0:00:04 > 0:00:06I'm Cherry Healey,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09and in the last few years, my life has been turned on its head.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11I've gone from this
0:00:11 > 0:00:13to this...
0:00:14 > 0:00:16..and then to this.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18I don't know about you,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21but I sometimes feel like the world is running away from me.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23And it's high time I caught up.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25So I'm determined to get some answers
0:00:25 > 0:00:28to life's fundamental questions.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Does my bum look big in this?
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Am I too old to take drugs?
0:00:33 > 0:00:34Do I need a Brazilian?
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Today, I want to find out if vanity can ever be a positive thing
0:00:41 > 0:00:44in a world obsessed with appearance.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48When fake tans, hair extensions and lunchtime Botox
0:00:48 > 0:00:49are considered normal,
0:00:49 > 0:00:53have our looks become more important than who we are?
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Or can we harness them to change our lives?
0:00:57 > 0:01:00I'm going to be meeting a cast of characters,
0:01:00 > 0:01:05from those who obsess about their appearance to those who refuse.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10I'll be getting to know a wannabe TV star
0:01:10 > 0:01:13who goes to extreme measures to get a tan...
0:01:13 > 0:01:15What are you doing?! Stop it!
0:01:15 > 0:01:17..a group of hairy girls
0:01:17 > 0:01:18who challenge me to let it all hang out...
0:01:18 > 0:01:20THEY LAUGH
0:01:20 > 0:01:23..a girl whose life story is written on her skin...
0:01:23 > 0:01:25- SHE GASPS - Oh, my gosh!
0:01:26 > 0:01:31..and a man whose body is his temple, and his pay packet.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34That's Lee's pants?
0:01:34 > 0:01:37I'll be getting a taste of life in their world.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41It's starting to get a bit clammy. My adrenaline's really pumping.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45- That...was really painful. - SHE LAUGHS
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Then I'll be inviting them into mine
0:01:48 > 0:01:51and bringing them back to my hub, my base for the next few months,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53in a bid to get them to confess all.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57I think most people crack Hollywood when they're in their 20s.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00So do you think that... Are you deluded about that?
0:02:00 > 0:02:03If I was to think like that, you tell me where I would get.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07- Do you think I have a glamorous life?- I'd want to be a bit more, like...
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Oh, I don't want to say it. I'd want to be a bit more famous!
0:02:10 > 0:02:11THEY LAUGH
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Will any of them change the way they live their lives as a result,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18or will the change be all mine?
0:02:18 > 0:02:21- Well, shall I show you my puppies? - ALL: Yeah!
0:02:21 > 0:02:24THEY CHEER
0:02:40 > 0:02:45Hair maintenance is definitely my biggest bugbear.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48I shave my legs, I shave my toes.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Bit embarrassing, hairy toes.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Do my eyebrows. And I do my top lip.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58But the weirdest thing that I do is probably my arm hair.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03And the reason that I do this is because when I was a teenager,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07a guy made a comment on how hairy my arms are.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10I've been paranoid about it ever since,
0:03:10 > 0:03:16and I've, you know, waxed my arms for over 15 years.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21Ow! Really painful. Really time-consuming. Really annoying.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25And I'm not the only one who buys into this unrealistic idea
0:03:25 > 0:03:27of physical perfection.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31Last year in Britain, we spent over £1 billion on beauty products,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33more than ever before.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38Even more worryingly, lots of us are changing our looks permanently.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41In fact, last year we spent a staggering 2.3 billion
0:03:41 > 0:03:43on plastic surgery.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47It all begs the question, who are we doing it for? And why?
0:03:49 > 0:03:53# When will I will I be famous? #
0:03:54 > 0:03:57I'm about to meet a 19-year-old lad called Ryan,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59who's desperate to be famous.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04He believes his passport to fame and fortune...
0:04:04 > 0:04:06is a tan.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09Hello, are you Ryan?
0:04:09 > 0:04:11- How are you, Cherry? - Nice to meet you.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15- It's nice to meet you too. - Oh, God. You're so brown.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17You make me look anaemic.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20- What's anaemic?- Really ill and pale.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22- Albino?- Yeah, pretty much.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Yeah, but it's nice. You can be the Milkybar, I can be the Galaxy!
0:04:27 > 0:04:31Ryan is a telesales worker and lives with his parents in Blackpool.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36He's invited me home to demonstrate how he achieves that perfect glow,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39by applying layers of fake tan,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42foundation, blusher and bronzer,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45all fixed in place with just a touch of hairspray.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48What are you doing?! What are you doing? Stop it!
