Episode 2 Young, Welsh and Pretty Skint

South Wales has more gyms, tanning salons

and beauty parlours per square mile than anywhere else in Britain.

It's a recession-busting industry,

grossing an estimated £2 billion a year.

If you're good-looking, you get a better life.

And it's fuelled by the wants and desires of a generation.

-Is it all about men?

-Is it?

-Is it all about attracting a mate?

-Is it?

To procreate? Ha-ha!

I think it's part of our culture.

For the Welsh under-30s,

hymns and arias have been replaced by protein and shakes and Botox.

How you look is who you are.

If you wake up in the morning and you look in the mirror

and you hate yourself,

it's going to be very difficult to carry on your day in a positive way.

Like I've always said to Matthew,

it's better to be looked at than overlooked.

Simple as that.

But beauty doesn't come cheap.

You're looking at around £6,000 or £7,000 just on bikinis.

Don't tell anybody,

I've spent, like, two grand in the last two and a half weeks.

What?! On what?

In these tight economic times, what drives the muscled men,

the tattooed girls...

Do you like it?

..and the image-obsessed gym bunnies to push their bodies

and their bank balances to the brink,

leaving them all feeling young, Welsh and pretty skint.

We live in an age where everyone under 30 seems to want

bits of a celebrity's body.

Some girls want Katie Perry's boobs,

others, Kylie Jenner's lips.

Some boys want tats like Justin Bieber or a rack like David Gandy.

But there's one slice of celebrity anatomy the whole world would

appear to aspire to.

Squeeze!

Come on!

Kim Kardashian's ass.

Which probably explains why all across South Wales,

gyms are currently stuffed to capacity with bouncing butts.

My busiest class is called Ass Class.

For fitness and beauty entrepreneurs Kate Austin

and Caz Roberts, Ass Class is definitely where it's at,

even if they hold theirs in a tyre garage just outside of Bridgend.

Everybody wants a butt these days.

It's just the fashionable thing to have. Toned legs and a nice bum.

With what's on TV at the moment, the Kardashians, the J-Lo bum,

it seems what all women want is a big bum, little waist.

It's good for me, it's good for business.

Everybody wants to know how to build it and I know how, so...

And whilst Kate takes care of business,

Caz is in charge of marketing.

Or rather, her bum is.

I get comments on my bum all the time.

Bit of a trademark with this place. Kate uses my bum as advertising.

In fact, Caz's bum has got its own Facebook page

and over 5,000 followers.

I absolutely love it.

I love the attention I get from it, I love taking photos of it.

A lot of the mums here, they said they've got pictures of me

on their walls, in their creche, and their ideal bum...

It's not fair, I don't even get to see it. It's on the back of me.

It seems that here in South Wales, where there's ass, there's brass.

Canny Kate's charging just £1 a session and she's ramming them in.

We've been here four months and in the four months we've been here,

it's just under 500 people have come and signed up with us.

In fact, there's so many bucks in big butts that Kate's just sunk all

of her assets into a warehouse she's hoping to turn into the UK's

largest 24-hour gym.

This is our new playground, where we can take all our classes.

The rooms we've got down the bottom there, they're going to be

permanently set up for our boxing rooms and our spinning rooms.

We've got changing rooms on the sides here,

we're having a stage built.

-We're having a stage, we can't wait.

-Our own stage!

Disco lights are being put in, so we can have classes

done in the dark with disco lights on and things like that.

But this is actually not the gym space.

You may think, oh, that's big. Nope.

-This is a nice area.

-Come with us.

This is actually going to be the main gym space.

-What can you say? It's huge.

-Not small.

They say size matters.

I was never one to be subtle.

As you can see, nothing's been done yet.

You can't actually see anything yet. And so far, we've spent 180 grand.

When we've finished permanently in the future as well,

it'll be not far off half a million.

All we need now is 500 men and we've got 1,000 members.

If we've got 1,000 members, we're covering all our costs then. So...

-Easy.

-Her name, my mouth.

-It works, yeah.

Kate and Caz are giving themselves 12 weeks to recruit

another 500 members and open the doors of their mega gym

and we'll return later to see how they're getting on.

