Most Controversial TV Shows: 'The Swan' scarred women by calling them 'ugly ducklings' and forcing surgeries
Sixteen unfortunate women were subjected to not just being referred to as "ugly ducklings" but also undergoing an extensive amount of plastic surgeries, in order to fit the mold of conventional standards of beauty on Fox's reality show 'The Swans'. After a run of two seasons, Fox finally decided to scrap the controversial reality transformation show. But till date, the contestants who participated in the show remain scarred while the audience remembers the series as being horrific.
On the show, 16 women who are deemed "ugly ducklings" get an opportunity to transform themselves into "the swans". While in the fairy tale, the duckling endures the harsh winters and eventually, her beauty shines through, on the show the so-called 'ugly women' get major plastic surgeries to turn themselves into swans. It doesn't take much to see why the show was extremely controversial. The show was heavily criticized for the way it executed things. The women were criticized for their looks on national television, thus beating down their already low self-esteem further. Then they have a consultation with a plastic surgeon, who decides on all the surgeries that the woman needs to undergo in order to fit the conventional beauty standards. There is no place for flaws on the show. Sadly, the contestants never get a say in deciding which surgeries they would like to undergo.
The women are then taken for their surgeries and allowed to recover. During the three months that they are shown on the show recovering from their surgery, they are not allowed to see themselves in the mirror. This is to ensure that the cameras capture their initial reaction on seeing their new body and face. Finally, on the D-day, when the women get to see their new face and body before they get any time to embrace it and accept it, they have to take part in a pageant with a fellow contestant to secure a spot in the coveted 'Swan Pageant' held during the finale. So, the contestant who doesn't win the preliminary pageant is still deemed ugly despite the extensive surgeries. One can only imagine the adverse impact on the losing contestant's morale.
There was no silver lining to the show, no matter how hard we tried looking for it. Although the showrunners recruited a psychologist to provide emotional support and guidance to the contestants, it didn't work out too well. According to reports, the psychologist, Dr Lynn Lani, reportedly didn't even possess the necessary credentials. Lani obtained her PhD in clinical psychology from California Coast University, an online institution that did not have to meet any "national licensing or credentialing laws".
So, with no emotional support available and constant sabotaging of self-esteem of the contestants, it came as little surprise when the contestants began experiencing some serious problems in their personal lives after leaving the show. Almost all the contestants who appeared on the show divorced their partner after the show. Former contestant Lorrie Arias revealed she gained back all the weight she lost from the show and also said that she was suffering from agoraphobia. Despite many controversial reality shows that regularly air on our television, 'The Swan' definitely takes the cake for being one of the most controversial and problematic show.