'Naked Attraction' Goes Deeper Than Surface Level
The dating game show - albeit polarizing - has proven revolutionary in the realm of beauty.
You might not have heard your close friends talking about Channel 4’s controversial reality dating game show Naked Attraction. But surely, you know people are watching it. Since its arrival to the United States by way of Max, the UK-set dating competition has peaked at the top spot of the streaming platform’s most viewed programs.
The show’s premise is rather self-explanatory. A suitor chooses one of six contenders, based on their naked appearance–with penises, buttocks, breasts, and vulvas in full view. But Naked Attraction is more than just a diverse, bisexual pipe dream. It’s a game-changer in how beholders address their attraction to potential partners, and perceive their own beauty.
Offscreen, the suitor provides the producers with a list of physical features and characteristics they find attractive in a potential partner. The suitor is then placed opposite six different color tubes, with each color corresponding to a potential contender. During the first round of selection, the suitor makes a choice based on the lower half of each contender’s body. You’ve got big dicks; small dicks; circumcised dicks; uncut dicks; hairy coochie; bald coochie; innies; outies – what have you. Right off the bat, we see the suitor transparent about their desires. After eliminating one contender, the color tubes rise up, revealing the top half of the body–boobs, pecs, and everything in between. The cycle continues, with the suitors’ faces revealed next, then concluding with their voices.
While the format sounds a bit graphic in nature, the nude factor is–quite literally–only skin deep. Upon choosing one of six contenders, the suitor and the contender go on a date, and put their chemistry to the test. It is also worth noting that no sexual activity takes place onscreen. In one season four episode, a woman from small-town Margate, England goes on a date with an Italian man. Upon their first date, after having seen each other fully nude just hours before, the woman says of the man, “I think he actually kind of works clothes on and off. Either way, he’s good to look at.”
Granted, some may find this dating arrangement rather daunting, but the show’s contestants reveal the appeal of stripping down upon first meeting. In a season four episode, a trans man named said he saw the appeal immediately, noting that “at least if everybody sees what’s there to begin with, then there aren’t any issues down the road.” A trans woman in a season six episode revealed she has no intention of getting bottom surgery, and dances fully nude, tapping into the gender euphoria for which she fought so hard.
There’s a lot of pressure going into Naked Attraction, however, the rules of the game also alleviate several pressures. While the suitors’ professions are revealed during the opening talking head portion of the show, the contestants’ professions aren’t disclosed until after they are either eliminated or chosen. The lack of wardrobe also offers no clear indication of class or status, leaving the suitors to choose their dates simply based on naked attraction.
Many of the contestants aren’t of conventional beauty standards, but rather, the beauty standards defined by the suitor. With the freckles, cellulite, rolls, razor bumps, and other features some might be afraid to put on display, viewers get to see these contestants and their individual traits perceived as desirable, as opposed to characteristics that ought to be concealed or reduced.
Historically, many UK television series–like Skins, or Game Of Thrones–have had no qualms about showcasing full-frontal nudity onscreen, making Naked Attraction on par with the region’s 21st century television zeitgeist. Still, the program has proven polarizing in the U.S.
The Parents Television Council deemed the game show “a new low,” per a report by The Guardian. Variety called Naked Attraction “more cringe than Tinder.”
The View’s Sunny Hostin has lauded the show since its arrival to streaming platforms, and expressed interest in hosting a U.S. version of the show. Dr. Martha Tara Lee, better known as sex expert Dr. Tara, spoke to Yahoo, saying that the show’s popularity in the U.S. should be seen as positive. “We all have bodies, why not normalize them?,” she said. "Nudity doesn’t have to be taboo.”
Naked Attraction–albeit divisive–has proven itself revolutionary. Its takeover of the top spot on Max is a pleasant indicator that most Americans are more curious than they let on. Though the show is not without its flaws, as some comments from suitors can be considered body shaming, Naked Attraction offers a fresh perspective on beauty standards. While a U.S. version may never come to fruition, and there’s no telling of how long the show will be available to stream, Naked Attraction is one of the most significant dating game shows of our time–and will certainly be remembered in the years to come.