Body perception (Interesting free video download from iTunes)

I think a lot of people don’t know that there are free TV programs available for download from the iTunes store. I’ve discovered a few gems through that route, as well as a few clunkers. Perhaps because of the writers’ strike there’s not as much available as usual, but the other night I downloaded a program called “How to Look Good Naked.” I don’t know, I thought maybe it was some kind of comedy show — some kind of “Sex and the City” knock-off. It wasn’t.

It turned out to be a somewhat glib and pop-psych but nevertheless fascinating case-history of a woman moving from hating her body to loving it. No, she wasn’t working out. She wasn’t dieting. This was a woman (Layla) who was being coached to become aware of the cognitive biases that she experienced around the issue of her body image. Now Layla is a big girl — no doubt about it. And she was first put on a diet by her mother when she was 12. She’s given up struggling with losing weight. She didn’t have the confidence to date.

The most interesting things for me:

• Layla was shown a line-up of women, arranged in a line according to their hip size. The women were all in their underwear (hey, this is serious research!). Layla was asked to place herself in the line where she thought she fitted in terms of her hip size. She placed herself at the second-to-largest spot. Actually, she was second-to-smallest. So she saw herself as being way bigger than she actually was.
• A picture of her underwear-clad body (minus head) was projected on a building above a busy city street, and passers-by were asked for their opinions. People said various things like “That’s what a real woman looks like,” “Great rack,” etc. Layla was shown the video and it was obviously a shock to her that people might find her body attractive. She thought of herself as unattractive and assumed other people must as well. Now I said that Layla was a big girl, but by current US standards (excluding the freak-show that is Holywood and the fashion scene) she’s just “normally overweight.”
• Layla was shown simultaneous videos of three women’s bodies as they walked down a street, and was asked for her opinions about them. One woman looked glamorous, sexy, confident — she was striding down the street. Another looked like she was walking to work in a business-like suit but also slouching. Another was slouching and looked like she lacked confidence, and was dressed in pretty dreadful baggy clothes. The first woman looked slimmer and in much better physical shape than the other two. Except — it was all the same woman, with different clothes and exhibiting different levels of confidence.

Layla was also given a makeover being shown how to pick clothes that worked for her figure. I think most women might find that more interesting than I did.

By the end of the program (which was shot over five days) Layla had moved from being chronically underconfident to being proud of herself, thinking of herself as being sexy, and being much happier. It was just a blast to see that transformation. In my own work as a teacher I find that there’s nothing that makes me happier than seeing people changing and becoming happier, although my meditation teaching doesn’t usually involve advice on picking a bra.

I’d suggest downloading iTunes if you don’t have it already, navigating to the iTunes store, and downloading the show. It’s worth a look.

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