Pop-Culture | Posted by Krystie Y on 04/12/2010
Jessica Simpson and “The Price Of Beauty”
Jessica Simpson: The Host of The Price of Beauty
VH1 is notorious for its truly amazing decisions about television programming, and now it can add “The Price of Beauty” to its track record.
Jessica Simpson makes the argument that her new show is going to depict what true beauty is and instill confidence in women all over the world.
“I have always believed that beauty comes from within and confidence will always make a woman beautiful,” Simpson said. “But I know how much pressure some women put on themselves to look perfect … I am so excited that VH1 is coming along on what I’m sure will be a wild ride.”
While this seems too good to be true at first, the rest of us know better. My perception of outer beauty derives from years and years of my surroundings, upbringing and personal experiences. There are particular standards to follow in order to maintain society’s understanding of physical beauty: Hairstyles, makeup products and diets are only a few of these components. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the idea of physical beauty, but some of us are lucky and cheesy enough to realize that true beauty comes from within.
I’ll be the first one to admit that after I saw a commercial for Simpson’s new show, I was duped into believing it was actually going to send a positive message to young women everywhere — and that VH1 finally made the right move. It was difficult to ignore the flaws in “The Price of Beauty” while viewing it for the first time. I was completely deceived by its initial trailer and was under the impression that Jessica Simpson travels around the world and exposes the inner beauty of international females.
What I did not expect to see was Ms. Simpson and her two friends gallivanting around Thailand, offending other foreign cultures and focusing on what makes Thai women physically beautiful. Simpson also breaks out into laughter while attending a private meditation session with a monk and gags in the middle of a marketplace when she tries to swallow a traditional Thai delicacy.
a scene from the show
If this doesn’t scream “separation between the West and the rest,” I don’t know what does. Simpson’s actions are perpetuating the stereotype of ignorant Western travelers who are unaware and disrespectful to different cultures. The show also does a fantastic job of typecasting women from other countries and making their beauty traditions seem strange and obscure. Maybe I misunderstood and we can chalk it up to hopeful arrogance, but it’s not too much to ask for a famous pop culture icon to examine a more influential and motivational version of “beauty.”
Even though “The Price of Beauty” can be disrespectful of other cultures and focuses on literal beauty regimens versus inner-beauty tactics, it tries to do a few things right. There are particular segments within the half hour designated to an interview with someone who wants to use a personal story as a means of inspiration to other women around the world. For example, when Jess and her troops traveled to France in the second episode, they interview a former fashion model that suffered from severe anorexia and wanted to expose herself as a way to advocate for awareness about eating disorders and healthy body image.
The purpose for this segment of the show is to teach females that they don’t need to focus on their physical beauty, which is pretty contradictory from the rest of its airtime. These attempts are valuable strides toward making an effort, but ultimately, that’s all it is, an attempt.
Ladies (and other viewers), consider yourselves warned. Jessica Simpson is actually doing more harm than she is doing good. At the end of the day, it’s not exactly worth trusting a network that airs shows like “For the Love of Ray Jay” and “Frank the Entertainer in a Basement Affair.”
Krystie also writes for The Daily Orange
(6 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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Read other posts about: beauty and feminism, beauty standards, Feminism, inner beauty, Jessica Simpson, Price of Beauty, VH1
Post Your Comment
Zoe @ at 11:45 am, April 12th, 2010
Thanks for the heads up on the show. I’d still like to watch it and make a judgment for myself but that’s disappointing if she truly acts like the stereotypical American tourist to the rest of the world.
Felicia @ at 1:17 pm, April 12th, 2010
I’m happy to have found your site. I plan to use today’s blog as a topic young women’s empowerment group today.
Felicia @ at 1:18 pm, April 12th, 2010
I’m happy to have found your site. I plan to use today’s blog as a topic in my young women’s empowerment group today.
Jackie @ at 9:21 pm, April 12th, 2010
I agree that I would like to view the show for myself but I do appreciate the heads up. When I viewed the commercials for the show I did have a gut feeling that the show might not be what I initially expected and that it may have negative effects on its viewers. It is sad and frustrating that should would be disrespectful and ultimately reflect poorly on our culture even if she didn’t fully intend to. Not only should she be focusing on the “inner beauty” as the show had advertised but she should also be striving to create a more positive image of American women and their behaviors in these different countries as well.
Courtney B @ at 3:07 pm, April 14th, 2010
First of all, looking at Jessica Simpson makes me feel insecure, much less watching a show about her and what she feels real beauty is. I know that she has been in the media for awhile about how much weight she has gained or whatever, but she still conforms to the ideas of Western beauty around her. If anyone is going to host a show about real beauty, maybe they should find someone who is not so mainstream or focused on how they look. I think the intentions of the show are to be praised and the fact that we have moved away a little bit from shows like Extreme Makeover and The Swan. Yay for one small step and hoping for society!
Zoe @ at 12:17 am, April 16th, 2010
It’s horrible that, while this show is called “the price of beauty”, Simpson doesn’t really go into how women pay the price for their beauty rituals. Instead, it’s more of “look at all these weird things other women do to make themselves look beautiful! Crazy, huh?”
