Image Credit: VH1After she became the subject of tabloid fodder last year, following a series of unflattering pictures circulating the Web, Jessica Simpson sought out to develop a television show that proved beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. The result? The Price of Beauty, which premiered tonight on Vh1. Like anything Simpson produces these days (movies, songs, weaves, etc.), the show has become a topic of debate — in EW’s own offices. Here, EW editor extraordinaires Kate Stroup and Kate Ward sound off about whether they loved or loathed Beauty. (Ward previously gave the show a B+ grade, so you can guess which side she took.) Voice your own opinion about the show after the jump, and vote in our love it/loathe it poll!
KATE WARD: So, Kate, Jessica Simpson has made her long-awaited return to reality television in her new show The Price of Beauty. Are we willing to finally get past the mom jeans and accept that she’s actually producing something good for once? In the name of Sweet Kisses, I say so!
KATE STROUP: Okay, I’ll admit it. I watched Newlyweds, and I found Jessica’s chicken-or-fish antics oddly endearing. So I was happy to hear she was returning to the world of reality TV — she’s always seemed more comfortable there than on, say, the radio. But honestly, there’s nothing much to admire about The Price of Beauty. She’s as clueless as ever. But now, as she travels the world, her missteps are less funny and, on occasion, downright offensive. Laughing at a Buddhist monk? Gagging — loudly — at the food for sale in a local market?
KW: I had a feeling you’d bring that up! And I’ll concede that she is a bit, shall we say, culturally insensitive. But it’s all about baby steps when it comes to celebrities. And as far as I’m concerned, she’s taken quite a leap. Rather than focusing on her mundane Hollywood existence, she has shown that she’s eager to explore other cultures. And any program on television that aims to convince girls that Kate Moss is not the beauty ideal is a good thing, right? In the words of Chris Crocker, leave Jessica Simpson alone!
KS: See, that’s where the show REALLY loses me. If the attempt is to prove that beauty is more than skin deep, then why do they keep talking about how pretty people are? (That’s the first thing they say to their Thai “beauty ambassador.”) Or, when they venture out into the countryside, are they so enamored with the women who wear 20 pounds worth of metal rings to elongate their necks? Is that really any better than aspiring to be like Kate Moss? How about the skin lightening? All the show seems to be saying is that different cultures have different — and often extreme — ideas of beauty. And no matter where you are, women are willing to do anything to conform to that standard. Where’s the inspiration in that?
KW: But isn’t that, in a way, what Jessica is trying to prove with the show? After all, it is called The Price of Beauty. But you are right in a way — I do think Jessica is caught in the middle, trying to respect a country’s customs, while understanding that said customs are actually harmful to the well-being of the women in question. That’s why, I think, she features the woman in Thailand whose face was destroyed when she bleached her skin. Jessica seems to be trying to tell viewers that beauty customs everywhere can be dangerous. It’s too bad she can’t really, you know, translate that on the small screen. But we are talking about Jessica Simpson.
KS: I’ll give you that one. I guess my point is just that, in trying so hard to be deep, she inadvertently proves just how shallow she is. She may never be “Intellectual Napalm,” but I do give the girl credit for doing something constructive with her time.
KW: Can we agree on one thing, Kate? That being called “Sexual Napalm” is actually a compliment that you and I would cherish and put on a plaque?
KS: Totally.
What did you think, PopWatchers?
Simpson is a hypocrite. She sold herself as a sex symbol and profited immensely from it. When she put on weight, people had every right to comment on it. She tried playing the victim card, saying people shouldn’t talk about her looks. She can’t have it both ways. This show is just another way for her to play victim.
Excellent point, Skip! You perfectly nailed Simpson’s hypocrisy.
How do you know exactly how she felt about beauty before she gain the weight? Just because she gained weight and was a “victim of the media’s because of her weight” does not mean that she does not understand the pressure that the media put on you. I think you would honestly have to know her to make that statement. But again, I guess that’s why we are entitled to our opinions. Stay beauitful!
Wonderfully stated.
Jessica Simpson didn’t give a crap about any beauty outside of the Barbie image she maintained UNTIL she was ridiculed for being overweight.
Hi Chrissy!
Speechless! Stay beauitful!