0:04:48 > 0:04:51No, it makes your make-up and that stay on.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Have you not seen, like, dancers and stuff what do it?
0:04:54 > 0:04:56- That's what they do. - But you've put so much on!
0:04:56 > 0:04:59That's only one layer. It's just so it stays on all night.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01You could be out from half ten at night till six in the morning.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04I think at most you're supposed to just, like...
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Oh, my God! Stop it!
0:05:06 > 0:05:09No! Me and my friends do it all the time.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10SHE COUGHS
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Ryan is naturally fair-skinned, but longs to be as dark as his heroine,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16TOWIE star Amy Childs.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19But he doesn't draw the line at fake bake.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24He also injects himself with a man-made hormone called Melanotan.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27You flick it like that till the bubble goes to the top, and then...
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Careful, cos I don't want to squirt a little bit.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34This synthetic hormone darkens the pigment in the skin.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38It's illegal to sell it in the UK, but due to our legal anomaly,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Ryan's not breaking the law by buying it.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43You're meant to do that every day for five days,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47and then go on the sunbed. And then...
0:05:47 > 0:05:49you do it once every two days
0:05:49 > 0:05:52after the continuous five days, till it's finished.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54You're not meant to use them every single week.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55You're meant to give it a break a bit,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57cos the side effects are quite bad.
0:05:57 > 0:05:58What are the side effects?
0:05:58 > 0:06:03They make me feel really ill. Once I've injected myself, within, like...
0:06:03 > 0:06:07I'd say about a couple of minutes, you instantly feel sick.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Also, it gives your skin pigmentation.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12It can make your skin go lighter in some areas.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Like, it's a bit lighter on my chest, round there.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Ryan, they sound completely horrendous.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19Yeah, but they're not.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23- Yeah, but they sound awful.- Well, they sound it. You should try it.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25- No...- You might like it.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27..way on Earth.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Wow. The injections are really full-on.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35I think Ryan's so used to them now,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39I don't think he sees that that's a really, really extreme measure.
0:06:39 > 0:06:46Buying illegal substances and injecting them into your body.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48He hasn't done his research.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51He doesn't know, really, what the consequences are.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54He doesn't even know if they've been properly tested.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56But he doesn't care.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58- Ready?- Yeah.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01As if the injections aren't extreme enough,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Ryan visits a tanning salon seven days a week.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07As I shut him into what feels
0:07:07 > 0:07:09disturbingly like a giant sandwich maker,
0:07:09 > 0:07:14I can't help wondering just why he wants to toast himself so badly.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18This sunbed is doubling his chances of developing skin cancer.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23But just like the injections, he either doesn't know the risks
0:07:23 > 0:07:25'or doesn't want to.'
0:07:25 > 0:07:26Can I see your tan line?
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Yeah.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30THEY GIGGLE
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- So that's your natural colour? - Yeah. Up there as well.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35- Oh, my goodness.- Embarrassing.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37I hate it!
0:07:37 > 0:07:39As someone who's done their fair share of tanning,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I do understand where he's coming from.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45But what I really want to know is where exactly he thinks
0:07:45 > 0:07:50this carefully-cultivated shade of brown is going to get him.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- What do you want for the future? - I want to be a TV presenter.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57I want to be an actor. I want to have my own reality show.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59You want to have your own reality show?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Something like The Only... My own, like, It's All About Amy,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05It's All About Ryan. Or I want to be on The Only Way Is Essex.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07But obviously, I'm not from Essex.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09I'll just put on the accent and just fake it!
0:08:09 > 0:08:12But I do desperately want to be on telly. I want to be famous.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13I want to be falling out of a nightclub,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15with paparazzi taking my photo.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- Why?- I don't know, I just do. I just look at that lifestyle
0:08:18 > 0:08:19and think, "That's what I want."
0:08:19 > 0:08:21I know there probably is downfalls, but...
0:08:21 > 0:08:25who cares? I just love all the attention on me.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29# Fame makes a man take things over... #
0:08:30 > 0:08:36It does seem that the most important thing to Ryan is looking good.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40He spends so much of his time and money on his appearance...
0:08:42 > 0:08:45..that he would even risk his health
0:08:45 > 0:08:49to make sure that, in his eyes, he looks gorgeous.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Second to that is his desire to be famous.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01I just wonder whether his tan
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and his appearance is going to be enough to achieve his dream.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Four weeks later, I invite Ryan over to my hub.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13I can't wait to find out
0:09:13 > 0:09:18whether he is any closer to finding the fame he craves.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Oh, look. The cushions go with your top. Perfect!
