The Swan

WTF?!

from JoeUser Forums
Last night, due to my lack of cable and caring what was on, I decided to tune into this new reality series on Fox called The Swan. The premis behind the show is to take two "ugly ducklings" and turn them into beautiful "swans" to compete in some beauty pageant at the end of the season. Apparently the most dramatic change will recieve the crown and title as queen swan.

This show makes me angry for a number of reasons. First of all, they are taking perfectly normal looking people and transforming them into some cookie cutter mold of Cindy Crawford. Not everyone was made to be 100% perfect. If every woman was 5`5, weighed 115 lbs, had a set of DD's, and long wavy hair wouldn't it be boring?!?!

The other major problem with this show was the very begining when the team of life changers were pointing out each and every flaw with the particular woman that was changing her appearance. They thought the one lady needed lipo suction, a boob lift, chin implants, collegen injections....wait...what in the hell is a chin implant?!

It's not like anything was physically grotesque about any of these women in question from the get go. They claim that this show builds self esteem. This show does exactly the opposite. It weakens the value of life and all of the beautiful differences in eachother.
2,986 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
I am in total agreement. The Swan is, in my opinion, the greatest abomination that reality television has brought down on this planet. The one where the two families change mothers is a close second, and American Idol is a distant third.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
If every woman was 5`5, weighed 115 lbs, had a set of DD's, and long wavy hair wouldn't it be boring?!?!

In a word, yes, very boring.
Although, on further reflecion, it would be rather amusing, at least for a few minutes. Have a good laugh about the invasion of the clones, then off to boring land.
Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
Another bad one is the bachelor....haven't all of those relationships ended in turmoil?!
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
amen to danny!!
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
I think the switching mom show is the most obnoxious.....by far.

i have to admit though, that I saw this show last season.....there were a few women who had been battered and/or suffered with one body part that really affected their self esteem.....(Teeth were jacked up, severe scarring, misshappen noses) I fully support someone who wats to fix a body part that they are self concious about. ( I was fortunate enough to have the Army fix my jay-leno jaw and genetically missing teeth....and that was a big sore spot for me....literally and emotionally)

I disagree with any woman who allows herself to be smashed into a generic mold of "beautiful". I really respected the one (only one) woman last season who refused to allow them to give her bigger boobs.....she was happy and didn't need or want to change that.

And as devils advocate.....I think it is a FANTASTIC SHOW!!!! It makes me NEVER want liposuction or a boob job EVER!!!! What a great way to encourage me NOT to waste my money....ouch. It just looks misererable!
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
If there is some severe disorder, then i agree with you life...but so far these two women i saw last night looked fine to me..
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
I will ashamedly admit that I have watched The Swan a couple of times. It's a bit like a car wreck (you know the trite saying).

I agree with you, the women they are "fixing" are typically just normal, average women. I also think it sends a very bad message to women sitting at home -- I can remember thinking "wow . . . that lady had her tummy lipo'd? I'd kill to have her pre-lipo tummy!" It points out minor flaws, or quirks, and makes them into these appearance skewing monsters when in reality, our quirks are some of the things that our friends and family come to love most about us.

Bad message, bad show, naughty me for having watched it. Great blog, alison.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
You beat me to it Alison!  I was thinking very similar things.  They took these cute, normal people and made them into gaudy, fake, Pamela Anderson types.  We are taking a step back in evolution here women!  I can't believe there isn't more of an outrage here.  The one woman's goal was to be a better mother to her daughter....huh?!  How?  By showing her that if you don't like something about the way you look you better go get a surgeon to change it or you are destined to be a nobody?  Bull flop!  What a horrible show!!!!
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top

You know what irritates me?  I bet that a lot of the results could be achieved without any surgery at all (maybe some dental work).

For instance, why don't they take the women, put them on a diet and exercise routine, take them to counseling for their "issues".  Then, they do the bit of dental work (a bright smile can make a difference) and do their hair and makeup and put them in nice clothes.  I have a feeling that most of them would have similar results, but without the knife.

In the end, with the surgeries, the women look fake.  They also lose the "personality" to their face.

I have a huge nose (thank you Grandpa!).  It gets bigger each year (as everyone's does).  When I was young, I thought about having a nose job.  As I got older, I realized that it was just a bit of what made me "me".  I also realized how different the chick from Dirty Dancing looked and decided it was better to look like me then to look like nobody in general.