VH1 is notorious for its truly amazing decisions about television programming, and now it can add ‘The Price of Beauty’ to its track record.

Jessica Simpson makes the argument that her new show is going to depict what true beauty is and instill confidence in women all over the world.

‘I have always believed that beauty comes from within and confidence will always make a woman beautiful,’ Simpson said. ‘But I know how much pressure some women put on themselves to look perfect … I am so excited that VH1 is coming along on what I’m sure will be a wild ride.’

While this seems too good to be true at first, the rest of us know better.
My perception of outer beauty derives from years and years of my surroundings, upbringing and personal experiences. There are particular standards to follow in order to maintain society’s understanding of physical beauty: Hairstyles, makeup products and diets are only a few of these components. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the idea of physical beauty, but some of us are lucky and cheesy enough to realize that true beauty comes from within.

I’ll be the first one to admit that after I saw a commercial for Simpson’s new show, I was duped into believing it was actually going to send a positive message to young women everywhere — and that VH1 finally made the right move. It was difficult to ignore the flaws in ‘The Price of Beauty’ while viewing it for the first time. I was completely deceived by its initial trailer and was under the impression that Jessica Simpson travels around the world and exposes the inner beauty of international females.

What I did not expect to see was Ms. Simpson and her two friends gallivanting around Thailand, offending other foreign cultures and focusing on what makes Thai women physically beautiful. Simpson also breaks out into laughter while attending a private meditation session with a monk and gags in the middle of a marketplace when she tries to swallow a traditional Thai delicacy.

If this doesn’t scream ‘separation between the West and the rest,’ I don’t know what does. Simpson’s actions are perpetuating the stereotype of ignorant Western travelers who are unaware and disrespectful to different cultures. The show also does a fantastic job of typecasting women from other countries and making their beauty traditions seem strange and obscure. Maybe I misunderstood and we can chalk it up to hopeful arrogance, but it’s not too much to ask for a famous pop culture icon to examine a more influential and motivational version of ‘beauty.’

Even though ‘The Price of Beauty’ can be disrespectful of other cultures and focuses on literal beauty regimens versus inner-beauty tactics, it tries to do a few things right. There are particular segments within the half hour designated to an interview with someone who wants to use a personal story as a means of inspiration to other women around the world. For example, when Jess and her troops traveled to France in the second episode, they interview a former fashion model that suffered from severe anorexia and wanted to expose herself as a way to advocate for awareness about eating disorders and healthy body image.

The purpose for this segment of the show is to teach females that they don’t need to focus on their physical beauty, which is pretty contradictory from the rest of its airtime. These attempts are valuable strides toward making an effort, but ultimately, that’s all it is, an attempt.

Ladies (and other viewers), consider yourselves warned. Jessica Simpson is actually doing more harm than she is doing good. At the end of the day, it’s not exactly worth trusting a network that airs shows like ‘For the Love of Ray Jay’ and ‘Frank the Entertainer in a Basement Affair.’

Krystie Yandoli is a sophomore women’s studies major. Her column appears weekly and she can be reached at klyandol@syr.edu.