And in her Bryncoch salon, 26-year-old beautician Jade and

her friend Gemma agree that hot gym- toned bodies are very much in vogue.

What really tickles me on a night out - a boy will be like,

"Been doing squats, have you, babe?"

And I can't figure out whether he's taking the pee or whether

I actually look like I've done squats, but I haven't done squats.

There's so many people out there lately that are going to the gym

and trying to tone up and everything.

There's just so much pressure.

For women, especially, I think, to have the body and look good

and feel good and whatever and I just think, why?

Who are you...? For who?

You know? You want to be doing it for yourself, not for other people.

-Cos it wasn't like that when we were in school, was it?

-Oh, my gosh, no.

It's always been like, "Are you a boob person or a bum person?"

And some people are both. Um...

Maybe it's the girls that have got a better arse than their face,

I don't know.

Body like a god, face like a dog.

I don't know. Maybe they need to...

You can change the appearance of your bum but you can't do your face.

You can't, yeah. You can have Botox and stuff, can't you?

But why do you think people are sort of like trying to get

the perfect arse?

God only knows. Why are girls...?

Girls are forever trying to play with their bodies, won't they?

It's so sad because most people do it for men.

Do you agree that men don't mind having a woman that doesn't

work out, but a girl could never go out with a man who's got boobs?

-Is that just me? I don't know. Do you know what I mean?

-Yeah.

-It's OK for a girl to be a little bit...

-Yeah, I don't know.

Some guys prefer that, though, don't they?

A lot of guys say they prefer curvy girls.

Mm. Then look how amazing skinny girls look in a dress. Look at you.

-You can wear anything you want.

-I can't.

-Anything.

Yes, you can. You can wear anything.

-And you've got small boobs, so you can...

-Thanks for that.

You can manipulate them... No, you know what I mean.

You've got like, you know... you've got pert little boobs.

I won't when I have my boobs done.

Can't believe you want to go under the knife.

Why? But that's another thing that women,

you know...talk about having done and stuff.

I'd have loads done, I would.

What would you have done?

-Lips, Botox...

-Mm.

-And...

..boobs.

But again, that's not for vanity reasons.

It's not because I want to get them out and show them off and stuff.

It's to feel more confident in my body, you know?

Like I said, it's all in here and it's all in the mind.

-So it's not for men, it's for yourself?

-Definitely not for men.

I would never change any part of my body for any man. Never.

When you dress a certain way and if you've got everything on show, you

attract the wrong kind of attention off the men then when you're out.

You know? And it's... And then...

All the men that we attract are married.

-Shhh!

-You!

They're all married! Buggers! Buggers they are.

And I'm never getting married.

-Ever.

-Why?

-Because, like...

-You don't trust them.

(You just can't trust anybody, can you?)

I-I always thought, you know, older men, more mature,

more this and more that. Definitely NOT. Definitely NOT.

-More immature, I'd say, some.

-Married!

Yeah... Men are never happy with what they've got.

But then, neither are women!

DOG BARKS

Ooh!

Last time, on Young, Welsh and Pretty Skint,

we caught up with Corey and Marc,

two 20-something goodtime guys who live to party.

Just go, "Whoa!" Swallow the vodka and pop, baby. Boom-boom!

Looking to move on in life,

they've recently hooked up with Llanelli-based talent agent,

Mark Paul Jones.

Right, what do you want to do in the next five years?

Agent Mark has a vision.

To use the boys' natural exuberance and energy to mould them

into the next Ant and Dec.

-That's the one, innit?

-Massive!

Agent Mark reckons the boys will make good models and presenters.

And he's already splashed out on an expensive photo session to

furnish them with a professional portfolio.

Now he feels they're ready for the next step,

a day of celebrity schooling,

starting with a catwalk workshop from creative director, Aliya.

You've got to get you own style, you know, if you want to focus somewhere

that's not on anybody, so don't look at anybody, just look at the wall.

You got to stand really tall and then have a really casual walk.

You know, stomp a bit, be yourself, you get to the end, you pose.

And you turn and you walk away.

Marc and Corey have spent a lifetime posing

and preening around the pubs and clubs of South Wales.

Look at me! Look at me! You love it!

