I’ve always believed that the people who make us feel the most are the ones who quietly (or not so quietly) change the world. They remind us that impact isn’t always about perfection or power; sometimes, it’s about mispronouncing a few words on national TV and somehow making millions of people fall a bit more in love with humanity again.
That’s Amaya Espinal, lovingly referred to by fans as Amaya Papaya.
If you spent even a single night this past summer with a glass of wine in one hand and your TV remote clicking into “Love Island USA” in the other, you already know who she is. The first half of the Internet tuned in for the drama. The second half stayed for her.
We didn’t want to pick someone who just dominated headlines. We wanted someone who made society at large feel good again.
You see, Espinal has this magnetic energy that lingers like perfume. On the show, she turned her self-acknowledged speech impediment – and the now-iconic mispronunciations that came with it (“gratatuily,” “acopalyse,” and who could forget “hyper-bow-lee”) – into a lesson in confidence. When she and Bryan Arenales became the first Latino couple to win the show, she didn’t just make reality TV history, she also made it feel like the entire Dominican diaspora was celebrating with her. She even introduced the phrase “sensitive gangster” into our cultural vocabulary – a term that, if I’m being honest, we could all use more of in our lives right now.
At Popsugar, we’ve built our entire brand on the belief that feeling good isn’t frivolous – it’s the secret sauce to living well. It’s the pulse that drives everything we do, from the stories we tell to the communities we build to the free PS Fit workouts that make us sweat in our living rooms. So when it came time to choose our inaugural Feel-Good Person of the Year, we didn’t want to pick someone who just dominated headlines. We wanted someone who made society at large feel good again.
Espinal did exactly that, reminding the world every night but Wednesday for six weeks this summer that being real is still the most powerful thing you can be on the Internet. That joy, connection, and authenticity are really what moves culture for the better. This cover story is a celebration of her impact, and the first of many “feel good” moments you can expect from Popsugar. I hope learning more about the person behind the TV personality makes you smile. I hope it makes you think about the people who’ve brought light to your own year, and maybe even inspires you to shift your mindset when you wake up each morning.
In addition, we’re kicking off something of an “Amaya week” at the brand. We’ve asked our team of editors to put what we’ve learned from Espinal into practice, including sprinkling self-affirmations into our weekly routines, diving into her special approach to friendships, and reflecting on what her Dominican American representation means beyond the show.
Here’s to the feel-good effect of Amaya “Papaya” Espinal. Enjoy.
– Kelsey
P.S. It’s true, Popsugar’s Feel-Good Person of the Year cover story is just the start of our Feel Good franchise, one that honors the people, places, products, and moments that turned pop culture into purpose – and reminded us that feeling good is, actually, a pretty serious business. Watch this space for more.
