Committed

I was really disappointed to learn that the Lifetime show How To Look Good Naked was canceled after only a few episodes. I don’t know if any of you saw it, but it was hosted by Carson Kressley from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and it was GREAT!!!

Carson would meet up with women whose self esteems and body images were in the dumps, and would help them to feel better about themselves and their bodies. Each guest went through a series of activities, and then by the time the show ended the women had a completely different take on their body image.

At different times in the show, Carson would project a billboard sized photo of the guest (from the neck down) onto the side of a building in NYC and would ask passers-by what they thought. Usually, even with the largest women, the comments were focused on the positive: “Nice rack!” “Great legs!” “Nice curves!” Of course the guests’ objections to receiving compliments were always the same: “You edited out the footage of people who said I was fat and ugly.” By final day of filming, these same women were posing nearly nude in pin-up style photo shoots!!

It was very emotional and sad at times, but also very relate-able!! What woman hasn’t hated her body at one time or another?? Don’t we all deserve love and kindness from ourselves and others, regardless of our size? Just watching this show made me feel better about myself - naturally I want to watch more of something that makes me feel good!!

So now I wonder… Why cancel something that makes people feel good? The short answer is that I don’t think this show makes everyone feel good. Anytime we start talking about self-acceptance, people confuse that with enjoying being fat. As if accepting our bodies will suddenly make us not care how we look or feel physically.

One article I read which was critiquing the show took the stance that it is irresponsible to encourage overweight women to tell themselves that they are beautiful every day in the mirror. The author cited statistics about diabetes and obesity, and believes that self-acceptance is promoting bad eating habits.

Help me understand - I don’t see how feeling beautiful would discourage someone from wanting to be healthy. I can see it now - tomorrow morning, I will stand naked in front of the mirror telling myself I am beautiful. It will be such an inspiring and wonderful experience that I will immediately run out to McDonalds for a burger and fries to celebrate!!

In case it wasn’t obvious, I would like to say that I can’t disagree more with this kind of thinking. Self-acceptance and self-esteem should not be confused with complacency. If someone loves herself, she’s more likely to take good care of her health. She’s also more likely to be a better wife, employee, lover, parent, friend, grandparent, community member, etc., if she feels good about herself overall.

Plus, I don’t totally buy it that weight, in and of itself, is the cause of obesity-related illness such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Because weight is a symptom of poor diet and lack of exercise, it is often assumed that all overweight people will have an equally greater susceptibility to these diseases. However, it is more likely that a predisposition to obesity-related health problems is due to poor eating habits, regardless of actual weight: lots of refined carbs, high in saturated and trans fats, etc.

I suspect a show like How to Look Good Naked pushes the buttons of viewers who don’t want to let go of their fat-hate and fat-phobia. If you’ve ever met an anorexic or bulimic person, you know that obsession with fat and food can be truly addicting. And while not everyone has a full blown eating disorder, many of us routinely walk the fine line between vigilance and obsession.

I have been guilty of this in the past: I will punish, deprive, and abuse myself until I achieve perfection! Get moving you disgusting fat slob, spring break in Cancun is waiting for your hot self! Like me, you may have been working at this for 5, 10 or even 20 years, hoping the emotional-beatings would sink in eventually. I hate to spoil the surprise ending for you, but guess what - it doesn’t work!

Life is way too short to waste it with so much focus on looking thin. As a society, we’re much better off encouraging healthy habits as a means to optimum health, better quality of life and longevity rather than as a way to achieve unrealistic standards of beauty.

Lets not forget that there are entire industries that thrive when women hate themselves - pharmaceutical companies, book publishers, weight loss centers, plastic surgeons, cosmetic companies and more! Will we buy their $50 cellulite cream and $150 diet pills if we are happy with ourselves? Not me!