Simply Gok Wan Lingerie Blog

Gok Wan’s new show has definitely been causing mixed reactions throughout the media. Whist I personally am getting somewhat addicted to Miss Naked Beauty some people are less than impressed and have been saying it is humiliating to the women taking part.

The way I see it, the women are being made to face up to their fears, which is never going to be easy. And Gok is doing it the best way he knows how - using the outrageous, straight to the point tactics he is known for. Which, let’s face it, get results! I for one am fed up with women hating their bodies and am glad Gok is trying to do something about it. Gok always asks them, right before hand if they are ok to do a specific challenge and they are free to say no. No-one said that How to Look Good Naked was humiliating and that used the same ‘cruel to be kind’ technique - because we saw how much happier with themselves the people on it were afterwards and how it changed their lives.

Now some of the contestants in Miss Naked Beauty clearly still have a lot of hang-ups. If they find some of the challenges hard it’s because of the negativity about themselves they’ve been ingrained with by society - the negativity Gok is trying to get rid of. And as an end result they not only stand to feel happier about themselves but also to help change the lives of other women by trying to liberate them from those negative feelings too. So the hang ups have got to go!

Saying that it’s humiliating to be seen without make-up or to show a part of your body is like admitting that there is something to be ashamed of in that un-made-up face or about that body part. And Gok is saying that there is nothing to be ashamed of - in fact, it’s something to be proud of.

But there I go, ranting on again! Let’s hear it from the man himself Gok Wan, as he defends Miss Naked Beauty:

We all know Gok Wan’s 2 major passions are fashion and the female form. But since losing that teen weight and wising up about what’s good for you, Gok now reveals his new passion – food! Gok has learned to cook ‘Hong Kong’ Chinese food from his father and confesses he can’t cook English food. It does sound like he eats out or gets takeaway lots though. But who can blame him? With his busy schedule it’s pretty impressive he finds time to eat at all.

So, in case you were wondering, here’s an average food diary for a day in the life of a Gok Wan:

Breakfast: Coffee and a muffin

Lunch: Sushi

Snacks: Fruit and nuts especially cashew nuts. More coffee.

Dinner: Noodles or dim sum from China town

Gok Wan's fave lunch - sushi! Mmmm.

And Gok’s favourite tipple? A glass of Cristal perhaps, or maybe a gorgeous ‘Goktail’?

Nope – a Stella top!

“Nothing beats a Stella top. I hate champagne. At the fashion parties I always manage to get a bottle of beer somehow. I drink vodka when I’m getting a beer belly, but I smoke, and beer and fags go hand in hand. Oh, how I love smoking. All I can do is regulate my diet so there’s room for my vices. I’m fairly straightforward about that.”

Well, you can take the boy out of Leicester but you can’t take the Leicester out of the boy!

Source 

Sushi shot from Flickr

Whilst Gok Wan continues in his quest for natural beauty in Miss Naked Beauty, ruling out girls with boob jobs etc, it’s seems the world is getting more and more surgery obsessed.

The other day whilst channel surfing I caught a snippet of Richard and Judy’s new show where a woman was reporting on all the latest beauty crazes from Hollywood. Amongst them were a new kind of spray tan where not only do you get the usual all over tan but also ’spray on’ muscle definition, plus a relatively new craze for… wait for it… cosmetic toe surgery!

Now while I totally understand someone needing to undergo surgery to remedy painful problems with your feet I think that having a piece of bone surgically removed from your toe in the name of aesthetics is a bit much! Apparently it’s all been brought on by those open toe shoes and sandals with your feet on show - the next step up from a pedicure (a very big step to my mind!) And it’s particularly popular for ladies whose second toe is longer than their big toe. But I say it’s things like that that make you human - normal in fact. And I think that’s what Gok Wan is trying to say with Miss Naked Beauty too.

And as for the spray on muscle tone… if you’re after a great shape you’d be much better off investing in some Gok Wan lingerie, it will last a whole lot longer! And it definitely won’t wash off in the shower - though I wouldn’t recommend trying it

Last night after getting in from the gym then eating a large bowl of spaghetti, it was finally time for the Gok Wan show everyone is talking about. I watched Miss Naked Beauty with some trepidation at first, as admittedly I had had my doubts about it and didn’t want Gok Wan to let me down. But I am most relieved to say - he didn’t.

One of the main reasons I was pleasantly surprised at Miss Naked Beauty was because the girls who auditioned were only told they were trying out for an ‘alternative’ beauty contest - not one that involved feeling beautiful in their natural state.

