GOK

WAN

Writing | Lucy Donoughue

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

>>>

first 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.

First aired in 2006, it was at its

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

GOK WAN: BARING ALL

I

September 2019 • happiful.com • 59