female empowerment takes a leap - and goes splat!

just when i didn’t think things could get worse. it all started with survivor. then you had the influx of shows like big brother, the mole, who wants to marry a millionaire, joe millionaire, american idol, the bachelor, the bachelorette, for love or money, and then the vh1’s-"where-are-they-now"-celebrity versions of some of those shows. gah. i am not a reality-tv show person. i watched the occasional episode of survivor, and even a little of for love or money 2 because i knew one of the guys on there. not even american idol, which a lot of my friends still watch religiously.

now, oh now. buh-bye women’s lib. fox, always the one to push the envelope of good taste (and often ripping it wide open), brings us a new reality tv show, the swan. from what i can tell, they take these dowdy ugly ducklings and turn them into ravishing bombshells via (and i quote) "extensive cosmetic surgery, counselling, dental work and physical training". EXTENSIVE cosmetic surgery. the winner "underwent a nose job, lip enhancement, chin implant, brow lift, breast lift, liposuction and major dental reconstruction". how are we ordinary women supposed to compete with these barbie dolls? oh, and the best bit – they end up competing in a beauty pageant. i wonder if there is a category for the most cellulite removed…

i suppose this sounds a bit bitter, but really, it’s not (okay, maybe it is a little). it’s just that in an era in which we are supposed to be encouraging young girls to embrace their natural beauty, here is a show which highlights all of the imperfections of women. it’s not really as if we need help. bombarded from infancy via every form of media with the image of the perfect, anorexic-thin female, it's no wonder that the average woman feels insecure about her appearance. i admit that i constantly struggle with exercise and diet in order to attain that unrealistic fashion-magazine ideal. if i had a troupe of hairdressers, fashion stylists, and make-up artists following me around, i am sure that even i could be the next beauty queen. but, i do not. even so, i have a fine rack (if i say so myself), am not overweight, and occasionally my hair will behave itself. on those days, i feel (gasp!) pretty.

all ranting aside, i think a major appeal (it was a "ratings hit") of the show is that we all wonder what we could look like with such a makeover. this way, instead of going to such extremes for ourselves, we have the morbid curiosity of watching other people do it. even i would be interested in seeing the "before" and "after" pictures.

a friend brought up the point that they should have a beauty pageant between the made-over women and "natural" women. i just think that the beauty pageant idea at the end is horrible, period. it's basically telling the women who didn't win that even though they were made over and are prettier now, it's still not good enough. and if they were to lose against women who didn't have anything done? that even an extensive make-over can't overcome their natural homeliness.