0:09:21 > 0:09:23I thought you were going to say with my face.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25I was going to say, "I'm not red, am I?!" God.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27God. You're not red.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33So, how does your tan play a part in achieving your ambitions?
0:09:33 > 0:09:36As you do see on, like, reality TV shows like The Only Way Is Essex,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39none of them are pale, apart from that Lydia,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42who's turned pale for some reason. I don't know why. It's pure pukey.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46- Because you are really ambitious, aren't you?- Yeah. I want to be just on TV.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47- Why?- I don't know.
0:09:47 > 0:09:48I think just because you see
0:09:48 > 0:09:51all these TV programmes and you think they've got a glamorous life.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54They probably haven't, but that's for me to find out.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56I want to know what it's like to be like that.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Do you think I have a glamorous life?
0:10:00 > 0:10:03I'd want to be a bit more, like...
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Oh, I don't want to say it. I'd want to be a bit more famous!
0:10:06 > 0:10:09THEY LAUGH Sorry, I didn't mean that rudely,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11- by the way!- I honestly do not take offence by that.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13No, like, I want...
0:10:13 > 0:10:15HE GIGGLES
0:10:15 > 0:10:18I want to be on, like, big reality shows and stuff like that
0:10:18 > 0:10:21where you're a household name, everybody knows you.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25Do you think that the risks of what you're doing to your body
0:10:25 > 0:10:27are worth the tan that you have?
0:10:27 > 0:10:33No. Like, they're not, but at the end of the day, you only live once,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and, like, obviously life is too short, but if you live it right,
0:10:36 > 0:10:37then it's long enough.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40And if I'm living it the way I want to live it, then...
0:10:40 > 0:10:44I don't have any problems. I won't fully stop it, never, I'll never stop going on sunbeds.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47But all that time you spend tanning and all the money you spend tanning,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50you could actually be putting into getting some skills
0:10:50 > 0:10:53that could make you successful.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58I understand where you're coming from, but then...
0:10:58 > 0:11:00I wouldn't really know what I would spend my money on.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Cos I don't really know how to get into this industry.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05How do you actually get into it? I don't know.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07I think sometimes it's about who you know,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09and being in the right place at the right time.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I know it sounds really horrible, if it was for me to get my dream
0:11:12 > 0:11:15and somebody else, I would tread on other people's
0:11:15 > 0:11:18just to get where I want to be, but it doesn't make me a horrible person.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20It just means I'm that ambitious that I will do anything,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22even though it is a horrible trait to have.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25But if it's a horrible thing to do and you are doing it,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28then it does technically make you a horrible person.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Yeah, but I don't mean to do it to hurt other people,
0:11:30 > 0:11:31even though it probably would.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34I just want to get where I want to get,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36and I'm sure people would do worse things in life.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38That's true, but you're making
0:11:38 > 0:11:40a very conscious, pre-planned decision.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43You have to go to sleep knowing that...
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Well, I haven't killed somebody, so I would be able to sleep!
0:11:46 > 0:11:49But you still really hurt somebody's chances of...
0:11:49 > 0:11:52But if I didn't know them, then...
0:11:52 > 0:11:53- Yeah.- ..so what?
0:11:53 > 0:11:55You say it's about who you know and being
0:11:55 > 0:11:58in the right place at the right time, but I noticed during the day
0:11:58 > 0:12:01that you didn't ask me a single question about how,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05or any advice I could give you. And I'm not saying I know very much,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09but I suppose it felt like... Is spending your entire time
0:12:09 > 0:12:12on a sunbed being in the right place at the right time?
0:12:12 > 0:12:15No, but living in a place like Blackpool,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18you can never be in the right place at the right time!
0:12:18 > 0:12:21# I believe in miracles
0:12:21 > 0:12:23# I believe in miracles
0:12:23 > 0:12:26# I believe in miracles, don't you? #
0:12:26 > 0:12:29It's quite shocking to hear Ryan saying that he's willing
0:12:29 > 0:12:33to be completely ruthless to get where he wants to be.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Wow. I've never heard anyone be that open about it before.
