Aaaaaargh!

Another rant about tv? Yes but no but yes but no but yes...

Just watched another "How to look good naked" and again having very mixed feelings and again thinking I should not have experienced that as a tv viewer.

Will try and make this entry as short as possible. If you have read any of my previous blogs you'd know I don't have a tv and haven't had one for 9 years and feel pretty good about it although I quite like to be informed about what is going on in there and read anything that comments tv programmes...

Now what about "How to look good naked"? Really? I agree with the main assumption in the show that is most women in this country (and probably in the western world, mind you in the rest of the "other" world they might have other concerns...) most women are concerned and obsessed about their body and their appearence. According to Gok, and I would not be questioning that fact, most women are actually unhappy/ashamed of their body. His point and main perspective in his show is that while a 90 percent of the UK female population is unhappy and ashamed about their body and appearence there is still only one woman type displayed in the magazines, adds and celebrity shots: the skinny, toned, tanned and small-round/bottomed and titsized woman that is realy the result of surgical enhancement procedures + botox etc + super wonder photoshop on a few. So basically we are all, us real women actually "competing" with a very tiny proportion of complete bollocks unreal images that are produced to makes us feel bad and buy lots of expensive stuff. The reality is that is is a winning strategy as we all, us real women, buy lots of that stuff. I do too... Less than I used to, more than I say I do, still more than I should considering that I do not make a living out of my body and that I have a boyfriend who allegedly loves me "how I am". Also I am taller than the average (5.7), slimmer than the average (65 kg), muscular and toned even if I stopped exercise about 15 years ago and live out of my achievements in childhood. I am 33 which means something like 125 in women years compared to boys years but for some reason (that might be relating to the fact that my parents have always been going to bed before 9pm, don't drink and don't smoke, never took drigs, and eat still very consciously) I actually look much younger. So you got it: I look good and young, I am thin and toned. Sure. Great. Still. I do feel the years adding up. I do have cellulite (I call it exponential cellulite as each month is worse than last year...). I go out and most of the time have to come to the hurtful realisation that I am the oldest woman in the premisces if I discard anyone having had a sex change.
I think I still look good and get my quota of compliments everytime I go out with the bonus of a few "can't believe you are 33, your skin is so beautiful!". I have friends and acquaintances, I have a job I actually enjoy and I even make money out of it. Someone I love loves me and I am pretty happy.
Why I am buying all this shit that is costly and is mostly failing into delivering a tight ass and cellulite-free thighs? How come am I still buying all these magazines that expose an image of a woman that actually doesn't exist and also displays all the adds that too easily convince any of us that by buying products we might have a chance to get closer to the 15 year old teen in the fashion shots that os supposed to look mid 20s and has been photoshpoed to hell? I do f**king now about it but I ma still going for the 3 ultimate anti-cellulite creams of the year and almost cry every time I have to face my image in a changing room...

I watched about 4 "How to look good naked" programmes. I actually think that the main concept - make women stop competing with something that is not real and getting more confidence with their body, stop hiding it and start using their best features instead of hiding it all behing big tents of fabric - is positive and very right as well. I am also a strong believer that beauty and being attractive is more about what you ooze than exactly what you look like. I think that Gok's programme is very valid: taking someone very insecure through a path of 1) realising what their body really looks like versus their own mistaken idea 2) addressing a more adecuate clothing 3) challenging specific body problems 4) bringing on alternative feedback. I wouldn't do it otherwise. The whole process he proposes is a very proving one and shows results.

So what? Well, I can't help but feel cringing during the whole show. I can't help but think that if anyone is feeling quite uncomfortable with their body it must be very distressing to have to be filmed in your underwear and then without it later on in the show. I makes me scream when Gok shows up at the "victim's" place and exposes the full content of her underwear drawer for the audience. It makes me absolutely mad when Gok has a talk with the "victim" about her posing nude and then even catwalking nude that turns into something that the "victim" might very much feel as something she has no choice about. I see that person coming out of all it and being very much chuffed about the whole experience (they just had a crowd shouting they were great and probably feel very high then)and they acknowledge the change for better then. I am pretty sure that this woman feels great then while filmed but what about after when the realisation of what they ahve dome in front of the cameras sinks in? They have been filmed at their most vulnerable moment in the worst and ugly and unprepared underwear, they had their body exposed when they were not even showing it in dim lights to their boyfriends/husbands, they showed themselves in the worse looking big pants (worse than Bridget Jones'biggest pants!) and had to have their worse pants displayed on tv...

I like the personal development part of the show and really believe it is successful in making these women more confortable and confident but I hate the fact that it is broadcasted. I can't help myself to think that these women might feel very embarrassed when the show is on. I'd love for someone to give me more confidence, give me advoce and suggesting outfits I might not consider but would be better for me than what I usually wear. Still there is no way gok is showing up at mine uninvited and goes through my wardrobe and displaying anything I don't want him to. No way I am going for a nude shot that will be broadcasted accross the country (at least) and then getting pushed into catwalking in a mall next door to mine (come on!!!) in underwear with a potential plus of me going on there naked.
No way, Jose!

Arrrrrrgh... Am I the only one to cringe?!