Naked on Project Runway

“If you can give a talk in front of a crowd naked, you can do anything” is the only thing I remember from my high school psychology class. The teacher, whose name I can’t even remember, was talking about fear and how some of the strongest phobias are of things that present no danger at all. Unlike fears of heights, loud noises, snakes, etc., fear of speaking in public and of being seen naked are completely irrational. Neither situation is dangerous. In over 20 years of medical practice, I’ve never seen anyone hospitalized for public speaking or being seen naked.

So when a chance to work as a nude model for an episode of Project Runway came my way, I took it.

I had never heard of Project Runway. I had zero understanding of the fashion industry and what opinions I may have held were strongly negative. I felt that the damage the fashion industry does to people, particularly young girls, is grave. In setting impossible standards for beauty and implying that one can never be happy without meeting those standards is psychologically devastating.

I had a twinge of anxiety about stepping into this extremely competitive industry as a rank amateur. I was wary that I might be subject to contempt and abuse from fashion professionals. I have no fashion sense and wear clothing mostly for comfort. I keep my hair short so I don’t even need to comb it.

I also wondered whether sharing the experience with everyone I knew would be a good idea. What would my friends and family think? What about my students and their parents?

I opted to spread the news and here is what happened:

First of all, the responses from family and friends were completely positive. Effusive congratulations were the norm. I felt good about how Project Runway presented me and my self-confidence was strengthened.

From start to finish, the crew of Project Runway was considerate, courteous and welcoming. Their professionalism was impressive. The teamwork and effort that goes into producing a top-notch program is immense.

Finally, and much to my surprise, I had to reconsider my opinion of the fashion business as an industry that damages people by setting impossible standards for beauty. Dom, my designer, invested a lot of time learning about me in order to design clothing that were right for me and accented my personality. Clothing, she said, should be chosen for the uniqueness of each individual. What works for me won’t work for somebody else. Every person needs to have a keen sense of self to choose the right look.

So here is what I gained from the experience: I took an opportunity to do something a little scary and new and came away with a precious memory and a great tale. My self-image and self-confidence were bolstered. Best of all, the experience reminded me of something no one should forget. My body tells the story of my life. Every scar, every grey hair, every wrinkle tells my story like no one else can.

To hide that story would be wrong.

Here is a link to the trailer for the episode I was in.