0:12:37 > 0:12:43But I can't deny he is really entertaining and quite funny.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47So maybe... Maybe he'll get where he wants to be.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Ryan's tanning obsession doesn't seem to come
0:12:51 > 0:12:57from a lack of self-confidence. But my obsession with hairlessness does.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59And the paranoia started here.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04The first time I had my legs waxed was when I was 11.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07I didn't even question it at the time, I just went along with it.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10There was the assumption that you shouldn't even have it
0:13:10 > 0:13:15in the first place. The minute you see your body hair, off it comes.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19I've now been removing my hair for 20 years.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24I've actually never seen how my body looks in its natural, hairy state.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29For the first time, I'm starting to question
0:13:29 > 0:13:33why I actually do it, and what it might be like to rebel.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38I've found this girl on the internet called Jen,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42and in her video blog, she's challenging the ideals of beauty.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46She seems to be part of a group called Those Pesky Dames,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48and I have definitely got to meet them.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53The picture I'm about to show you may seriously disturb your notions
0:13:53 > 0:13:57of femininity and beauty. I wholeheartedly refuse to apologise
0:13:57 > 0:14:01if you find this picture gross, icky, ugly or disgusting.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04I have armpit hair.
0:14:10 > 0:14:1417-year-old Jen and her fellow Pesky Dames met online.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Together, they post regular video blogs in an attempt to challenge
0:14:21 > 0:14:23some of our most common beauty myths.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28These five feisty feminists may not mind feeling furry,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32but I'm not convinced the rest of the country agrees with them.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36And the stats back me up. Waxing salons have seen a tenfold increase
0:14:36 > 0:14:38in business in the past five years.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42So I've hit the streets to find out what we really think
0:14:42 > 0:14:43about body hair.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51Honest opinion. Gut instinct. Woman with a hairy leg.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52Scary.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Hairy legs.
0:14:54 > 0:14:55Horrible.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57What would you rather have, hairy armpits and fanny
0:14:57 > 0:15:00for the rest of your life or break your leg?
0:15:00 > 0:15:02- Break my leg.- Break my leg.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Well, I've done both.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08- So...- Which did you prefer?
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Probably to have hairy armpits.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11- Oh, really?- Yeah.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Would you rather break your leg
0:15:14 > 0:15:17or sleep with a woman with a really hairy vagina?
0:15:17 > 0:15:19I'd rather break my leg.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22It's just, I don't know, dirty and sweaty and horrible.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Not hairy armpits. Hairy armpits is a no-no.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27But if she didn't have the hairy armpits, I could work with it.
0:15:27 > 0:15:28It depends how beautiful she is.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33Would you rather be with a girl with full-grown body hair
0:15:33 > 0:15:34- or break your toe?- Break my toe.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40It seems I'm not the only one with a strong aversion to the natural look.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43So, I've come to Cambridge to find out whether Those Pesky Dames
0:15:43 > 0:15:46can change my mind, or the nation's.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48- Hiya.- Hello.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50- I'm Cherry.- I'm Holly.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51- Come in.- Thank you.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59When did you guys decide to stop shaving?
0:15:59 > 0:16:01I think I started growing mine out, just because...
0:16:01 > 0:16:05when I, like, hit puberty and started getting armpit hair,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08I didn't really think, "Shall I keep it? Shall I shave it?"
0:16:08 > 0:16:12It was just assumed that the minute you have it, you get rid of it.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16So I think I grew mine out just to see how I would feel with my body
0:16:16 > 0:16:19once it had grown out, see if I felt comfortable with myself
0:16:19 > 0:16:22or if I preferred it, and it turned out, yeah, I really did like it,
0:16:22 > 0:16:23it made me feel more confident.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Why do you think us women are in a position
0:16:26 > 0:16:29where a little bit of natural hair makes us feel so ugly?
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Because we hear it everywhere. Everywhere around us, we get told.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35We tell each other, with the adverts,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37we see it in television, in film.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Yeah, and especially telling each other is the most, the biggest,
0:16:41 > 0:16:43the strongest message.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48I remember the first time I started gardening my lady area.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52I was with a guy and we'd been in a reasonably long relationship.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55And I just think he couldn't help himself anymore,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58and he said something like, "Oh, I think you'd look great
0:16:58 > 0:17:01"with, you know, maybe like... this shape."
0:17:01 > 0:17:05And I thought, "Oh, God, I'm so embarrassed
0:17:05 > 0:17:10"that you had to put up with my horrible, hairy monster,"
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and I just ran to the nearest chemist to buy hair-removing cream.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18In society, your worth comes from those things, being a woman.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20It's not from, you know, how good you get in your job,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23it's from how pretty you are or how popular you are.
0:17:23 > 0:17:24And so if you think that
0:17:24 > 0:17:26you're going to be rejected because of a little bit of body hair,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29you're going to kind of shy away from it, I guess.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32On one hand, I completely agree with everything they're saying.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36But actually, would I go natural? Would I grow my body hair?