But can they transfer these skills to the catwalk?

Well, the boys are willing to give the opportunity their all.

Me and Marc have got a fantastic starting point with Mark,

the agent, that we could never have had if we hadn't met him.

This can be your work. This can be your job. Become the room.

-Be part of it. You are it.

-Yeah.

-Stand tall!

-Wait, wait, wait!

Because Mark has given me these opportunities, I'm going

to apply myself to it and really go for it.

Feel your centre point of your body...

I just want to try and achieve something.

I'm just trying to push on and see what happens

now this year now, with Mark.

I'm getting older now, so I've definitely moved on.

Like, trying to actually achieve something now

and just trying to get somewhere in my life.

Because going out all the time, it's not really getting anywhere, is it?

Marc has just turned 30.

-Pose, turn.

-Pose, yeah?

Go on, then, walk to me, then.

-Corey is 22.

-So you look good.

You've got a good shape, you've got a good face, work it.

-Look at you, is it?

-Yeah, look at me, pose.

-HE KISSES AIR

Both are still living at home and doing the same dead-end job.

Well, I'm doing security at the moment.

At the moment, I'm working still in security but I work at a hostel.

They both want more out of life.

Good. Perfect.

I don't just want to stay in Swansea all my life.

I want to go out and I want to be successful.

I want to achieve things.

Remember, you're selling products when you're on the runway.

So you're selling your outfit. You can grab your T-shirt and pose.

Flick your hair.

Mark is coming to me and is putting all these things on the table.

And it would be stupid of me to turn it down, you know?

There's talks about going to Ibiza,

-there's talks about going to America.

-Now, interrupt...

So, you have to, like, pose with each other.

Mark is a very ambitious person and I'm sure if he has his way,

we'll be flying all around the world,

having a good craic, enjoying our lives.

-Boom!

-HE CHUCKLES

If Corey and Marc are to make it onto the world stage,

they'll probably need more than an ability to walk in a straight line.

And later we'll see that they do indeed have some as yet

undiscovered talents.

Perfect!

Last time, on Young, Welsh and Pretty Skint, we met Caitlin,

a 24-year-old live-at-home student, who spends all of her spare time and

cash competing in beauty, fitness and fashion modelling competitions.

It's where fitness meets fashion.

Over the last four years,

Caitlin and her parents have spent tens of thousands of pounds

on the daily training, specialised diet, beauty treatments

and couturier costumes that fuel her hobby.

You're looking at around £6,000 or £7,000

just on the bikinis on the table.

Caitlin realises that some people might find her expensive hobby

a bit bizarre.

Changing the way you look, just for a plastic trophy,

is a bit extreme, I suppose, in some aspects.

But now all her hard work

and her parents' hard cash could be about to pay off.

Last year, Caitlin came fifth

in the World Beauty Fitness and Fashion competition in Las Vegas.

Next week, this year's competition

is being held at the O2 Arena in London.

If Caitlin wins, she'll get a few hundred quid

and a plastic trophy.

But she could also find herself showered in lucrative

modelling contracts, endorsements and sponsorship deals.

So today, Caitlin's driven to Staffordshire for a costume

fitting with designer Janine Clarson.

Janine's company make bespoke handmade costumes for the dance

and fashion industry.

Caitlin's engaged Janine and her team to design and make the bikini

and evening-theme wear for her shot at next week's title.

Today's fitting will be the first time that Caitlin has seen

the designs.

Hoping to gain a competitive edge,

she has asked for a bikini with a tight Brazilian cut

and Janine seems worried about how it will look.

Ooh!

-It looks tiny, doesn't it?

-I know.

JANINE LAUGHS

Whoo! OK...

-Argh!

-Are your boobs in?

-Yeah.

Oh, my God, they're tiny!

Look at that little bum!

Janine and I had discussed

that we needed to go smaller on the actual bikini itself.

Because when I competed at the Worlds in Vegas, it was just,

mine in comparison to the rest of the girls, they went

for a lot more of a Brazilian style, which is a smaller-cut bikini.

So that's what we opted for.

This one's definitely the smallest one so far!

No. Love it!

Caitlin's itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny 2,000 hand-glued crystals bikini

is just the entree.