It was wonderful to see so many confident women of all shapes and sizes standing up on the stage proclaiming why they were happy with themselves, regardless of the myriad ways in which they differed from ‘mainstream’ ideals of beauty. They had grown to accept and love themselves as they were - which is the only way you can ever really be beautiful. Of course, as you might expect from women who entered themselves into a beauty contest, there were also plenty of women who wouldn’t look out of place in any conventional beauty show, who didn’t really have a whole lot ot come to terms with.

After this fabulous show of confidence and inspiring words I was quite amazed at how some of them broke down when they had to remove every scrap of make-up. It seemed that for some their confidence was washed away with the foundation, mascara and lippy. Two women shown could hardly bear to look at themselves in that state - truly a sorry state of affairs for women who have just been marching down Blackpool pier in their bikinis, spouting about self-confidence.

Miss Naked Beauty contestant Lucinda, after the make-up comes off

Lucinda with and without the make-up

The show’s not perfect. I would have liked to see a few more plus size girls in the final 12 (I don’t think any of them are bigger than a 14). Doing a quick skim of the forums this morning a few people seem irked that the finalists are too conventionally beautiful. I however think they just look… well… normal. The kind of women you see walking down the street every day, which I think is what the show is aiming for. They want contestants women can identity with. They could have tried to challenge people conceptions of ‘beauty’ further, definitely, but it’s a big step in the right direction. And, after all the show is still called Miss Naked Beauty and they have always said that looks will play a (small) part - though perhaps a slightly bigger part for Loaded founder and judge James Brown!

A few blogs and forums have said that it might have helped if co-host Myleene didn’t look quite so meticulously made-up when consoling the blubbing newly make-up free contestants. Admittedly I did shout ‘well take your make-up off then!’ at the TV screen at this point (waking my other half from his snooze on the sofa) but perhaps after she spent however many weeks au naturel in the jungle this is a bit harsh.

I also don’t think all those ‘blink and you don’t quite miss them’ graphic naked boob shots were strictly necessary, (I hope I haven’t just encouraged a bucket load more spam with that line) but I’ll put that down to Channel 4’s ‘creative’ editing. Mind you Gok does love his bangers!

Next week’s episode looks to be a corker. The taster of what’s to come showed the amazonian gothic goddess Dawn yelling down a megaphone to other women in the middle of a busy high street so I’m pretty intrigued to find out what that’s all about. Defintley not the image of a demure beauty queen!

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised when it came to Miss Naked Beauty. If you had asked me whether I thought women really need any kind of ‘beauty ambassador’ I’d be inclined to say no. But if it’s a tough, intelligent, confident woman bursting with personality who’s out to inspire women to accept themselves and be happy the way they are, in today’s climate - then yeah actually, I think that’s a pretty good thing.

Images from here.

Well we’ve waited a long time but Gok Wan’s beauty contest is on this very evening! Miss Naked Beauty is on at 8pm on Channel 4. You can get all the low down here.

I don’t know about you but I reckon those girls on the Misss Naked Beauty page look pretty scary with all that make up and hairspray on - it’ll be nice to see them with it all scrubbed off!

Gok Wan Miss Naked Beauty contestants

In tonight’s opening episode, over 7,000 hopeful beauties are put through their paces by Gok Wan in a series of tough challenges. 25 will be selected to go on, which will then be whittled down to the final 12.

It sounds like the girls don’t even know what they stand to win at this stage - which seems amazing as the winner will get a whole new job as the beauty ambassador for Channel 4, and get to work with Gok Wan. They must just have decided to do it for the pure love of Gok Wan. And let’s face it - who would blame them?

Check back tomorrow for my full review of Gok Wan’s Miss Naked Beauty - episode 1!

Whilst at the gym on Sunday I caught a bit of the X Factor repeat (anything to distract myself!). Normally I stop watching X Factor once the hugely entertaining/ hand-chewingly cringe-worthy auditions are over but one glimpse of Ruth Lorenzo giving it her all in a stunning Grecian goddess-type dress nearly knocked me off my treadmill! It’s no wonder Simon Cowell took something of a shine to her. He wasn’t wrong when he described her as ‘all woman’ - what amazing curves! It warmed my heart to see her oozing powerful femininity and confidence belting out her track. She looked so happy in herself.

I don’t know what underwear Ruth was wearing but it certainly did the trick. Gok Wan would definitely approve of those boosted bangers!