0:17:36 > 0:17:38No. I don't think I would.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40The brainstorm...
0:17:40 > 0:17:42'I may not be ready to let it all hang out,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44'but I do want to help them
0:17:44 > 0:17:47'make their next video. And it starts with a brainstorm.'
0:17:47 > 0:17:50You're only beautiful if you're shaved.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Hair is manly.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54It's unhygienic.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Oh, God, yeah.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59You need to, like, hide it from your partners.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01We all get changed in front of them
0:18:01 > 0:18:03and, like, do your make-up.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05But you won't shave your hair.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Do you know, I've never realised that.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11I do hide my hair maintenance from my husband.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15It's when he goes out that I take the opportunity to do it.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19It's like I don't want him to know I even have it at all.
0:18:19 > 0:18:25"I'm just magically like this. This is who I naturally am."
0:18:25 > 0:18:27And even when he comes in and I'm shaving my legs,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30I feel a bit like, "No, don't break the spell!"
0:18:30 > 0:18:31It's ridiculous, isn't it?
0:18:31 > 0:18:34It's really horrible that you should have to feel so ashamed
0:18:34 > 0:18:37- about just, like, natural body hair. - 'Enough chat.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41'Time to record another message for the nation.'
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Hair is manly. SHE GROWLS
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Amazing.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Next!
0:18:48 > 0:18:53You don't shave your armpits? Oh, are you like a hippy or something?
0:18:55 > 0:19:00Oh, no, sorry, stop. Um, you can't be hairy and sexy at the same time.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01Why?
0:19:01 > 0:19:03THEY ALL GIGGLE
0:19:03 > 0:19:08I would never go down on a girl with a hairy bush. Eugh!
0:19:12 > 0:19:14THEY LAUGH
0:19:14 > 0:19:16I've had so much fun with these girls,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19but they've got a pesky plan up their furry sleeves.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24Would you be willing to give up your entire regime
0:19:24 > 0:19:26for, like, one or two months?
0:19:27 > 0:19:30- Do it.- Go on! Go on!
0:19:30 > 0:19:32THEY LAUGH
0:19:34 > 0:19:35Do you know what, I'm going to do it,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39because I'm so confounded why I feel this scared.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42- I'll do it. I'll do it. - THEY CHEER
0:19:48 > 0:19:51As I embark on my hair challenge, I realise it has the potential
0:19:51 > 0:19:54to change the way I think about my body altogether.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Which reminds me of the last time I tried and failed
0:19:58 > 0:20:00to fight the beauty status quo.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05When I was 16, I went on a girly holiday to France
0:20:05 > 0:20:09with my closest friends. And one day, it was raining and we thought,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12"What should we do? Let's go and get a tattoo."
0:20:12 > 0:20:15So we trotted off to this tattoo parlour.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19And everyone's getting their tattoos and I'm seeing how painful it looks.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22And I was starting to get the fear of how permanent it is.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25And right at the last minute, I chickened out.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30My 16-year-old self might have believed that
0:20:30 > 0:20:33getting a tattoo was the height of rebellion.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35But it's thoroughly mainstream nowadays.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Over 20 million of us Brits - that's a third of the population -
0:20:39 > 0:20:41now have one.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44So how far does someone have to go to stand out from the crowd
0:20:44 > 0:20:48these days? And what does that say about them?
0:20:54 > 0:20:57To get some answers, I've come to east London,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59near the Olympic Village,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02to meet a tattoo artist who's on the way to covering her entire body
0:21:02 > 0:21:04with ink.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08- Hello. Are you Delphine?- I am.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you too.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12I'm Cherry. Hello!
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Delphine is 24, and was born in France.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21She's been tattooing the story of her life on her own skin,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23and has already had over 100 hours under the needle.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28- Can I have a tour of your tattoos?- Yeah.
0:21:28 > 0:21:29Which was your first one?
0:21:29 > 0:21:34- The first one was a big amount of stars.- Wow.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- Wow, they go all the way up here.- Yeah.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39- When did you get that tattoo? - When I was about 16.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41How soon did you get the next one?
0:21:41 > 0:21:47I got my second one about a month later, which is writing in my lip.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Oh, my gosh! What does it say?
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Um, a little heart, which is "I love pain", basically.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56And why did you have "I love pain" written on your lip?
0:21:56 > 0:22:00I was the black sheep of my family, and I was a Goth.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Oh, you were a Goth?
0:22:02 > 0:22:06I started tattooing myself, and so I got my trainee leg,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08- which is full of crap.- Oh, wow!
