Meet Jennifer Jonassen

Whether you're in the nude, in the buff, in your birthday suit, or (as my mom used to say) naked as a jaybird (do other birds wear clothes?) - we all want to look and feel like a million bucks! That is why I knew I just had to interview Lifetime TV's "How To Look Good Naked" star: Carson Kressley. We first met & loved Kressley on another makeover series: Queer Eye For The Straight Guy.  Week after week we watched him work his magic as he made over our boyfriends, husbands and sons. Changing them from pumpkins & couch potatoes into princes right before our eyes. Who knew it could get better than that? But it did! On How To Look Good Naked Kressley transcends your average TV make over show The result: a powerful new series that results in profound inner transformation. Each episode, Kressley introduces a new woman who is brave enough to take the journey with him that ultimately ends in posing naked for a photo session!  By the time they reach the shoot, Kressley has led them masterfully through a personal journey where each woman emerges the swan that they suddenly realize they have been all along...
 
JJ: What drew you to this project? 
 
CK: Well I was lucky because this show was already a sucessful format in the UK and I was able to see the show before signing on.  What impressed me most was that it was so tremendously different from any other makeover show on the air.  In essence, this show is not about changing the way you look, but instead how you see yourself.  After having worked on an extremely successful makeover show like Queer Eye, I was so delighted to be asked to work on another such project, where each week I can help people feel better about themselves. 
 
JJ: What have been some of the challenges? Surprises? 
 
CK: Well when I first heard the show's title, HOW TO LOOK GOOD NAKED, I thought to myself, "Oh, that's easy just get a dimmer switch and a box of wine!"  That was kind of a joke, but I did not realize how deep seeded some on these women's body issues were.  I had no idea that women could be so hard on themselves.  I certainly knew that the media and pressures from society in general could make women unhappy about their bodies, but I had no idea they could become so debilitating!
 
JJ: What do you think transforms all of your guests? 
 
CK: Well it is a very well crafted process.  The first step, and quite possibly the scariest and most emotional (for both the la dies and myself) is seeing whats really there by taking an honest look in the mirror.  Then the "perception correction" starts and we show these women what they really look like and let them hear some positive feedback from people they dont even know.  If you have seen the show, you know what I am talking about!  If not, tune into Lifetime and check it out!  Then finally some pampering goes a long way and reinforcing that our bodies are indeed worth taking care of!  The clincher is having these women sit for a nude (but tasteful!) photo shoot where they leave all their body issues behind... along with their bra and panties!   That part of the show may sound scandalous, but it really is an integral part of the process of letting go of past issues and starting fresh.  ALL of the women we have worked with have said the same thing, that the nude photo shoot is an incredibly liberating experience.