A Glimpse of Change?

There are two modern television shows that simply sum up each view on the beauty ideal.

The antagonist:
“The Swan was a 2004 U.S. reality television program broadcast on Fox in which supposedly very ugly women were given "extreme makeovers" that included several forms of plastic surgery. The title of the series refers to the story of The Ugly Duckling that grows up and becomes a swan.”

The protagonist:
How to Look Good Naked is a television program, first aired on British Channel 4 in 2006, in which fashion stylist Gok Wan encourages women who are insecure with their bodies to strip nude for the camera. The program is unique among other similar makeover shows in that it never encourages participants to undergo cosmetic surgery or lose weight.

And here’s the good news: The Swan was cancelled and How to Look Good Naked thrives on. Maybe the media is finally hearing the message from everyday women that we’re tired of the skinny plastic version of beauty being shoved down our throats? Let’s hope for more of this.