When I think of reality TV, many unpleasant thoughts come to mind because of the fake and shallow people who usually star in the shows. Whether it’s spoiled teens showing off their mansions on “Cribs” or young adults getting drunk on “Jersey Shore,” reality TV has almost always been distasteful and meaningless. Yet, it remains popular among Americans.
However, recently VH1 began airing a new series called “Jessica Simpson’s The Price of Beauty” every Monday night at 9:00. This series enlightens viewers on the importance of inner beauty. So far, the show has been successful.
In each episode, Jessica Simpson and her two co-stars, Ken Paves and CaCee Cobb, travel around the world to find out what other cultures view as beautiful. Every place they film teaches a new lesson on the importance of staying true to yourself.
In one episode, Jessica, Ken and CaCee visit Japan and discover the ideal beauty reward. The Japanese women view dark, tan skin as a representation of the lower class. Therefore, the paler a woman is, the better.
Just as tanning can do damage to the skin, so can too much makeup and ointments applied to your skin. A woman who suffers a skin disorder tells Jessica the products she used caused a reaction. Her skin products turned her skin two different colors and now she feels too embarrassed and terrified to leave her house.
In another episode, the crew travels to Africa and finds out about an unusual custom. Unlike California, Africa finds heavier women more appealing. When African women get engaged, they spend a few months before the wedding trying to gain weight. One woman demonstrates the process before the wedding. On a typical day, she would stay in her hut and drink goat milk all day, only leaving to use the restroom. Although Africa’s culture sees this as attractive, the process is unhealthy and the women are at higher risks of heart failures.
Each episode causes the viewers to question their definition of beauty, and how much they are willing to pay to become “beautiful.”
In the latest issue of “Marie Claire,” Jessica announced she “think[s] [everyone] put[s] too much pressure on women to be beautiful, and to be perfect. The show was [her] own search to find [her] own beauty within.”
Jessica’s new series attempts to influence women and men of all ages to focus on what really matters, opposed to the other reality series that only airs shallow drama and other mindless entertainment for high ratings. Hopefully, this series comes back with more seasons and helps save today’s society from turning into one big episode of “The Real World.”
