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TV Bites With
Neena Louise |
The Swan: An Ugly Series
by Neena Louise
When I first heard of the television show The Swan, I simply rolled my
eyes and wondered how many more silly reality series I could stand. When I
watched it, I was simply disgusted. Not for the reasons I keep hearing: that
it's "controversial" (buzz word that guarantees big publicity and,
thus, ratings) nor that it "exploits women" (these are grown women and
since it's their choice to participate in this tasteless piece of crap, I hardly
see anything exploitive about it). I was disgusted because of the primary
message this sad, pathetic series sends: you are not good enough the way you
are.
These women (who aren't raving beauties, but aren't ugly, either), already
suffering from extremely low self-esteem, are repeatedly called "ugly
ducklings" while the creepy cult-like experts take turns enthusiastically
proclaiming "oh, she needs a lot of work" and "we have to
feminize her" and (in the two shows I watched) "she needs breast
implants". I'd say more women look like these participants than not and
calling the average American woman ugly and unfeminine is highly offensive. So,
you have to have big boobs and a small nose to be feminine? If you don't look
like a supermodel with perfect teeth you're ugly? Puh-leeze! What kind of
message is this to send? Plastic surgery is a personal choice. The
participants in this series seem to need a shrink more than a plastic surgeon,
but if being surgically altered is what they think will make them happy, well,
whatever. It's their choice what path they choose and who are we to judge? What
offends me is the repeated message that plastic surgery is the only way
to gain happiness and self-esteem and if you're not a surgically-enhanced
cookie-cutter beauty, you're doomed to a life of misery and self-loathing.
The first two shows I watched (I won't be watching any more) made me sick. The
women were transformed into barely-recognizable versions of themselves (their
faces looked unnaturally stretched and the word "Frankenstein" kept
coming to mind) as they cried and gushed over their images, proclaiming "is
that me?" and "I don't know that girl" and "I look
beautiful!". It creeped me out. Even more so when their significant others
walked in, saying "oooh, you look beautiful". Excuse me, buddy, but if
you didn't think she was beautiful before, you couldn't possibly have loved her
much (when you truly love someone, you think they are the most beautiful person
in the world, regardless of what they look like). So I guess the message is: not
only are women not okay the way they are, it's okay for men to agree. Sick.
This show wouldn't be so tasteless and offensive if these women were first
offered hair, wardrobe and make-up tips, sessions in the gym with a personal
trainer, and the all-important sessions with a qualified shrink. Then and only
then would they be offered plastic surgery, giving them more input into what
they want changed (rather than what the so-called "experts" think they
should want changed). As it is now, it's just a horrible freak show that
feeds off women's insecurities.
Let's hope more people think so and the ratings plunge this piece of crap into
oblivion.
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