'Love Island USA' Star Melanie Moreno Defended by Model Ella Halikas Amid Body Image Backlash

“Love Island USA” star Melanie Moreno is getting support from Sports Illustrated model Ella Halikas, after fans online resurfaced old photos of Melanie from her past as a plus-size model ... sparking debate over her appearance and alleged insecurities on the current season.

We caught up with Ella in Los Angeles, where she was quick to shut down the narrative forming around Melanie after social media users circulated throwback images ... attempting to draw comparisons between her past modeling work and her behavior on the show.

The online chatter has quickly spiraled into a broader conversation about body image, reality TV pressure, and beauty standards, suggesting her confidence issues may stem from her earlier career ... but Ella is quick to bury that narrative into the ground.

Ella told us people just need to leave Melanie alone, and it’s unfair to take old photos and try to connect them to who she is now. She tells us Melanie is beautiful both ways, and no one should be using her past to tear her down.

From there, the conversation shifted to Miami Swim Week -- where Ella walked and attended -- and she tells us while the industry continues to promote inclusivity on the runway, Ella says the reality behind the scenes doesn’t always match the messaging ... adding there's still a lot of work to do.

Halikas has been one of the more vocal advocates for body diversity in fashion, and says that while progress has been made, consistency is still lacking -- especially when it comes to long-term representation rather than seasonal campaigns.