Amber insisted to Joanna (who she used it about) that it "doesn't necessarily mean I was commenting on your looks".
6. Fanny flutters
Maura (one of our favourite ever contestants) has used it several times throughout series five and the Irish ring girl always says it when a guy has turned her on.
7. Marj
Marj is slang for mum. After Michael mugged Amber off, Ovie questioned whether the firefighter would talk to his Marj like that. Fair play.
8. Factor 50
Usually used when a guy tries way too hard with a girl and ends up going all factor 50 on them. Anton decided to not go 'factor 50' when the Casa Amor girls arrived.
9. Bevy / Bev
This new word has been introduced to the 2019 series by Lucie Donlan. The Newquay surfer uses the word 'bev' or 'bevvy' to describe hot men…She said, "A bev is a hot guy, if he's your boyfriend he's your bev, but if he's not your boyfriend, he's a bev."
10. The Eagle
On Tuesday night's episode of Love Island, the game 'Slide in the DMs' revealed Curtis' favourite sex position, The eagle. Curtis confessed, "The eagle, that's my favourite romantic position, we shall say," he explained, looking a tad embarrassed.Whole of the UK Googles the eagle.
11. Mugged off / pied off
When someone goes behind your back, or acts sneaky and plays you for a fool. Often mistaken for describing warm, humid weather.Use it in a sentence, "You started chatting her up when you know she's with me. You mugged me off, mate" OR "What you did back there, that was proper muggy". Love Island's Joe didn't want to be mugged off when Tommy Fury entered the villa and tried to swipe Lucie from him.
12. It is what it is
Islander Sherif shrugged and declared, "it is what it is", when none of the girls stepped forward for him in the savage opening show on Monday night. Meaning 'there's nothing you can do about it', Sherif used the phrase again when Amber stepped forward for Callum and rejected him.
13. Loyal
Georgia Steel from Love Island 2018 "I'm loyal" phrase will go down in history for the amount of times she used the words . "Loyal" describes someone who stays true to their Love Island partnership and friendships. However, the word took on a whole new meaning in series four as Georgia used it at every opportunity, claiming she was loyal above everything else.
14. Snakey
When someone is being deceitful or sly behind your back. Don't panic, this isn't to be mistaken for actual reptiles in the villa."She's such a snake"In the villa, someone is 'snakey' if they make romantic advances towards a coupled up Islander.
15. The Do Bits Society/DBS
The Do Bits Society, otherwise known as DBS, was a members-only club for Islanders who have successfully taken part in sexual contact. The club was founded in 2018 by Islander Wes Nelson after he had some fun under the sheets with Laura Anderson.The club went on to have daily meetings for other members to find out how their fellow islanders were getting on.
16. Drop me out
Otherwise known as, "Oh My God!", Dani Dyer loved to use this phrase in the villa in 2018. The phrase is said to originate from Essex and it can be used to refer to something shocking or incorrect.
17. Eggs in baskets
Literally every islander has uttered the phrase, "eggs in baskets" at some point and, although its pretty self-explanatory, we couldn't write a Love Island Dictionary without adding this one in there. It basically means to refer to your potential partners as 'eggs', so if you really like someone then you may put all your eggs in one basket.Use it in a sentence: "Are all your eggs in Alex's basket then? Or are there still some left over?"
18. On paper...
When someone is your type, but there's just something missing. Use it in a sentence: "On paper, he is 100% my type"
19. Pranging out
Something that gives you a sudden wave of anxiety and panic.Use it in a sentence: "When that new boy came in, I immediately started pranging out"
20. Melt
If you're acting a bit pathetic and getting a bit soppy over a girl/boy, but not in a good way! Trying too hard, acting a bit desperate. Although we know its hot in Mallorca, the islanders aren't actually melting.Use it in a sentence: "You're such a melt" OR "The guy is a tuna MELT"
21. Ick
If you've got the ick, the relationship is over. When you get a bad gut feeling about someone that you just can't shake off.Olivia Attwood broke up with Sam in 2017 because of the ick. She explained, "When you've seen a boy, and got the ick, it doesn't go. It's caught you, and it's taken over your body. It's just ick. You can't shake it off."
22. Stick it on him/her
To make a move on someone (graft), flirt with someone or express desire/intent. Nothing to do with actually sticking anything on anyone.Note: this does not always result in a positive outcome...
23. Graft / Grafting
When you put in the work with someone romantically. Not to be mistaken for doing actual hard work, which we know none of them are really doing during their seven weeks in the villa.Use it in a sentence,"I've been grafting all day" OR "You really gotta put in the graft with that one".
24. Salty
If someone acts a bit off with you, acts a bit negatively towards you. Rarely used in the villa to describe a taste.Use it in a sentence, "Why you being so salty with me?"
25. Crack on
To try and start a romantic relationship with someone.Use it in a sentence, "We're done now so you two can crack on."If an Islander is attracted to someone single who hasn't already been claimed by another cast mate, they're free to crack on.
26. Dicksand
Like quicksand, 'dicksand' is what you get caught in when you're totally obsessed with a guy and can't get him out of your head.Love Island's Olivia Attwood introduced this phrase in 2017. She said, "I've fallen right into dicksand".
27. Extra
When you take something too far, and are overdramatic about something. This one genuinely doesn't make any sense to us.Use it in a sentence, "Why are you getting so extra about it?"
28. A bit of me
A bit of me is a phrase used by Islanders to indicate interest in a fellow Islander, most often soon after a new contestant has entered the villa. Someone tends to announce "He is a bit of me" or "she's a bit of me".
29. Catch Feelings
Catching feelings refers to falling in love when you weren't supposed to or starting to like who you are matched with too soon.Olivia Attwood once said: "When a f***girl catches feelings, it ain't a pretty sight."
30. Where's your head at?
Islanders will ask each other this question to find out how someone feels about you or find out how they're feeling about fellow contestants.
31. Aggy
Contestants will use this word to refer to Islanders that are angry, agitated or aggravated. You could say, "she's so aggy today".
32. Wavey
Wavey is just another word to describe someone as good looking.Casa Amor has had a slight revamp for 2019 and has new slogans on the walls, including 'wavey', 'catch feelings' and 'buff'.
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The 29 year old ended the post by encouraging fans to focus on their mental health and not to “suffer in silence”.
Followers were quick to praise her for the candid post, including one who wrote, “Love you for this ❤️.”
A second commented, “This will help someone out there struggling. Lovely words Maura ❤️.”
“You’re an inspiration ✨💫,” added a third.
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Maura’s latest post comes after she furiously denied Photoshopping one of her snaps after trolls accused her of altering a bikini selfie.
Taking to her Instagram to update fans, she said, “So my recent post that I just uploaded, yeah I've deleted it. I just couldn't be dealing with the s--t, I just actually couldn't be dealing with the s--t."
Mimicking the comments, she continued, "Oh that's so photoshopped, uhhhhh'. Get over it! And by the way, it's not actually photoshopped, yeah there's different lighting on it because I put a filter on it and just to prove you are wrong, I'm going to upload the video on my story, just to prove that I actually am fantastic.”