''Miss Naked Beauty'' is a short-lived, six-episode 2008
reality television show
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
produced by
Maverick Television
Maverick Television is a television and media production company.
Notable Maverick programmes include the health brand ''Embarrassing Bodies'', the make-over shows '' 10 Years Younger'' and ''How to Look Good Naked'', and the documentary seri ...
that
aired
Air is the name given to the atmosphere of Earth.
Air or AIR may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Art
*Air (Maillol), ''Air'' (Maillol), a sculpture by Aristide Maillol
*Air (painting), ''Air'' (painting), a painting by Jan van Kess ...
on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
in the United Kingdom.
The show, presented by
Gok Wan
Kowkhyn Wan (; born 9 September 1974), known as Gok Wan, is a British Wardrobe stylist, fashion consultant, author, television presenter, actor, DJ, chef and event manager.
Initially training in the performing arts at the Central School of Sp ...
and
Myleene Klass
Myleene Angela Klass (born 6 April 1978) is a British musician, singer, presenter, model and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group Hear'Say, and later released two solo classical crossover albums in 2003 and 2007. More recently, Klass ...
, was conceived as a radical "reality" take on beauty pageants. Some 7000 women
applied to become the "ultimate 21st century beauty queen".
The focus of the program is on ''natural'' and diverse beauty, as opposed to surgically "enhanced" and conformist concepts of beauty.
In the first episode, hundreds of remaining applicants were whittled down to just twelve finalists, by a panel of judges composed of
fashion stylist
Fashion is a form of Self-expression values, self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, Lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle, Fashion accessory, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and ...
Gok Wan, musician Myleene Klass, magazine editor James Brown, journalist Kathryn Flett and musician, actress and TV presenter Mica Paris. In subsequent episodes, various issues were explored such as
body image
Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. The concept of body image is used in a number of disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, ps ...
,
plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofa ...
,
self-esteem
Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth or abilities. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie (2007) d ...
, modern versus
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
and earlier notions of beauty,
eating disorder
An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. Only one eating disorder can be diagnosed at a given time. Types of eating disorders include binge eating d ...
s, over-reliance on makeup, the
fashion industry
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
. Meanwhile, the programme also progressed as a pageant, eliminating contestants in typical reality TV style, down to five finalists. Despite its name, the show only features brief nudity (mostly bare breasts), and should not be confused with nude pageants, such as
Miss Exotic World
The Miss Exotic World Pageant (officially, the Miss Exotic World Pageant and Striptease Reunion) is an annual neo-burlesque pageant and convention, and is the annual showcase event (and fundraiser for) the Burlesque Hall of Fame (formerly the E ...
.
The show sought a "natural-beauty campaigner" in the winner of the show. The lady crowned Miss Naked Beauty 2008 won the chance to write a magazine column about beauty, become the face of a new
modelling agency
A modeling agency is a company that represents fashion models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies earn their income via commission, usually from the deal they make with the model and/or the head agency.
The top agencies work with bi ...
and be a part of the 2009 series of Gok Wan's other show, ''
How to Look Good Naked
''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 and men who are insecure with their bodies to strip nude for the camera. The programme is unique am ...
''. The competition was won on 25 November 2008 by Shona Collins of London.
Aside from Shona, the final 12 contestants came from diverse backgrounds. They were Anna Jenkins (Student), Laura Milne (Solicitor and Employment Law specialist), Amy Dunn (Teacher), Denise Horsely (Dancer), Gemma Vittie (Car Saleswoman), Qlaudia Kelk (Mum), Dawn Hunter (Student), Natasha Crook (Model), Lucinda Richardson (Dental Student), Jo (Singer and Beautician) and Dalia Tweedy (Care Worker).
References
External links
Official website{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2014
Channel 4 original programming
British reality television series
2008 British television series debuts
Beauty pageants in the United Kingdom
2008 British television series endings
Nudity in television