Olandria Carthen is opening up about life on and off camera.
The 28-year-old Love Island USA Season 7 alum spoke out in a new feature for Cosmopolitan, out now.
During the conversation, she spoke about her romance with Nic Vansteenberghe, her giant social media following (also known as Nicolandria Nation and the Ola Dolls), navigating fame, going private with her relationship, and what she’s planning for the future.
Find out what Olandria had to say…
On navigating her newfound success:
“Even if it’s overwhelming at times, I’m extremely grateful. I am so honored to represent women who look like me. It reminds me of my purpose. Something about my journey ignites so much fire in them to get up and go after their dreams.”
On why she turned down Love Island twice before finally agreeing to it:
“I didn’t want to put myself on a big stage just yet. I’m so happy I sat it out for two years. The world will come in and tell you who you are, and then you’re scrambling in the spotlight, and it’s messy. I had to make sure I knew who Olandria was before I properly introduced her to the world. When I did eventually say yes, I was like, ‘You know what? You see something in me that I don’t see in myself just yet. Let me just take you up on the offer.’ Third time’s the charm.”
On how growing up in Alabama shaped her:
“Growing up in Alabama made me more grateful for the smaller things. As kids, we had to go outside and create our own fun. I was making mud pies, getting ringworms, and getting my legs all scuffed up because I actually had a childhood and went outside to play. Even now that I have everything I could’ve ever imagined, I’m not allowing this thing to change me. I’m still the same person, and people can relate to me, regardless of how big my account gets or how big my spotlight is.”
On what she learned in elevator sales that applies to her current fame:
“I was dealing with pissed-off customers every single day. It taught me how to handle conflict and communicate without shutting down and lashing out. It’s the way that you respond that means the most. I decided I’m going to be like Beyoncé with the BS—I’m not going to respond if it’s negative. You don’t see me clear up any rumors or address anything, because if you find yourself doing that, you create a loop of doing that over and over.”
On why she ultimately took a chance on Love Island:
“I didn’t know what Love Island was when they reached out to me. When I finally saw it, I thought it was intense, but I was like, ‘I don’t need help. I’m an adult now, let me try to find the love of my life on my own,’ before Love Island. Then I found out the dating scene in Houston was trash. I know it’s odd to go on a show and try to find love, but I wasn’t having any luck in Houston.”
On how it feels to have fans who connect with her experience:
“When I first came out of the Villa to one of the biggest hate trains I could have ever imagined, I never expected anybody to come to my defense. Dark-skinned Black women are dragged in the media all the time and no one comes to the rescue. They always have to advocate for themselves because no one feels like they’re important enough to do that for them.”
On how she views her success:
“I deserve every single thing that I have. I’m not winning because I’m sitting and waiting for it to fall in my lap. I am advocating for myself, networking, and trying to ignore the hate all at once. When I win, I want you to feel like you’ve won. I never want it to come off as me trying to smear it in someone’s face.”
On the moment she realized her connection with Nic could work outside of the Villa:
“Our final date, when we were just saying our piece, and I was like, ‘I’m gonna continue to water this love plant to see how it grows.’ He said that he’s been in love twice and that the third time’s the charm.”
On how she keeps her relationship with Nic feeling normal:
“We don’t monetize our relationship or put it on display. If you genuinely like spending quality time with somebody, it shouldn’t involve a camera every two seconds. We enjoy each other’s presence and do what normal people do: go out, have fun, and get to know each other. We go to dinner and watch movies at the actual movie theater. We hang out at his house in Florida. We actually took a ride on his dad’s bike. He literally got his drone and recorded me and Nic on the motorcycle. It was so cute.”
On deciding which aspects of her life to keep private:
“These people met you on TV, so they want access to you all the time. You want to post normally, but then you see people overanalyze every little thing, and you shut down. When it comes to me and Nic—when you really care about something—you keep it very sacred and close to you. When I was younger, I never understood why people in Hollywood kept their love life private, and now I do. When you post too much, they think you’re monetizing and faking it. When you don’t post at all, they can’t tell if y’all are together. There’s no winning.”
On fan speculation about her relationship:
“Why is it your business? Are your bills getting paid? Are you touch-deprived? Go get a man; go do something with your life. Why does it matter if me and Nic are together? Even when we were at Coachella, people in the comments were like, ‘Oh, I just needed proof that they saw each other this week.’ Why are you so invested in people that don’t know you? That part kind of creeps me out, because I’m never that invested in someone’s relationship, and I’m not living for the internet.”
On her decision to focus on promoting education after Love Island:
“In our society, where you could be a streamer or a content creator and make millions of dollars, no one wants to go to school anymore. I’m still young, I’m hot, and I’ve got influence, so I’m going to these colleges, having sold-out talking sessions for students. I want to have different avenues that I can tap into, and then eventually I want to be an actress. I want to do it all.”
On the role of fashion in jump-starting her career:
“Fashion was one of the first things that truly set me apart from the Love Island of it all. People started to take me more seriously. The VMAs were my official breakout moment into the fashion world—I was in a beautiful red dress, and it was everywhere. That’s when I knew it could be a turning point in my career because I started to be a part of a different conversation.”
On feeling support from other celebrities:
“JT writes me a lot, saying, ‘I love what you’re doing for Black women.’ Ciara was very heartwarming when I met her at the Give Her Flowers event. She spoke so much into me, like, ‘Keep going. We got you, girl.’ Kehlani, Ryan Destiny, and Chlöe Bailey were others who were so endearing. For them to welcome me with open arms and make me feel like I belong means a lot as a regular girl coming from the real world and basically getting thrown into this life….To have such beautiful women embrace you like that and speak so much into you made me realize how impactful my journey was for a lot of people.”
On the possibility of returning to reality TV:
“I’m not against it—hopefully, it’s my own show. I want to be an executive producer and have a say in what goes out because in the reality space, Black women aren’t always put in the best light. I want to have control over my narrative because people are already trying to put me in a box or make me out to be the character that they wanted me to be.”
For more from Olandria, head to cosmopolitan.com.
Find out the current status of each relationship from Season 7.
The post Love Island’s Olandria Carthen Addresses Speculation About Her Relationship With Nic Vansteenberghe: ‘Why Is It Your Business?’ appeared first on Just Jared - Celebrity News and Gossip | Entertainment.