It's her design for the evening-theme wear

that Janine is hoping will blow the judges' minds.

I think the competitors want to be as sparkly as they possibly can.

Again, with anything that's going to be a trend,

I try and just do something a little bit different.

As in, I think there will be a lot of feathers out there on stage.

So we've twisted it and put Caitlin into, like, the gladiator warrior.

We just need to pull this quite tight.

You might feel a little bit choked at first.

An intricate and arresting ensemble,

simultaneously evoking Game of Thrones, Lady Gaga, Dolly Parton

and Liberace, Caitlin's gladiator costume is a thing of singular

vision and some hard labour.

The different costumes take different amounts of stones.

The gladiator would roughly be around about 7,000 stones.

And that takes, from start to finish, around about four days.

Happily, Caitlin's delighted with the results.

-It works really well with the bikini, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-Love it.

Mad Max!

All in, the costume and bikini have cost Caitlin a cool 850 quid.

Let's hope it's enough to ruffle a few feathers at the finals

of next week's International Beauty, Fitness and Fashion competition.

CAR HORN BEEPS

Back in Swansea,

having already mastered their inner Derek Zoolander,

wannabe Ant and Dec, Marc and Corey, are now getting a pep talk

from agent Mark before they embark on their next celebrity challenge.

Have you ever seen one person build a house? No.

You've got to take your mind over everything.

People need to see your inside outside.

And because you see what you've got inside,

both of you, but other people may not see that yet.

You have to give them something to believe in.

So the next thing we're going to do is what?

-We're going to do some commercial training with you now.

-What do you feel like?

-Are you ready?

-Why not?

If you want to be a celebrity, then you need to be good at all these different areas.

Cos this is what's going to be expected of you.

Right, I want you to sell me this product.

So I'm the camera, so you're going to talk to me

and you going to try and sell me this product.

Erm, it's a great drink before the gym.

-This fizzy drink has got plenty of sugar.

-Gives me plenty of energy.

It's got loads of caffeine in it, as well, which gives you energy,

-which is a stimulant, which is good for training purposes.

-Marc, I'm the camera.

-I'm the camera.

-It's orange flavour, so it's got great taste,

it's not just some plain 'angin' drink.

Also, it's very good for recovery after training.

-And good for training before.

-It gives me plenty of energy.

Once I've got that energy, I can bust out moves like this.

If you're dancing and you have a drink of this, you can

-dance like Michael Jackson!

-Here's the boy.

Like, you two can stop that now. You need to be quiet.

-We need him to do this properly.

-I am!

-Yeah, I know, it's not you,

but these two are talking and putting you off.

-Right, take it seriously.

-I am! I'm giving you energy.

-Right, sit down.

-I'm giving you energy from this drink. If...

-Stop! Stop! Stop.

Right, start the advert again.

I want you to walk in and start the advert again. Sell me that product!

Ready and action!

Right, this fizzy drink, it's very good for sports performance.

It gives me loads of energy for dancing in the club.

I do a little shuffle.

Marc does a little moonwalk. Marc, what else does it do?

It gives you plenty of energy before you train and after training.

-And after, yeah, exactly.

-Recovery from training.

Your eyes are all over the place,

you're just all over. Shut up a minute.

Right, let's do some confidence training with you now. Come here.

Come here, both of you, now.

-Who's this in the mirror? Who are you?

-It's Corey Rees.

-And what are you?

-I'm a human being.

-Are you?

-I am.

-Are you a strong person?

-I'm a strong human being.

-Are you?

-Tell yourself you are.

-Corey Rees, you are a strong human being.

-Tell yourself you can do this advert.

-I can do this advert!

-You can be a celebrity!

-I can be a celebrity!

-You can be whoever you want to be!

-I can be whoever I want to be!

-Good!

-Now, you tell yourself. Who are you?

-I'm Marc Ritchie.

-Are you?

-Are you sure?

-Yes, sure.

-Are you sure you're Marc Ritchie?

-I'm super sure.

-And who's Marc Ritchie?

-Marc Ritchie, I'm...

-Look at yourself, don't look at me.

-I'm looking at myself.

