The Swan?!!

[candi]

RE: I just watched it!

We have not watched any of the reality shows. Neither my husband or myself can understand all the obsession with them. If you really think critically about it, society is letting itself be controlled by the media through these shows. But people watch them and many times at work they are a topic of conversation. I am continually amazed how some people get so wrapped up into the lives of these people on T.V.

It's a simple case of supply and demand. The majority of the T.V. watching population keeps watching the reality stuff, so the networks will continue to provide them.

IMHO, these shows are absurd.

 

[Gayle]

Okay...I'll admit that I watched it too, but only because it was DH's night for custody of the remote control.

I also heard the NPR interview with Dr. Rod Rohrich, head of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. One of the things he mentioned was the need to really consider a person's emotional and psychological state before performing plastic surgery. Both of the women on the show appeared to me to have some serious issues that went much deeper than how they looked. It would have been a lot more responsible to address these BEFORE going under the knife. But, then again, responsibility doesn't equal ratings.

It would be interesting to visit these women 6 months to a year after the "transformation" and see if this really was the key to making them "happy".

Also, I nearly went through the roof when one of the transformation prescriptions was cardio twice a day, with weight training, on ONLY 1200 CALORIES PER DAY. My bet is it'll take a lot less than three months for most of the weight lost to come back.

 

[Katerchen]

In the early 1980's my aunt wanted a complete make-over. Breast implants, lipo, nose job. She scheduled the surgery but had to go to a psychologist before. They declined her surgery because her 'problems' were more emotional and plastic surgery couldn't fix them.

I wish, plastic surgeons would still be that responsible nowadays.

 

[fab40]

You are just disappointed with this one!? I am so sick of reality shows I could vomit. They keep getting weirder and weirder. I really don't know why they call it reality, it is all so hokey, a soap opera. I can't stand it. Women crying over a guy they know nothing about and expect to marry him and say, "This was the man of my dreams..." Oh let's get real. They make women look like idiots! But Fox keeps putting out this dribble (and other networks) and ratings soar. This is a soap opera world not reality. I stick with Law & Order and news shows. Okay, that was my vent for the day. No reflection on you Kathy. But I despise these dizzy shows.

 

[kathryn]

I'll fess up..I watched this (between flipping channels between this and another show.

I was disgusted (but I kept watching..hmmm). Here's how I'd sum up the formula:
Take two women with low self esteem (who would look better with a better haircut, some dermatological and dental help, and some makeup). Tell them that they are at best plain, at worst ugly. Gather a group of professionals who discuss what these women "need" to look better. Make sure the plastic surgeons emphasize how much these women NEED to have done ("She really needs a lot of work") .

(By the way, it seemed more like this was a contest between the plastic surgeons to see who could do a better job with their experimental subject).

After performing surgery (before having the women do ANY change in diet or begin exercising), when one contestant falls into a depression, belittle her, scold her, and tell her "I TOLD you this would happen" and tell her to get over it.

After changing these women into something they don't even recognize (and putting fakey=looking blond weaves on one)pit them against each other, and tell one of them she has changed enough to get into a beauty contest.

I think this one is even lower than "The Littlest groom."

 

[trevor]

I will say that these shows go over the line and send the wrong messages to people. That's a given. But number one, I would hope that no one is watching television to find the answers to the meanings of life. Television is 99 percent garbage and false information. People need to learn that. If everyone just turned it off it would go away.
Number two, these people on these shows are getting paid, believe me. So if they are willing to go through this degradation for money then I wouldn't feel too sorry for them. Really. Remember that everything on the boob tube is carefully orchestrated and edited. And they most likely know what they are in for before the cameras start rolling.
Third, what's with blaming men for everything? LOL! I think it's ridiculous these days what men are being blamed for in this world. Particularly white males.
Here's an example. Men are blamed for the rail thin heroin addict models on magazine covers right? They are blamed for this and the fact that these images are things everyday women strive for and cannot realistically reach. Right? Well, tell me then why it is that statistics have shown(no Kathryn I do not have references lol!) that men prefer normal looking everyday women over the thin model types? The truth is that womens magazines are to the point of inventing the latest problem for women to have to deal with. They have nothng else to offer. You know.....you're too fat, too thin, too tired, too much sex, not enough sex, blah blah blah. Alot of these magazines are run by women. So forgive my diatribe, but let's stop the old "blame the male game" please.
Trevor

 

[Carol_is_fit]

Um ... did I miss something, Trevor dear? Were we blaming men for this show? I thought we were dissing Fox and it's rash of "reality" shows? Or, were you just ranting about blaming men for women's problems in general? Just asking for clarification ... not meaning to sound sarcastic or argumentative here ... honestly I'm not ...

Happy Easter!!

Carol

 

[trevor]

A post a few up from this was heading that way so I figured I'd just nip it in the bud before it started going that way.
Something about how we'd never see a show like that about men. It had the air of starting down the old blame men theme so I chimed in, perhaps a little too quickly. And I continued to rant since that topic has been a sore point for me for a long time anyway.
We are all better off reading a book or getting out rather than watching television in my opinion.
T.

 

[Carol_is_fit]

OH! Okay. I actually missed that one, so thanks for pointing it out. Actually, wasn't there some silly show about the Average Joe, or something similar? Seems to me that's just as degrading to men, implying if they're not what the fashion mags or People and it's "Sexiest Man" issues portray as drop-dead gorgeous, then that means they're just "average". Just my humble opinion of course, but the old cliche that beauty is in the eye of the beholder still rings true for me. That goes for men and women, and I may sound naive and idealistic here, but I think we ALL are beautiful in our unique way, simply because we are human beings.

I can certainly understand why the idea of blaming men for women's issues is a sore point with you, Trevor. Especially considering it's not always true that a man is behind it. Women themselves do just as much to perpetuate the stereotypes of what is or is not considered "beautiful" as men do.

Anyway, I agree. We should turn off our TV's and go workout, or read a book, or ANYTHING else!!

Carol