If you’d like to achieve her beautifully bosomy look try the Gok Wan Boobylicious Basque. Because it’s a plunge basque it’s perfect for those dramatically deep necklines, like Ruth’s gorgeous dress. If you’re wearing a white dress or top then go for the Gok Wan bra in ‘Naked’ (natural colour). It will be virtually invisible beneath your clothes.

Gok Wan Boobylicious basque

Skintone knickers are also a must if you’re wearing a white dress – try the Gok Wan Super Slicker Knickers shaping shorts.

Gok Wan Super Slicker Knickers

Ruth Lorenzo wasn’t the only one showcasing some gorgeous curves in the X Factor live show this weekend. The extremely talented Laura White showed off her stunning hourglass figure in a sexy black figure-hugging dress. It looked so smooth and seamless she must have had some great shapewear underneath.

 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zx6fG7o4xBc

If you want to recreate Laura’s look, try one of our gorgeous Gok Wan shaping slips.

Gok Wan’s Divine Outline shaping slip will turn you into one curvaceous creature and creates incredible cleavage too when teamed with the Gok Wan Banger Booster bra.

Gok Wan Divine Outline shaping slip

Or if you’d prefer something with a little more retro 50’s styling, you’ll love the Gok Wan Sassy Slip bodyshaper. It’s what used to be called a corselet and is really making something of a comeback, what with all these burlesque beauties performing up and down the country!

Gok Wan Sassy Slip corselet bodyshaper

And what’s more, because Gok Wan has chosen the finest and most comfortable fabrics for his shapewear, it won’t restrict you or feel like it’s cutting off your circulation like other shapewear lingerie can. Meaning the Gok Wan lingerie would be an ideal choice for any aspiring diva. You can sing your heart out in it and still look well supported and sexy!

Gok Wan’s new show Miss Naked Beauty is set to air next week on Tuesday the 21st October on Channel 4. Gok seems to be causing a bit of a kafuffle with the controversial new six part series - and I’m not just talking about all the eager Gok Wan fans desperate to see him back on our screens.

With Channel 4 claiming Miss Naked Beauty is reintroducing feminism to a new audience ‘by stealth’ whilst Gok saying the show is about ‘reclaiming the 1950s beauty pageant’ there is bound to be a little confusion. I mean, just how feminist can a beauty pageant - any kind of beauty pageant - really be?

So let’s take look at the arguments for and against what Miss Naked Beauty is doing.

The Defence

• Gok is doing this to set women free from ‘beauty fascism’ and oppressive beauty regimes‘

‘When I was doing How To Look Good Naked, I was shocked by the lengths to which women went to attain a preconceived idea of beauty. They created armour for themselves by slapping on loads of make-up, they damaged themselves terribly with plastic surgery, fake tans, fake nails and hair extensions. Their efforts to achieve this impossible ideal was endless and it was madness.’

• Miss Naked Beauty is trying to put across that there is not just one way of being beautiful. Sue Murphy, head of features at Channel 4 said they wanted to:

 ’subvert the traditional beauty contest format with the message that there’s not one image of beauty perfection. I wanted to get across the message that if women strive to achieve that impossible image, they will be unhappy.’

And Gok Wan’s thoughts?

‘I’m flabbergasted by the increasingly restricted, stereotyped and narrow image of what beauty has become for women.’    ‘ I just want women to realise that they don’t have to conform to these stereotypes to feel sexy and gorgeous’

• It’s about brains too. Gok says Miss Naked beauty will be:

 ’judged not just on what she looks like, but also on her brains, her spirit, her attitude and her intelligence’

The Prosecution

• It’s still a beauty pageant and women will still be judged on their looks as well as other factors
• From a truly feminist standpoint, it shouldn’t really be important for women to have to feel sexy and gorgeous all the time full stop as htey shouldn’t need to - whether it’s feeling sexy and gorgeous in their natural state or otherwise
• It could be said that ‘natural beauty’ is just as difficult to achieve as ‘artifical beauty’ ie to have glowing skin and shiny hair takes a lot of moisturing, exfoliating etc Is it just swapping a ‘beauty’ regime for a ‘grooming’ regime?
• One of the judges in James Brown founder editor of lads mag ‘Loaded’. Hmm.

Anything else to consider?

What about co-host Myleene Klass - anything to add about your experiences?