-Who's Marc Ritchie?

-I'm a human being.

-Are you?

-Yes.

-Are you sure?

-I'm 100% sure.

-Do you want to be a celebrity?

-I'd love to be a celebrity.

-Yeah? Why?

-Because, er, it seems like a good thing to be.

-Right, OK.

-LAUGHTER

-Are you a strong person?

-Can you do this goddamn advert?

-I can do this advert.

-Can you not laugh every five minutes?

-Yep.

-Right, tell yourself who you are in the mirror.

-I'm Marc Ritchie.

-What are you going to do?

-I'm going to do this advert.

What are you going to do for the rest of your life?

-I don't know.

-You're going to be you cos you're the

-BLEEP

-best.

-Now, tell yourself.

-I'm going to be me.

I'm going to be me because I am the effing best.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Sorry!

-I didn't want to swear.

-No, I know.

-Good boy, good boy.

Right, say it again - who are you?

I am Marc Ritchie, I am going to do this advert

and I am going to become a celebrity.

-I don't believe you.

-Do you believe in yourself?

-I believe in myself.

Do you believe in yourself saying it?

Do you believe in yourself inside?

By the way that you're saying it, do you believe in what you're saying?

Listen to what you're saying

and do you believe in it? There's a big difference.

Everyone wants to be something and achieve something in life.

You already ARE something and that's the thing -

you just need to see what you are and who you are. I see it in you.

That's why I'm sticking by you.

You can totally see them as the new Ant and Dec, couldn't you?

-Yeah, but better.

-Yeah, but more fun.

-In a different sort of way.

-You're young.

-You're both great guys.

-You've got it all to come.

It's just that people may not understand you yet

-so we've got to...

-Nobody's going to fully understand you.

It doesn't matter what other people think about you.

It's how you feel about yourself that matters.

In Bridgend, at their soon-to-be mega-gym,

owner Kate and her rear-of-the-year sidekick, Caz,

have taken delivery of five tonnes of weights.

With less than a month to open, things are getting heavy.

We've got to open January 4th, regardless,

otherwise people will be signing up in other gyms

and everywhere else, there's contracts and stuff,

so if somebody signs up somewhere else,

then they're stuck in for 12 months, basically.

95% of all gym memberships are signed up

in early New Year, post-Christmas binge

and, as Kate's sinking a cool half-million into this venture,

she can't afford not to be open by then.

So there's a fair bit of work to do.

Although it's certainly worth the risk

as the fitness industry in Wales is now worth over £600 million a year.

However, Kate's looking beyond mere buff bodies as, these days,

fitness and beauty come as a package.

A friend of mine is renting pretty much

the majority of the middle floor space there

and within that, she's having all her Botox treatments,

fillers, laser treatments.

She's even in talks with a surgeon

and they're applying for a hospital licence

so they can do minor surgery here, things like liposuction.

So, Ass Class, Botox

and bingo-wing reduction surgery all under one roof.

What's not to love? And 32-year-old Kate walks it like she talks it.

When it comes to your body, you can make it look however you want.

You can do things to change it.

When it comes to your face, you've only got that face.

Now, if for whatever reason you're starting to look

a way you don't particularly like,

there's things you can do to change it these days.

I don't see anything wrong with that. I'll openly admit I had Botox.

Can you give me a little frown now, sweetheart? Lovely.

I've had skin peels so they just take a layer of skin off

so there's fresh skin again type of thing.

I've used sunbeds a lot and things like that.

Everybody wants to look good, don't they?

Everyone wants to look younger than they are.

That's what happening here. I've cottoned on to all this

and, within the new business that I've got,

we've actually got a Botox clinic and a laser clinic

and all that sort of stuff along with beauticians and sunbeds

and hair salon and everything else

because I know all my customers are going to be using it.

People are literally saying they're going to travel from Swansea

and Cardiff and stuff cos it's 24-hours.

A couple of people have said that.

-So many. It's brilliant, isn't it?

-Yeah!

Whilst Kate and Caz plot

the world's first 24-hour fitness and beauty hypermarket,

in Bryncoch, beautician Jade is preparing

to give a masterclass in the art of the false eyelash.

