This past weekend, I started watching this show an am in awe as I'm not sure if I should be proud this is airing or not. I have been thinking about the episode where Thailand women wear 20 pounds of brass rings around their neck, which they view as true beauty.
For those of you who have watched the show, could you please help me understand it further.
1. As a viewer, what are we specifically learning from this show regarding self concept; what are the benefits of viewing this? Are they trying to get across that no matter what your body type is or what culture you come from, all women are equally beautiful and shouldn't have to endure the pain of brass rings or even sitting in a tent to 'fatten' up.
2. Also, do you see any problems with you or I as the audience from learning self-concept through this television show? Not just sure if it's me, but I see MULTIPLE problems. A. If you are trying to show beauty to all from all over the world, I think you need to travel to more than 9 places. Secondly, by showing the traditional brass rings and such on TV, to me, is completely knocking down the culture of northern Thailand; saying that their traditional ways of living are bizarre. How is that right?
I tried reading a synopsis of this show on VH1 and am still in awe. Can someone please clue me in and help me understand the sole purpose of this show by answering those two questions posted above. In the end, while I understand they are trying to relay the message that all women are beautiful, I think they have a terrible way of doing so cause if I was from India, drank urine, and watched the episode they did on VH1, I would be extremely upset-- as if my culture was being discriminated against.|||1. The goal is to teach the viewer that one person's standard of beauty is not absolute. In America, especially in Hollywood, it's the thin starlets who are considered the most beautiful. However outside of America, beauty standards vary from country to country. I think it's important, and you can see the importance of it by browsing through the type of questions on Yahoo! Answers: am I pretty? how can I look like...? etc. So pretty is only as pretty as what part of the world you live in, and different parts of the world have different standards.
2. They were probably testing the waters... they gave Jessica 10 episodes, half an hour each. Do you know how hard it is to edit a one day trip into 30 minutes? Far less for 3 or 4 days. Maybe, if they realise viewership is high, they'll expand it for another season, with an hour long show. As well, there is a little shock value involved. But did you consider the reason that this is weird is that it is foreign to your western sensibilities? Beauty is one of the topics that has the most unscientific and unfounded belief system ever. It thrives on the pursuit of eternal beauty and women will do anything they can to achieve this, even if there is no proof the product or process works. Worse yet, when you live in a culture where tradition is strong, no amount of science you produce to show otherwise will convince these people that their processes may be harmful.|||It is not discrimination if they are merely stating and evoking the truth. People these days need to be taught about things very graphically seeing as humans are thinking that they are becoming more intelligent, when in fact they are becoming more stupid. People won't listen to other peoples opinions or beliefs. In the westernized society tanning is seen as the epitome of beauty, which in other cultures is seen as ridiculous.
The show is merely attempting to shed some light and help people understand that race is not a boundary for beauty.
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