‘The more I started working, the more my weight and the way I looked became an issue,’ she said. ‘I’d be told I had got a job, but only if I could lose a stone in two months. I wore make-up so thick every single day for four years that it was like a mask. I imagined that no one could possibly like me if I wasn’t wearing that mask, because I didn’t like myself without it,’ she said. ‘I was unable to leave the house without it.’

Let’s hear from one of the Miss Naked Beauty contestants, 21 year old student Shona Collins:

‘According to the fashion industry, I’m very far from what a beautiful woman should look like. I’m 5ft 4in, a size 12 to 14 - depending on the day and the shop - and have prominent teeth because of a brace I wore as a child which pushed them forward.

‘This argument that real beauty lies within is not a new argument but it is a very pertinent one. At university, I’m surrounded by beautiful, intelligent women who are miserable about the way they look. There is still a huge emphasis on how women look and the pressure on us is ridiculous.’

Any final thought from you Mr Gok Wan? (Well, this is a blog all about him and his lingerie range!)

‘I’d like to prove to every single woman watching the programme that they have the capability to enjoy being themselves. By stripping away all the façade, and getting rid of the make-up and all the bows and bangles, what’s left is women standing united and together and confident.’

Thanks Gok!

And the verdict?

Well I haven’t watched Miss Naked Beauty yet… so I’ll tell you this time next Wednesday

What do you think?

Sources here and here

In a recent Gok Wan interview (read on to the end), it was questioned whether Gok Wan having his own range of control underwear contradicted what he stood for. The argument was that Gok is all about looking good naked and embracing your natural body – being proud of curves. So they queried how Gok Wan launching his own range of corsets and tummy tuck knickers fits in with this and suggested that it was not a very pro-feminist approach.

I can see where they are coming from with this question. The corset has indeed been an oppressive item of clothing for women to wear throughout much of history (read my article Curves and Corsetry on it here). And indeed, in an ideal world, women should not need control underwear to make them feel good about themselves.

In an ideal world women would also not need make-up, false nails, high-heeled shoes, fashionable clothes, expensive hair-cuts… (the list goes on) to feel good about themselves either.

In an ideal world Gok’s services would not be required at all. There would be no market for a man whose career is based around making women feel good about themselves because women would already feel good about themselves.

But that’s just the thing; this is not exactly an ideal world.

It’s a world where women are put under unbelievable pressure every day to conform to an unattainable beauty and body ideal. And where so many women are made to feel miserable when they do not measure up.

Unfortunately, we are a long way from a society where women are no longer expected to ‘measure up’. And in the meantime women suffer with dangerous diets and go under the knife to have parts of their body made bigger or smaller in order to feel better about themselves.

In a world like this, where happiness for a lot of women remains inextricably linked to their body confidence, Gok is offering all women an easy way to feel good, with lingerie that is beautifully comfortable to wear and makes them feel confident too. Every woman should love and feel proud of her body. Every woman has the right to feel sexy! And this underwear is here to help, to give every woman those fab feelings they deserve to experience.

If anybody is on women’s side in this crazy airbrushing, body-obsessed world, Gok Wan is. If he had the time to help every woman feel proud of her own body the way it is I’m sure he would.

Sadly he can’t. But the Gok Wan underwear is the next best thing.

Not content with his super fabulous shapewear lingerie range for women, it seems Gok is now thinking of turning his attentions to support underwear for men. Well, it’s true a lot of men out there suffer from the same body confidence issues as women (Ok maybe not exactly the same but you know what I mean!)

I love this quote from Gok:

“Why shouldn’t men have magic underwear? Guys are constantly moaning about their moobs. Maybe I could design a manbra and get Simon Cowell to market it for me.”

Again, now there’s something I’d like to see!

I came across this article the other day in which I was delighted to discover that Gok Wan tried on some of his own ladies lingerie range! He roadtested the underwear for a month because he wanted to know how it felt.

Bless Gok! Not wanting to receive criticisms of a ‘you’re a gay man how can you know what you’re doing designing underwear for women’ nature he gave the lingerie a thorough testing himself! I have to say, he kept that one pretty quiet from the lingerie team at Simply Yours.

He (alas) did not go for the Banger Booster bra (it seems his bangers don’t need any boosting) but he did try on the shaping shorts (Slicker Knickers, Super Slicker Knickers, Pull Me in Pants) and, wait for it… the sex kitten corset! Although Gok admits “I looked f****** hideous.”

How I wish I had a photo of Gok Wan in the corset to post up for you! I’m afraid though you’ll just have to use your imaginations…