At the moment, what I'm doing is individually putting lashes

very, very close to the lash line

and this will enhance the natural lash.

These individual lashes are called cluster lashes

and they're not human hair, but you can get human hair ones.

They're very fine pieces of hair

and this is the clear glue, very, very strong,

and you have to be very careful with this

because it can sting a lot if it does get into the eye.

And that's the thing, you know, not everybody can handle these,

so if somebody is thinking about having these done,

then I would say have them short.

For some people, coming to the hair salon or the beauty salon

is very, very nerve-racking and some people can't understand that.

They love it, but there are people that would rather go to the dentist.

Far from being fearful, Jade's client Leanne loves to be lashed.

I get my eyelashes done every week

because they just create an amazing effect for the eyes

and they make the eyes look ten times better

and really bring the colours of the eyes out.

It's a necessity to have them done every week.

I love getting them done.

-Do you agree that you've got to draw a line, though?

-No, no!

No, they look amazing.

If I said to you, "Your lashes need to come off, they're too long,"

-how many times have I said to you that?

-No, they look amazing.

-You're so naughty.

-I just feel, like, ten times prettier

and sexier with them.

Eyebrows are the same, I love having my eyebrows done.

I really love eyebrows. I think it completely makes the face.

-It's an art now.

-It is an art,

but girls around here went through a stage of having black eyebrows

that had, like, this much gap in between and I just think, "Oh, no!"

-It's such a shame.

-It is.

If someone's got good eyebrows, it can really make the face look...

-Definitely.

-Like, stand out.

-If it's wrong, it can ruin someone's face.

-Absolutely, absolutely.

And what about boys who have their brows done?

Erm, I think it's just going a bit extreme now, isn't it?

I love it, I do. I'm well impressed if a boy's got his eyebrows done.

I don't know, I think men should be men, girls should be girls

-and I think sometimes men are going past the point now.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Oh, my God! I don't like pretty-pretty boys, but...

-I like pretty boys.

-I just think men should be men with a bit of a woman.

I don't know, they've got to have...

They've got to be shaved, they've got to be clean.

Yeah, shaved's OK, tattoos OK,

but, you know, having their eyebrows done and tans, I don't know.

-Oh, no, I love it, I love it.

-Do you?

-Yeah.

I love it because imagine

if they didn't wax the in-betweens of their eyebrows.

They'd have, like, one eyebrow.

I think if you're a man, if you're naturally handsome,

you're naturally handsome.

I feel sorry for men, though,

because they can't wear make-up like women can.

We can change the way our face looks completely,

the shape of it and everything.

We can put in, like, chicken fillets into our boobs and stuff

and manipulate our bodies so much.

But why?

Because you can trick men into falling in love with you.

You look natural, but you're not natural. Well...

I just think a lot of men think girls look natural, but they're not.

They've just got the natural make-up look.

Yeah, and it just looks more defined, doesn't it?

We're such cheaters.

Do you know what?

There are times I don't even recognise myself in the morning.

Yeah, there are some people you see with make-up, oh, my God,

they look completely different with make-up. There are some people...

I don't mean this in a bad way, right, but you can make some girls

-that are not very fortunate-looking look VERY fortunate-looking.

-Yeah.

I don't mean that in a bitchy way, I just haven't worded it right,

but I'm just saying it exactly how it is.

That's what make-up is for, isn't it?

To enhance your beauty or even make you beautiful if you're not.

I feel sorry for some men, that they spend money on a night out,

they follow this girl round or whatever,

and they take her back home or whatever, and the next morning

she doesn't even look like the same person.

It's a false identity, really, isn't it?

You can get done if you do that online.

What's the difference in real life?

Well, maybe in real life, false identities could leave you

feeling young, Welsh and pretty skint.

And next time, Matthew, the only big-haired angel in the village,

hits the mean streets of Port Tennant.

I am spoilt cos I am the only child.

I get all the money and all the presents.

Just call us the Kardashians of Wales.

That's good, that is!

Corey and Marc get their first presenting gig.

In some ways, before EastEnders, where I got known for that part...

-Oi-oi!

-Hey!

And look out, Swansea, as Jade and the girls go out on the lash.

Mwah!