How to Look Good Naked (2008)
How to Look Good Naked is a television program, first aired on British Channel 4 in 2006, in which fashion stylist Gok Wan encourages women and men who are insecure with their bodies to strip nude for the camera. The programme is unique among other similar makeover shows in that it never encourages participants to undergo cosmetic surgery or lose weight. The US format premiered on Lifetime Television in 2008 with Carson Kressley hosting, it was the #1 Unscripted Show on the network at the time.
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Episode 1 - Liz Marlow
Release Date: 2007-05-01In episode one, Gok meets 29 year-old midwife Liz Marlowe, a working mum-of-two whose curvy size 16 figure is sending her self-esteem plummeting to rock-bottom. A former head-turner who never struggled to capture male attention, Liz now can't even bear stripping off in front of her adoring husband Adrian. When they first met eleven years ago she was the leggy blonde in her group of friends, but two kids and a few dress sizes down the line she's feeling fat, frumpy and at an all-time low. Desperate to boost her self-confidence, Adrian constantly tries to reassure her that she's still the same "fantastically beautiful, stunning gorgeous lady" he fell for in the first place, but with Liz hiding her body under layers of unflatteringly baggy clothing, it’s clear that his efforts are falling on deaf ears. So shy that she hasn't been near a full-length mirror in nearly 18 months, Liz has become a walking testament to the fact that blondes don't always have more fun.
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Episode 2 - Helen Thompson
Release Date: 2007-05-08In this week's episode we meet business woman turned frumpy mummy Helen Thompson. A former power-dressing career girl, Helen's confidence took a turn for the worse after she gave up her job to start a family and now, two kids and a couple of cup sizes later, Helen's figure has changed and her self esteem has slumped. With her youngest daughter about to start school in September, Helen is longing to get back to work and claw back some of that long-lost confidence. Unfortunately she's so paranoid about her top-heavy figure that she's scared stiff of squeezing into a business suit and making the return to the boardroom. But if Gok's going to work his magic on Helen he's got a mountain to climb. Sporting broad shoulders, a flabby tummy and gigantic boobs on her top half and narrow hips and skinny legs on the bottom, Helen is an inverted-triangle of fashion trouble, crying out for some expert know-how. Luckily Gok's a man who likes a challenge and he's determined to give our heroine enough confidence to shine like a glamour queen and return to the workplace. After a gruelling soul-searching session in front of Gok's full-length mirrors and some very public feedback in front of a saucily revealing poster in the local cinema, Helen is beginning to confront her body demons. Soon Gok's showing her how to dress to her best with some stunning hand-picked outfits, buffing her "Bristols" with some fancy spa treatments and maximizing her curves with some very supportive undergarments. By the time he's finished with her she's been coiffured, made-up and styled to the max, and is ready, willing and able to disrobe and display all in a breathtaking naked photoshoot. But having bared all in the studio, can she now go public and flaunt that gorgeous body all over again on the catwalk in front of her friends, her family and hundreds of cheering strangers? Gok aims to find out as he sends her out onto the runway, ready to display her new-found confidence in nothing but some very revealing lingerie...
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Episode 3 - Vikki Brace
Release Date: 2007-05-15In this week's episode we meet housewife Vikki Brace who's taken the term "stay at home mum" to the extreme. Vikki hides herself away indoors and with summer fast approaching Gok's got a big job on his hands to get this gorgeous girl out of her sweltering jeans and into some sexy skirts. When Vikki had her baby, she left her body confidence in the delivery room! Gok needs to convince her that those extra pounds added since her baby's birth should be celebrated. But the job doesn't end there – Vikki is so caught up with her negative body image that she refuses to get naked – even in front of her adoring husband. She'll lock herself away in the bathroom if he's in the bedroom, meaning that it's a shocking four years since he last saw her naked. After an emotional session in the mirror suite, Vikki starts to accept her body and then gets to hear what the public really think of her when Gok appears in her hometown towing a giant advertising trailer – with her picture on it. Vikki's shocked to hear them say yummy mummy instead of 'fat tummy', and with a wardrobe makeover from the sultan of style, Vikki's soon flaunting her figure and skipping down the street like a teenager. But will all this convince Vikki to take the ultimate plunge and disrobe for an amazing naked photoshoot? Gok spoils her in the salon before a full body massage helps to firm up the skin and produce a more bodylicious Vikki, leaving her glowing like a Princess. But it doesn't end there – having convinced her to love her body again, Gok wants her to share it with thousands of cheering strangers, sending her out on the catwalk for a sexy runway session in just her fabulous new lingerie. Will Vikki finally make it from desperate housewife to catwalk queen???
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Episode 4 - Lisa Mayall
Release Date: 2007-05-22This week Gok's got a hair-raising task on his hands as he tries to convince hairy hippy Lisa Mayall that muff management and a sleek new blonde crop is the key to rediscovering her gorgeous body, without a surgical gown in sight. Mum of three Lisa lives for her kids, but Gok's going to have to work hard to convince her that 10 year old hand me downs are not going to bag her the man of her dreams. Lisa never wears makeup and only gets her hair cut a shocking once every three years! Fortunately Lisa's going to get a style makeover from the best in the business, as her fairy Gok-father transforms her wardrobe, dumps those dowdy pullovers and gets her confidence back up to the level she'll need to go sashaying down the catwalk in some sexy lingerie. But first Lisa's going to have to face up to her fears and do some serious soul searching in our mirror room. Luckily, underneath her drably dressed exterior Lisa's got a body to pull off something really special, and after seeing her 50ft tall near naked body bring her hometown of Newbury to a standstill, she's a step closer to revealing all for a sizzling naked photo shoot. All she needs before then is a little bit of nip and tuck – but not the surgical kind. Gok's going to show Lisa how to drop three dress sizes all with the aid of his scissor hands. But the final hurdle is going to be a massive one for our girl Lisa – she's going to have to take to the runway at Manchester's world famous Trafford Centre clad in nothing but sexy underwear. With a stunning new haircut and a newly pampered body will she finally be able to look good naked?
