Gok's Teens: The Naked Truth

19 January 2012

TX: From Tuesday February 7th, 8pm, Channel 4

From the makers of How To Look Good Naked, comes a brand new three-part series with Gok Wan as he offers a helping hand to the nation's teens.   Gok had his own problems with body image and confidence as a teen, and in this new series, he draws on his personal experience to help give the next generation the advice, confidence and self belief they need to tackle their issues and anxieties: from body confidence and sexuality, to bullying and simply being different.

In this first episode, Gok meets three teenagers who suffer from body dysmorphia and crippling insecurity.  He explores how unrealistic images - often viewed online - pile on the pressure for 15 year-old Paige; how for 24 stone Jake, size really does matter; and in a story very close to his own, Gok meets Brianna, whose extreme body loathing at age 12 led to anorexia. 

The average teenager spends 31 hours a week online, and is bombarded with messages about how they should look.  They're given a constant stream of retouched, digital images of perfection which are having a massive effect on their confidence.

For 15 year-old Paige, obsessed with the internet, this false idea of perfection is making her incredibly insecure.  Gok takes Paige and her friends to a professional photoshoot, where their views of perfection are challenged and they see the hours of styling and computer retouching that go into producing these fantasy images.

16 year-old Jake has a rare condition, Kleinfelters Syndrome, making him very tall and heavy.  Jake's so hung up on this it's made him painfully shy and reclusive. But Gok wants Jake to be proud of his size and view it as an asset, as well as bringing him out of his shell.  So he introduces him to his brother, Kwoklyn - a kick-boxer, who's turned his size to his advantage.  Gok sets Jake a challenge: to go into the ring with his brother and spar in front of hundreds of people. 

The internet is also a breeding ground for pro-ana (pro anorexia) sites, and Gok meets Brianna who, at age 12, started joining in forums to discuss how little she had eaten that day and exchange weight loss tips - something she now truly regrets.  Gok asks Brianna, now 15, to write down her feelings in a journal as a form of emotional therapy, and surprises her at a revolutionary body campaign organisation, Body Gossip, where her journal is brought to life.

Also tonight, Gok reignites his commitment to get teenagers the help and support they need to deal with personal issues.  He says that wherever you are, a one-hour lesson in body confidence can enhance a teenager's self-confidence, and begins planning the biggest ever lesson...