Documentary Reveals Consequences of Controversial US Show The Swan — TIME
The documentary “The Swan: Behind the Mirror,” directed by Erin Lee Carr, highlights the consequences of Fox’s American reality show “The Swan.” Its participants underwent plastic surgery, training, strict diets, therapy and life coaching. The first season of the show aired in 2004 and averaged more than 9 million viewers per episode. The project was canceled after two seasons; it faced extensive negative criticism during its run.
As TIME reports, Carr recorded testimony from 12 former participants of the show, several producers and plastic surgeon Randal Haworth. The director said she sought to focus primarily on the women’s experiences, rather than only on the work of the television project’s creators.
Isolation and a beauty pageant
First-season participant Kristy Garza said that advertisements promised candidates plastic surgery, career consultations, personal training and life coaching. After selection, the women were housed in apartments for three months, where mirrors and other reflective surfaces were removed. According to Carr, the participants had no phones, lived on a strict schedule and followed a diet limited to 1,200 calories a day.
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Garza stated that she received only three therapy sessions, while the promised life coaching, according to her, amounted to criticism of the participants’ weight. Later, the women were told they would compete against one another in a beauty pageant. Garza said that after losing a competition to another participant, she felt less confident than before taking part in the show.
The sisters’ story and participants’ support
Second-season participant Kari Bravata spoke about a situation involving her sister Gina. The sisters applied for the show together, but Kari was initially told that only she had been selected. Gina later also became a participant, but producers demanded that this be kept secret from Kari for three months. According to Bravata, Gina was told that she would be liable for $5 million if she revealed the secret.
In the film, the former participants reunited. They stay in touch through group chats and Facebook groups, although they live in different parts of the United States. Garza and Bravata said that despite traumatic episodes during their participation in the show, they view the results of the plastic surgeries and the friendship that developed among the participants positively.