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Episode 5 - Becky Newman
Release Date: 2007-05-29 -
Episode 6 - Leanne Townsend
Release Date: 2007-06-05Leanne Townsend is a 27-year old in urgent need of some Gok therapy. Every day is an 'Ugly Day' as far as Leanne is concerned, and loathing her legs is the chief culprit for her lack of body confidence which has her down in the dumps. Leanne hates her legs so much that she wears tights all year round, including during the sweltering heat of summertime! Her husband Lee hasn't seen her naked for over five years, yet he's her biggest fan, buying her sexy lingerie but all to no avail, as it is hidden away under piles of tights in her wardrobe. Because Leanne sees herself as bottom heavy she's lost all sense of proportion – and all sense of style to boot! Luckily Gok's on hand to show her how she can look good AND showcase her legs, allowing Leanne to brim with confidence. To start with Gok will be getting Leanne out of her negative mindset with an honest appraisal in our mirror suite. Having convinced her that hiding under hosiery is getting her nowhere, Gok's going to set about showing her that others look at her in an entirely different light – beginning with her Welsh hometown. With the good folk of Cardiff privileged to see what husband Lee has been missing out on, the only thing left is to get her out of her grimy granny pants and into some sexy bedroom attire – before promptly removing all for a sexy photoshoot. But first Gok's got to deal with the big pants and black tights that are standing between Leanne transforming from a cover-up casualty to a runway goddess – it's time for Gok to get his chopper out. With a new wardrobe and some hip and thigh treatment to get rid of dead skin cells and stimulate her circulation, our pampered princess is ready for her biggest challenge yet – can she conquer her fears and rip up the runway in front of thousands of fans in her very own fashion fiesta?
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Episode 7 - Lucy Govan
Release Date: 2007-06-12This week we meet Lucy Govan, a 25-year-old tomboy who feels that she is just too big to be beautiful. Working in rural Tunbridge Wells, Lucy struggles to feel sexy or womanly; something that is not helped by having to heave around heavy sacks of horse feed for her day job. At 5'11 Lucy feels like a giant and she hates her chunky legs and size 8 feet. She'd never consider wearing a dress, but desperately wants to look and feel more feminine. Lucy is hiding a burning ambition; since an early age she has dreamt of being an actress and even managed to get a scholarship to a prestigious drama school. But she lost her confidence to stand up on stage, and put her acting dreams on hold. Luckily Gok's going to be waving his scissor-shaped wand and help turn Lucy into a stylish Cinderella – no plastic surgery allowed. But if he's going to get Lucy looking and feeling good with her kit on or off, first he's going to have to get her comfortable with looking at her body in the mirror again. Gok knows that when you're not feeling your best is when you most want to hide – but Lucy's negative body image is making her blow things out of all proportion. So he's lined up a bevy of bare beauties to show Lucy that she really isn't as big as she thinks she is, and her 40 inch yummy tummy is perfectly proportioned. Having got Lucy smiling again the next step is to get her realising that she has real star quality, and what better way than to make a huge photograph of her in just her undies top of the bill at her local theatre? With Lucy's baggy outfits receiving the thumbs down from the crowd, she's shocked – and happy – to hear her audience praising her proportions and giving her bangers a big round of applause. With Lucy's skanky old undies consigned to Gok's garden vacuum, it's time for her to find something that will hitch up her hooters and flaunt her figure. With a full style makeover and a massive confidence boost, Lucy's oozing sex appeal, but will it be enough to convince her to lay herself bare for a sultry naked photoshoot and then wow the crowd and do herself proud on Gok's runway?
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Episode 8 - Michelle Gower
Release Date: 2007-06-19In this week's episode of How to Look Good Naked we're meeting downbeat dinner lady Michelle Gower, an Essex girl who hates her body – her arms, her boobs, her tummy – she can barely find anything positive to say about herself. Luckily for Michelle she's going to be given a full body makeover from the Sultan of Style himself, Gok Wan. Michelle hasn't always felt like this. Our mother of two was once the classic Essex girl, proud to flaunt her hourglass figure, but she feels that she's lost her femininity and can't even bear to showcase her body in a swimsuit at the local pool. Gok's going to have to rebuild Michelle's body confidence and get this hot hourglass honey out of her slump, and back on display. Before he can start to rebuild her, first Gok is going to help Michelle take stock of the situation with a moving session in our mirror suite. Facing herself in just her underwear for the first time in years, Michelle overflows with criticism of every little imperfection of her body – but Gok's going to show her she has a distorted view her fabulous womanly body. Gok wants to convince Michelle that she is worth looking at with her clothes on and off – but he's going to need a bit of help convincing this reluctant revealer, and that help is going to come in the form of a giant billboard poster in a busy London street. The public pull no punches in their criticism of Michelle's awful clothes, which are swamping her figure and hiding her shapely hips and bust, but are full of praise when it comes to rating her rack and every other facet of her self-criticised body. Gok is starting to turn things around. There's a big difference between hearing others say it and believing it yourself. Gok's still going to have to use every ounce of his persuasive passion to get Michelle disrobed for a stunning nude photo shoot. Luckily Gok knows that Michelle's already got the body to pull this off: the only battle here is in her mind, and with a few style secrets and a salon session thrown in, she's soon looking gorgeous in her birthday suit. The final hurdle is to get our girl Michelle on to the runway at a stunning fashion and lingerie catwalk show in Manchester’s Trafford Centre – but will Michelle succeed in conquering her body demons like our previous weeks' luscious ladies?