Happiful September 2019

OK
Writing | Lucy Donoughue
GOK WAN: BARING ALL
AN
First aired in 2006, it was at its
The go-to guy for teaching us to love the skin we’re in, Gok Wan has put being kind to yourself
and others firmly in fashion. With the show that launched him into the nation’s homes, How
to Look Good Naked, back later this year, and a UK tour this autumn, we chat to Gok about
the topics he holds most passionately in his heart: body acceptance, appreciating life, and
waking up to the mistreatment of LGBT+ communities across the globe
Ifirst really considered the
concept of ‘body confidence’
after watching Gok Wan’s
How to Look Good Naked many
years ago. With his now famous
warmth and familiarity, Gok spent
each episode working closely with
the people who appeared on the
Channel 4 show to understand
their self-esteem struggles, and
issues with their own reflections.
He then challenged this by
encouraging each person to view
themselves positively, and by
celebrating the features they were
proud of.
How to Look Good Naked was
feel-good TV with strong messages
of body acceptance and self-love
at its core, prompting discussions
about self-image and body
dissatisfaction in living rooms up
and down the country.
height as Facebook was in its
infancy, Instagram was years
away from existing, and the words
‘selfie’ and ‘influencer’ were not
yet commonplace in the public
domain.
Now, Gok harnesses these social
media platforms to informally
continue the conversations
around body confidence he
started in the early noughties, and
reaches more people than ever
before on a daily basis.
Scrolling through Gok’s feed, one
post in particular catches my eye.
It reads: ‘Body confidence is not
about waking up and loving every
part of you. It’s about waking up
and not hating every part of you.’
“We all have those moments, and
for some of us, we have weeks,
months or years where we feel
so bad about our bodies,” Gok
explains when I mention this
quote. “Then we concentrate so
much on goals like, ‘I am going to
be 100% confident with my hair,
my skin, my nails, my body, my
weight,’ and sometimes that can be
so unachievable.
“You’re already setting yourself up
to fail, and what I want to say with
that statement is just do baby steps.
Give yourself a break, make your
goals realistic, and then they won’t
feel like such a daunting task.
“Work at just trying to appreciate,
trying to accept, and have parts of
your body you can welcome to the
world every single day – instead
of having to try to love every part
of it, which could be massively
unachievable.”
Now, 13 years after How to Look
Good Naked first aired, Gok is >>>
September 2019 • happiful.com • 59