0:22:08 > 0:22:11That is my first tattoo ever on a human.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13- No, you did that yourself?- Yes.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15- This is your practice leg?- Yeah.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20How are you going to know what to do to people if you don't try it
0:22:20 > 0:22:21on yourself?
0:22:21 > 0:22:24As well and her tattoos,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Delphine also has over 30 piercings and other body modifications.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33She is committed to changing her body, but it's a painful process.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36This one snapped before.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39You can see the scar. CHERRY GRIMACES
0:22:39 > 0:22:40I had it stitched back.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- Did they give you an aesthetic?- No.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48- So you had stitches in your ear to put that together...- Yeah.
0:22:48 > 0:22:49- ..with no painkiller?- Yeah.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52What's more painful, a bikini wax
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- or having your earlobe stitched on? - Bikini wax.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57- Bikini wax?- Yeah.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02# I've got you under my skin... #
0:23:03 > 0:23:08How do people in public react to how you look?
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Here in London, really good, most of the time.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14The thing that amazes them the most is the tongue split.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16- Let's see. - SHE SHRIEKS
0:23:17 > 0:23:20We cut with a scalpel, we stitch. Four day later...
0:23:20 > 0:23:23You cut your tongue with a scalpel?
0:23:23 > 0:23:26- Yeah. It can be funny, look.- Oh...
0:23:29 > 0:23:34'It seems to me there's a fine line between body art and self-harm.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35'So I want to know why she does it.'
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Do your tattoos make you feel sexy?
0:23:38 > 0:23:43Erm... No, they more protect me from the world.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Why do you think your tattoos protect you?
0:23:45 > 0:23:49It's kind of an armour, you know?
0:23:49 > 0:23:54- It's the filter against stupid people.- In what way?
0:23:54 > 0:23:56The people that judge you straightaway
0:23:56 > 0:24:00cos they don't try to look further than the appearance.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04# People are strange when you're a stranger... #
0:24:04 > 0:24:07We head to Delphine's studio in King's Cross.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09As I step off the busy, sunny street and enter the shop,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13it's like passing into an extraordinary underworld.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15# When you're strange
0:24:15 > 0:24:19# Faces come out of the rain
0:24:19 > 0:24:21# When you're strange... #
0:24:21 > 0:24:25Here, Delphine's no longer the black sheep of her family.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28She's created a new identity for herself by sticking needles
0:24:28 > 0:24:31into her skin, and other people's.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34# When you're strange
0:24:34 > 0:24:35# When you're strange
0:24:35 > 0:24:38# When you're strange. #
0:24:38 > 0:24:42How much of how you look is about standing out?
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Do you get a bit of a kick from it?
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Erm, no. I wanted to piss off my mum,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51because my mum was always controlling me and I had to show her
0:24:51 > 0:24:54that, yeah, she gave me life, but she wasn't controlling anymore
0:24:54 > 0:24:57- So, taking my ownership of my own body.- Yeah.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04'I don't know if I'm getting high on the fighting talk or the ink fumes,
0:25:04 > 0:25:08'but a crazy thought's just entered my head.'
0:25:08 > 0:25:12If I hypothetically wanted to get a tattoo,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15how would I go about it?
0:25:16 > 0:25:18We would have a consultation, darling!
0:25:18 > 0:25:22I feel a little bit intoxicated by having spent all day
0:25:22 > 0:25:25with people covered in tattoos.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28So at the moment, I really, really want one.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33But I just don't know how I'm going to feel when I go home,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37watch a bit of telly, have a cup of tea, whether I'll feel the same.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40At the same time as I'm contemplating
0:25:40 > 0:25:41changing my body forever,
0:25:41 > 0:25:45I'm also taking my first baby steps towards freeing it
0:25:45 > 0:25:48from decades of beauty slavery.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50It's day two of my attempt to embrace the fuzz,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52and my razor is on sabbatical.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59So, it's Wednesday night. It's hair night.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04Normally, tonight I would have something really quick to eat
0:26:04 > 0:26:08and then jump in the bath and do my legs, my fanny,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12my underarm hair, do my eyebrows.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15All in all, that would probably take me
0:26:15 > 0:26:18a good hour and a half, two hours of faff.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23Instead, I'm going to have a quick, five-minute shower, wash my hair.
0:26:23 > 0:26:24In and out.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28I've got friends coming over for supper. A couple of glasses of wine,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31lots of gossip. Hurray!
