'The Swan' Was The Most Inhumane Reality Television Competition Ever Made
In the annals of reality TV history, The Swan has cemented itself as one of the most unethical and inhumane. You can debate the worst reality shows ever, but few can argue that The Swan was uniquely horrible. A show that took women described as "ugly ducklings" and turns them into beautiful "swans," the series generated plenty of controversy. Fox aired two seasons in 2004 before quickly axing the misbegotten project.
While the cameras rolled, doctors nipped, tucked, and sculpted the women until they became enhanced versions of themselves. That typically meant the same plastic Barbie doll version of beauty, with very little input from the contestants themselves. The Swan also included a competition element. Two women per episode were judged against each other, and the contestant determined to have made the most progress went on to compete in "the pageant," the season finale in which "the Swan" was officially crowned.
After the show, there were all kinds of problems for the women who participated, both physically and in their personal lives. And it's clear that the morally bankrupt capitalists who produced the show didn't care; they had made their money. Here are just some of the reasons why The Swan is the most inhuman reality competition show ever.
- 1
All Of Its Contestants Were Deemed "Ugly"
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Each episode of The Swan begins with two women who are literally referred to as "ugly ducklings," in reference to the fairy tale in which the duckling turns into a beautiful swan. This cruel and disheartening introduction implies that these women are only as valuable as their appearances.
- 2
Contestants Were Molded Into One Specific Concept Of Physical Beauty
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The Swan surgeons and producers seemed to have only one ideal of physical beauty: the stereotypical "beauty queen" look. Each of the contestants was transformed into a conventionally attractive woman with a plastic smile, wavy hair extensions, and usually a smaller waist size. Anything that made them unique was sliced away.
- 3
Contestants Weren't Allowed To Look In Mirrors
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Contestants were not allowed to look in any mirrors for their three-month stay on the series, thus preserving the surprise of the "grand reveal" of their new faces and bodies.
This type of deprivation can be harmful. Psychologists debate the effect mirrors can have on self-perception, but some argue that intentionally having to stay away from mirrors actually gives them greater importance. That, in turn, reinforces the importance of physical beauty. Staying away from mirrors also likely caused unnecessary stress on the contestants, who were unable to assess how they were progressing.
- 4
Contestants Had Very Little Control Over Anything
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The show's complete control over the contestant's transformations was more than a little off-putting. By not letting the women look at themselves in the mirror and have a say in their surgeries, they weren't given time to adjust to their new faces. Contestant Lorrie Arias, for instance, was horrified by her transformation, and had a breakdown once the cameras were off:
"I was screaming for the executive producer... I was screaming, ‘I want my face back!’ That’s how freaked out I was. Intelligently, I knew that was impossible. But it was so weird. It was like looking at somebody else, but it was you."
- 5
It Valued Physical Beauty Over Everything
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While the contestants had helpers throughout their stint on the show to track their emotional well-being, virtually no importance was placed on these women's personalities. The ultimate goal of the show, according to the season-ending pageant, was to crown the woman who had become the most physically beautiful. That notion is antiquated, to say the least.
- 6
It Was A Competition
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As if the concept of The Swan wasn't questionable to begin with, the producers also added a competition element. Each episode pitted two women against each other to see who would compete in the season-ending Swan Pageant. Qualifications were based on the work ethic of the women and the amount of progress they had made in changing themselves.
What message did that send to the losing women, who after undergoing exhausting and painful surgery were told they still weren't beautiful enough? An ugly one, indeed.
