A few weeks back, we blogged about a new reality show, “True Beauty,” premiering this year on ABC. Supposedly, the show would feature the usual collection of contestants who, while they thought they were being judged on their external good looks, were actually being judged on their “inner beauty.” Well, we’ve seen the premiere episode and it wasn’t exactly what we were hoping for. We applaud the producers, including Tyra Banks, for bringing the issue of inner beauty to the fore, but we had something different in mind. And since we try to be positive on this blog, we’re going to offer our constructive criticisms on how “True Beauty” could become a truer test of bona fide Inner Beauty.
Make the setting more natural. Right now, the show’s setup is pretty typical: take a bunch of people, stick them in a house, and let personal conflict erupt. Instead, we’d love to see the show be more natural and unforced. Follow the contestants around in their personal lives with hidden cameras and audio to see how they interact with others. Inner beauty is about self-esteem and seeing the beauty in other people and the world around you. Do the contestants treat themselves well or engage in damaging self-talk? Do they treat others with compassion and respect? Do they maintain a positive frame of mind? Those are questions you can’t answer in an artificial setting.
Expand the palette of people. This might not be able to happen until next season, but we’d love to see people who aren’t all great looking be on the show. The contestants right now are all varying degrees of gorgeous, and that doesn’t reflect reality. It sends the message that inner beauty only matters if you also have outer beauty, and that’s not a healthy message to send. Add a plus-sized woman, a geekier guy and maybe even a disabled man or woman to the cast next year and we think viewers will relate much better.
Take more time. The first contestant was expelled from the program after one week and after one not-so-beautiful act (failing to hold a door for someone). Even though it follows the the “Survivor” format of “knock ‘em down one at a time,” that doesn’t seem fair. Inner beauty is a matter of thoughts, attitudes and actions over a long period, not one isolated incident. Heck, even the most inwardly gorgeous of us is inconsiderate or mean-spirited from time to time. Again, we know this violates the “who’s going to be booted next” ethos of reality TV, but it would give each person a fairer shake.
We’re not TV producers, and we haven’t thought these ideas through completely, but we think that in general the result would be a “True Beauty” that was more true to its name: a test of the genuine inner beauty of a group of people. It would also send a more positive message to the audience: that real inner beauty is its own reward, even if you don’t win a spot on People’s Most Beautiful list.
Now this is interesting. An upcoming new ABC TV show being co-produced by Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher called “True Beauty” turns the tired reality show cliche of “who’s hotter?” on its head in a way that we beauty docs can’t help but find intriguing. The show was unveiled recently after six months of secrecy. Read on:
Hosted and judged by TV personality Vanessa Minnillo, along with supermodel Cheryl Tiegs and Nolé Marin of “America’s Next Top Model,” the series will spotlight six females and four males who will live together as they undergo a series of challenges to determine who is the most beautiful. While the contestants think they are being judged solely on their outer appearance, the challenges are actually designed to test their inner beauty. At the end of eight episodes, a winner who is the most beautiful inside and out will receive a cash prize and a spot in People magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People issue.
Perhaps the format is a little bit deceptive, but what a fascinating and challenging idea! Details aren’t 100% clear, but it looks like the contestants will be videotaped dealing with stressful or morally challenging situations and rated not on their physical appearance, but on their character. Participants won’t know about the actual judging criteria until they are eliminated. This suggests that the “most manipulative, scheming person wins” model that has dominated everything from “The Apprentice” to “Survivor” won’t be in play here. Instead, losing contestants are likely to see an ugly side of themselves.
One of the reasons we find this so interesting is this: in the same way that outer beauty is different for everyone (for example, some people find tall, curvy women irresistible while others prefer small and petite) the concept of inner beauty is difficult to define. So what qualities should the judges rate in determining who has the greatest inner beauty? We have some suggestions:
Kindness to others
Coolness of temper under stress
Honesty
Generosity
Willingness to listen
Authenticity (being a real person rather than a self-created TV persona)
Optimism
Emotional maturity
Odds are, a man or woman with all or most of these qualities is someone that any of us would want as a friend, colleague, partner or mentor. It will be fascinating to see if the producers of “True Beauty” can really focus on emphasizing what true beauty means, instead of focusing on “gotcha” moments that show people at their ugliest. Aside from bringing a breath of fresh air to a withering TV genre, that would also bring to light the genuine qualities of attractiveness and magnetism that we talk about. We’ll be tuning in…or at least running the Tivo.