0:26:34 > 0:26:38But I can't help wondering how long my resolve will last
0:26:38 > 0:26:40once the stubble rears its ugly head.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Will I lose my nerve and whip it all off again?
0:26:43 > 0:26:47I am, after all, the girl whose entire hair-removal routine
0:26:47 > 0:26:51is based around a couple of flippant things someone once said to me as a teenager.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56But if my vanity has been about craving social acceptance,
0:26:56 > 0:27:00then for others, vanity can signify success.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02And for some, it actually pays the bills.
0:27:05 > 0:27:11I'm about to meet a man who's fallen completely in love...
0:27:11 > 0:27:12with himself.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15# Because you're gorgeous... #
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Lee Sapphire from London is a stripper,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21and reckons he has the best body in Britain.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24I think what's so extraordinary about Lee Sapphire
0:27:24 > 0:27:27is that it's not just about having great shoulders, which I do have,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30fantastic pecs, which I'm always getting complimented on,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32it actually comes down to having a combination of things, you know?
0:27:32 > 0:27:35It's a variety of things. It's a complete package,
0:27:35 > 0:27:37or, as I like to call it, the pack-arge.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Possessing the complete "pack-arge"
0:27:42 > 0:27:47has propelled him to the top of his game, allowing him to combine lucrative stripping work
0:27:47 > 0:27:49with regular TV appearances.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53So, perhaps he can be forgiven for being a bit big-headed.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57To be Britain's number-one male stripper, you know,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00it's not just about knowing about music, knowing about shows
0:28:00 > 0:28:01and stage presence.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05It's also about spending all those hours and hours grooming.
0:28:05 > 0:28:06HE LAUGHS
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Spending hours on my hair, my make-up, my tanning.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Shaving my legs, you know what I mean? Shaving my back.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16To look this good does take a lot of time.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22Lee even ropes in his ever-patient wife Amanda and all the family
0:28:22 > 0:28:26to cleanse, massage and wax The Body.
0:28:26 > 0:28:27Argh!
0:28:29 > 0:28:35Everybody, no matter how young, gets involved in Lee's relentless pursuit
0:28:35 > 0:28:36of perfection.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39I probably spend about two to three hours a day working out.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43You know, if I could, I'd be doing it at the bus stop.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46What you see here is years and years of hard work,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48and I'm very proud to say that.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51It's not just something I say, you know, just blase.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52It means a lot to me.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55I've come to his house in Uxbridge, west London
0:28:55 > 0:28:57to meet him and his wife,
0:28:57 > 0:29:01and find out how much work goes into promoting the brand
0:29:01 > 0:29:03that is Lee Sapphire.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05- Hello. Are you Amanda?- Yes, I am.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07- I'm Cherry.- Pleased to meet you.
0:29:07 > 0:29:08- How're you doing?- And you're Lee?
0:29:08 > 0:29:10- I'm Lee.- Nice to meet you.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11- Come on in.- Thank you.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17When I arrive, it's dinner-time. But not for Lee.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21This brand relies on its packaging, and it's a full-time job.
0:29:21 > 0:29:22This is a pasta bake with tuna.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26- Ooh.- And the kids have it. They like crisps and cheese.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28- Are you going to put them in the pasta?- On the pasta.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31- No!- Oh, no, it's really good.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34- Oh, my God.- Cheese on top.
0:29:34 > 0:29:35That looks amazing.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38- And you don't eat this? - No, I can't get all that.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40Too much fat in there for me, you know what I mean?
0:29:40 > 0:29:44So what will you have for supper tonight?
0:29:44 > 0:29:48I've got a big old protein... Can I get this on camera?
0:29:48 > 0:29:51I always see these in health-food shops and wonder,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54"Who needs a tub of anything that big?!"
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Do you know what, it's just full of whey protein.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59And protein... When you're building your muscles up,
0:29:59 > 0:30:01protein's one of the most fundamental things you can have.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05- It's like the building blocks of muscle. - It's quite hardcore, isn't it?
0:30:05 > 0:30:08But it's no different from having a Ferrari and, you know,
0:30:08 > 0:30:11buying the polish for it and the special cleaner for the wheels
0:30:11 > 0:30:13and all the different extras.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15And to present what you've got in the best way.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17Do you think you're high maintenance?
0:30:17 > 0:30:19Oh, mate, with knobs on.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22MUSIC: "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Lee spends five nights a week
0:30:26 > 0:30:29entertaining the ladies up and down the country.