Great point. She is a hypocrite and she is now biting the hand that once fed her. Jessica didn’t seem to mind being a pawn in society’s/the media’s overemphasis on body shape, weight, and appearance when she was washing a car with bikini-clad soapy double d’s in her Dukes of Hazzard days. Now that she can’t fit into her bikini, suddenly the media’s standard is so offensive to her.
ridiculous.
yes she made herself a sex symbol. does that mean she can’t be anything else? she was crucified for gaining a little weight and it hurt her. she may not have the same experiences the rest of us do, never having been either as sexy as she has been or as sexually-nepalm-ish, but that doesn’t mean she can’t also feel insecure.
i applaud Simpson for trying to delve a little deeper into these issues. she could have run to a plastic surgeon, like so many do, while pretending it’s all natural, but she didn’t.
hopefully she’ll learn something.
No, she doesn’t have the talent for being known for anything else and she knows it. That’s why she won’t shut up about her weight. It’s keeping her in the spotlight. She tried to be known for singing and acting and failed. She is known for once having a good body and for not knowing the difference between chicken and fish. Now that she lost her figure, she is known for being the stupid, chubby, untalented girl who gave the General Lee a lap dance when she wasn’t overweight.
Wow! You sound bitter! I think it is absolutely wonderful that she is actually doing this show. I have a daughter and I try my hardest to teach her that you should care about your outside appearance but beauty starts on the inside. I think this show empowers the youth. Certain parts of the world will tell you that being “chubby” isnt beauitful. That’s not true at all! There are all kinds of beauty. You should open your eyes to it. You would probably be a MORE beauitful person if you done just that. Stay beauitful!
“The youth” don’t need to watch this show for empowerment. They just need to look at the situation Jessica Simpson created for herself when she chose to market herself as an object to be ogled , and let it serve as a warning to them. Don’t be like Jessica Simpson and sell your body for fame, or people will forever focus on you for superficial reasons.
You are absolutely right. She can’t have it both ways. Sorry Jessica, when you live by your Daisy Dukes, you die by your Daisy Dukes.
Actually Jessica came out the same time as Britney and Christina and she chose not to slut herself out like they did…she remained conservitave and true to her values until the media and producers forced her to sex it up…shes a great person..leave her alone
The only thing Jessica values is keeping the media spotlight on her. She chose to slut herself out, nobody forced her to. If she hadn’t, nobody would care that she got fat. But then nobody would be talking about her either.
Jessica is dumb, shallow and clueless. She is a slave to Hollywood and all the critiquing that comes with it. I found this episode exploited her vanity and ignorance. The two sidekicks I could have done without. She in no way made women proud.
I think that is the point of the show! If she knew everything, then there would be know point of the show. She should probably just sit in front of the camera and tell everybody what she knew about “OTHERS CULTURE DEFINITION OF BEAUTY” I believe that is the concept of the show. To interview people from other culturals and find out what they perceive beauty as. Stay beauitful!
I think Jess and team could have done a little more research before heading overseas. If she wasn’t completely shocked by every single thing, she might have been able to make her point a little more effectively.
I loved the show! I thought Jessica was very honest and sincere. I think this show will be an eye-opener to a lot of people.
eager to “explore” other cultures, or exploit them? jessica simpson is shallow and offensive. i don’t buy that shes learned anything about the price of beauty, walking around in short skirts and full makeup in the jungle. insulting the food and religion of a culture in 5 minutes? classy! she made a career only on her looks, and now wants to make money off of insulting that notion. this was nothing more than a selfish celebrity who wants to make money traveling with her obnoxious friends. i won’t be watching again.
*high-five*
I found the show to be a tad boring. And think this should of just been a special on the channel not a series. Its gonna get old fast I think. And I too find it rude of her to laugh at the buddist monk. I gave the show a chance but after what I witnessed other night I won’t be tuning in. Sorry Jessica!
I loved it and will watch again because I just love learning about differnt cultures. Lately, women are producing teevee that’s beneficial to women (Lisa Kudrow’s “Who do you think you are”) which benefits us all in the end, ’cause we women are the largest population all over the world. So, it’s good to see global beauty standards and the pitfalls of chasing them. I like Jessica Simpson and I think she does a great job on this show…and no one is perfect. The only fault…I hate it when show review the last few seconds of every segment before moving to the next, like we’re a bunch of morons that can’t remember anything…that’s the most annoying part of any reality show.