Even though I’m sure these cultures would find some of our rituals, like fad dieting and indoor tanning, very odd too.
Adrian @ at 10:50 pm, April 20th, 2010
I’d like to point out that VH1 is heading in the right direction. However, it’s interesting that they chose Simpson, who is commerically beautiful, blonde and white. I would like them to go with a less “safe” option. A woman who is more diverse in her looks, instead of a woman we see everywhere in our media. It also concerns me that the show does not go into different views of beauty.
Heather @ at 4:05 am, April 24th, 2010
I was also suckered into thinking this was actually going to be a positive show, and was hugely disappointed when it just turned out to be an endless parade of moments meant to prove that “Look! Jessica’s an idiot in other countries too!” Stupidity is one thing, but stupidity masquerading as uplifting is just offensive.
Dia @ at 11:57 am, April 25th, 2010
I like the show and it’s message. The Tai delicacy was an insect,so you’re telling me if someone offered you a roach or cricket you’d eat it with no reservations?
During the show plenty of consequences are shown for blindly pursuing physical beauty. In the last episode where they went to Japan and there’s a plastic surgery to make their eyes bigger. And this comes from the Asian stereotype that they all look half asleep. The only episode I haven’t seen is where they go to Africa,but besides that I plan to watch this show until it’s run is over.
Dominique @ at 6:50 pm, April 29th, 2010
This show is incredibly misleading. When they interview the model in the second episode, they don’t even translate what she’s saying; they’re saying things that are COMPLETELY different. She’s not even a model, she claims to be a comedian. Really dumb.
Lula Lico @ at 5:42 am, May 7th, 2010
It will be good if Jessica Simpson has found love now with Jeremy Renner. She deserves to have a new guy in her life.
Guest @ at 10:08 pm, May 8th, 2010
I’m Indian American, and I skipped to the Indian episode, curious but afraid of what she must have done to insult India on a global magnitude. Thankfully she didn’t screw up India’s image too much, and kept it to the superficiality of Bollywood BS and some fake ayurvedic place calling itself Kerala something, when they’re really in Mumbai LOL. The problem with Jessica is that she has no worldly knowledge of anything outside her Texan porno beauty pageant look and her pedophile Christian priest of a father. So when she makes ignorant statements like “Everywhere in the US, we want a tan!” Really? Ever ask that to the black, hispanic, East Asian, or South Asian communities? (basically any other ethnicity that’s not white) Here’s the irony of the show is that in every single culture that she visited, the ideal beauty is the blond haired, blue eyed white woman… oh wait that’s her! Perhaps she knows this, but I really hate it when uncultured Americans go to other countries and expect to be taken around on an elephant or something that is sacred or held at the highest esteem in those cultures (typical colonial mentality where the white man gets the cream of the crop), whereas the others in that culture wouldn’t be able to enjoy those luxuries in the same way because the way they are treated is inherently biased because they are white. White skin with caucasian features signifies beauty pretty much all around the world. I think that should sum it up pretty well. You don’t need to travel to 5 million countries to discover that (which she didn’t discover anything other than she’s stupid in other countries as well)… but at least she pushed a socially responsible “Beauty comes from within and have self confidence” message which is cliche as hell but good nevertheless. But sadly I think her offensive ignorance and western arrogance (such as laughing in front of a Buddhist priest in a meditation session, which Thai people would probably get their ass kicked if they did the same thing) trumps any good she may have accomplished. The only reason she’s doing this show is because a few Perez Hiltons called her a fatass after she wore mommy jeans to some hick concert and now she wants to redefine beauty or some crap. Mission failed for Jessica Simpson.
Adrianne Menaker @ at 2:02 am, July 29th, 2010
i realllllly love the andis hair straightener from wal-mart. it was only $15 (!!!), it has 20 settings, it heats very quickly, and i think it works as well as a chi. (i’ve tried my friend’s chi) also, i’ve had 2 different conair straighteners and wasn’t happy with either of them nor was i happy with a white revlon one my sister recently bought. hope that helps.
Reinaldo Gullung @ at 11:12 am, September 20th, 2010
I just saw a picture of Jessica Simpson with her lover Eric Johnson and she looks really contented. They look like an ideal couple.
Spotlight on The FBomb @ at 10:44 pm, January 17th, 2011
[...] FBomb, we also love discussing pop-culture. From photo-shopping disasters to Jessica Simpson’s show on VH1, we’ve got it [...]
Cherry @ at 3:41 pm, May 6th, 2011
though I’ll admit the show wasn’t perfect, I liked it. they did go through the whole look-at-this-weird-thing-they-do-here bit in every country, but the also did expose the risks of some treatments, like skin lightening. the final episode, on the US, was actually pretty well-done.
and, to those saying Jessica Simpson looks too mainstream and like a “porn star”: don’t be a hypocrite. enough people judge women by their bodies; we don’t need to add to it ourselves.