"How to Look Good Naked," the Lifetime show in which fashion tipster Carson Kressley helps women accept their less-than-model-thin bodies, returns for its second season, sporting a makeover of its own.
"Naked," which signed on in January, took Kressley's dual message of self-improvement and self-acceptance and applied it to women instead of men. Operating solo instead of as part of a quintet of lifestyle experts, Kressley focused solely on helping plus-sized gals stop loathing their bodies and start loving them. By the end of each half-hour episode, his subject invariably was delighted to pose for the cameras in lingerie that flattered their figures — then take even those coverings off for a discreet, TV-safe cheesecake shot.
I asked Kressley about the new format of "Naked" following his presentation at the TV critics' summer press tour.
"The first season was more, 'You're cool with your body, now go out and live your life,' and this new season is, 'You're cool with your body, now we're going to help you live one of your dreams," Kressley said.
"I think any time you do something new, (if) the network does a half hour block, it seems less scary to them. And then after the first season and it was the highest rated reality show in the history of the network, they had a little more faith in it."
But that's the thing — Lifetime, one of the most risk-averse channels on cable, should have realized Kressley was their next big star. (They're also shooting a pilot with him that could become a daytime talk show.) "How to Look Good Naked" was obviously the female version of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," the show where Kressley burst onto the national scene. On "Queer Eye," the show's makeover subject was a man who needed a slap upside the head; here the woman needs a hug.
Kressley, who made his bones as a stylist with Polo Ralph Lauren, was the bridge character. His outsized personality allowed him to serve as the show's scold and cheerleader, the person most likely to find dirty underwear under the bed and the one whose advice was so brain-dead simple — like applying cologne by spritzing some into the air and then walking through — that even a caveman could follow it.
With "Naked," there's no need to humiliate these psychically beaten-down women. They're so thrilled to have Kressley's attention that they will do anything he asks, including strip to their unfashionable skivvies. (It helps that there's as much sexual tension between him and them as there was between Will and Grace.)
"Women especially are constantly receiving feedback from the media and advertising and society in general saying 'You have to look this way,'" said Kressley. "And I think we're just saying that beauty comes in a lot of different shapes and sizes."
I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS SHOW!! I WOULD LOVE TO,WHEN WHERE WHAT TIME?? I'M A PLUS SIZE WOMAN THAT HAS NEVER GOT UNDRESSED INFRONT OF HER HUSBAND,I ALWAYS WEAR MY LINGERIE......I THINK THIS SHOW MIGHT HELP ME...THIS IS A WONDERFUL IDEA AND I'M SURE ALOT OF WOMEN AGREE
Posted by: SHARLA | July 22, 2008 at 01:57 PM