You’re watching a Jessica Simpson show. Of course the producers think you’re “a bunch of morons”
This critical analysis is hilarious given that Simpson is as vapid as they come and really only known for her looks. To believe that she has any clue about the “message” of her show is to give her too much credit. Given that she has been a failure at everything she has ever tried (e.g., music, movies, television, marriage, weight maintenance, etc) why would The Price of Beauty be anything more than the next failure notch on the increasingly unappealing Simpson? What she fails to realize is that her “beauty” is the only thing that made her “endearing” in the past. Now that her looks are fading, her uneducated and naïve comments are less forgiving. It must be a terrible thing to realize that you peaked at age 21. Simpson will fade into obscurity over the next few years and the sad thing is that she will have zero insight into what happened.
Yeah but then a sex tape will “accidentally” get leaked and she will be in the spotlight again.
I didn’t love it, but I didn’t loathe it. I think the concept was developed with good intentions, but this episode fell a little short. This was the first episode after all. I’ll give it another chance.
lol You sound like you just dont like her for what ever reason. What do you call people like you hmmm A HATER! lol
Let’s see, Simpson cannot sing, she has no acting talent and she is stupid. BUT, she was considered attractive (I’m not into the white trash look). But now she isn’t even attractive. Hopefully this show will just go away. And so will Jessica Simpson.
She isn’t white trash looking at all. Misty Crosling is the EPITOME of white trash. Watch Nancy Grace if you don’t know who Misty is.
Liked the show, different from the cursing , nudity , fighting seen on the kardashian disaster of a show!
I happen to like Jessica Simpson and appreciate that she’s trying to learn something for herself and the message she’s trying to share with women about the impact of a good or bad self-image. I don’t want to base the whole series on this first episode, but I think she could have had a medical professional explain what those rings actually do to a woman’s body – especially since they’re put on at such a young age. I also think they could have talked to a few girls who decide not to wear the rings and see if they are not considered attractive.
I also don’t think Jessica was laughing AT the monk. Sometimes people just start laughing at inappropriate times. Get over it – she’s human.
Well, I won’t be watching another show. I found it sill and ridiculous. There is nothing new here. I have seen all of this before on more reputable channels with more reputable hosts. What I don’t understand about Jessica Simpson, if she is on a quest to find herself and her own inner beauty, why does she need all the cameras. Why can’t she do it on her own. This just goes to show you she is not on quest to find herself or her inner beauty. She is on a quest for money, profit, ratings, so that she can be picked up for anothe year
I think there’s more to Jessica Simpson than meets the eye. I don’t think she’s stupid, I think she knows how to market herself based on the expectations that people have of her. People look at her and her former reality show, the Newlyweds and they see a dumb vapid blonde, so she marketed herself that way. Based on the whole buffalo wings comment, she went on to make commercials for Pizza Hut. I think she realizes she’s not that brilliant of a singer and has continued to try and find a niche, such as the fashion world. I find it hard to believe that for someone most people consider to be incredibly stupid, she manages to have a very successful handbag and shoe line. For those of you that hate on her, that’s just pathetic. She strikes me as a very sweet person, that while misguided at times has attempted to make the most of her fame. Which of you on this message board if given 15 minutes of fame wouldn’t try to find some way to make it last as long as possible?
To me, any woman who markets herself as stupid, actually is stupid. She is not being much of a role model herself, by pretending to be something she is not.
” By pretending to be something she is not” You must know her? How long have you known her? LOL You are silly!
yes, she is just beauty. If you take time to think about history, as in marilyn Monroe (who i still enjoy her as a beautiful women.. she ahd many downfalls in her time but nobody criticized her for being inept about anything she did. i think this day and aged and people should not be so quick to judge and get over it.. todays society is arrogant and not worthy of judgement, most only talk to hear themselves. The media these days only now how to stir it up and not do proper journalism, aided by pap’s, there have been an awful lot failue shows with supposedly more talented actresses and actors that went by the wayside over the years, what’s so different now??? NOTHING, except the people all think they could do better(arrogance). so in closing think about the past and try not to be so vapid and quick to judge because the original saying “Dumb Blonde” started in Marilyn’s era. although it might be true is no reasonto project a judgemental attitude, especially when she’s really workig at this.. thanx for listening..