0:30:29 > 0:30:34# Got to have some hot love, baby, this evening... #
0:30:34 > 0:30:39He does everything from big clubs to small, private parties.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41# Got to have some lovin'
0:30:41 > 0:30:44# Got to have love tonight... #
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Meanwhile, back home, his wife Amanda is left holding the scanties.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51What's that, then?
0:30:51 > 0:30:55They're Lee's underwear for his shows.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57That's Lee's pants?!
0:30:58 > 0:31:00# It's getting hot in here
0:31:00 > 0:31:02# So take off all your clothes... #
0:31:02 > 0:31:04# I am getting so hot... #
0:31:04 > 0:31:06When Lee's performing, do you think, "Oh, no, here we go,"
0:31:06 > 0:31:09or do you think, "I'm so proud of him"?
0:31:09 > 0:31:12Um... It depends.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16If he's doing a real cheesy, cheesy number, I think, "Oh."
0:31:16 > 0:31:21But yeah, I am always proud of him. Some shows are better than others.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24- Which ones are better than others? - Like, ones that involve more dancing
0:31:24 > 0:31:26and less taking his clothes off!
0:31:26 > 0:31:28# Come here, rude boy, boy
0:31:28 > 0:31:29# Can you get it up?
0:31:29 > 0:31:30# Come here, rude boy, boy
0:31:30 > 0:31:32# Is you big enough? #
0:31:32 > 0:31:36Is it weird that thousands and thousands and thousands of women
0:31:36 > 0:31:37have seen your husband's Wilbur?
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Very. Very. Yeah.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42I kind of think, "Oh, no."
0:31:42 > 0:31:44# Come here, rude boy, boy
0:31:44 > 0:31:45# Can you get it up?... #
0:31:45 > 0:31:49If Lee's body is a high-performance sports car,
0:31:49 > 0:31:54then its garage is his gym, where he spends over 30 hours a week.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Welcome to my workout room, Cherry.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59- Yeah. Are you ready?- I'm ready!
0:31:59 > 0:32:00- GROWLING:- Are you ready? Come on!
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Are you going to make me sweat?
0:32:02 > 0:32:03- How ready are you?- Ready!
0:32:03 > 0:32:05- "I'm ready!"- Kind of.
0:32:05 > 0:32:06Let's do it.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13Lee seems to have it all - stripping success,
0:32:13 > 0:32:15a loving family and a supportive wife.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18But he wants more.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22What is your dream and ambition for the future? What do you want?
0:32:22 > 0:32:26Me? My dream life looks like living in Hollywood...
0:32:27 > 0:32:30..and being a Hollywood movie star.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34And I'm totally serious. Why not?
0:32:34 > 0:32:36You know. I've got the looks, I've got the body,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39I've got the moves, I've got the cheek!
0:32:39 > 0:32:41I've got the cheeky smile.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43I'm a martial artist, I can do so much.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47I can be the next Sylvester Stallone. You've just got to believe in yourself.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51Do you think Amanda ever worries about how much you dream?
0:32:51 > 0:32:53- You do live in that dream world quite a lot.- Yeah.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55Do you think she ever worries about that?
0:32:55 > 0:32:56Yeah, because she's a realist.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59And then I worry about her the same way. "Come on, darling.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01"Be a bit more ambitious." You know,
0:33:01 > 0:33:04"Want it a bit more." And then she might do stuff that might
0:33:04 > 0:33:06- kind of help that in a way. - Like what?
0:33:06 > 0:33:10I don't know, like, just help me to practice my lines for stuff.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12I don't know. And maybe come to the gym with me more
0:33:12 > 0:33:14and stuff like that,
0:33:14 > 0:33:16and not moan so much when she has to shave my butt.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19THEY LAUGH
0:33:19 > 0:33:21- Oh, my God!- It's true.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24- Do you make her shave your bottom? - It's got to be done.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26- CHERRY GIGGLES - I can't reach around there!
0:33:26 > 0:33:29Amanda must love you so much.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36A month later, I invite Lee and Amanda over to my hub.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40I want to know if this self-declared legend believes his own hype.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44There's quite a lot of pressure on you, because the way you look
0:33:44 > 0:33:47- is your livelihood. - Yeah. If I get on stage
0:33:47 > 0:33:50or I'm in front of a camera, in a magazine or whatever it might be,
0:33:50 > 0:33:53if I don't look good, then no-one's going to want to buy the magazine
0:33:53 > 0:33:56or come to see my show, that sort of thing.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58Why do you want to crack Hollywood?
0:33:58 > 0:34:01Because it is THE place, isn't it? I mean, let's be fair.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04Ask any actor that wants to be a big movie star,
0:34:04 > 0:34:06"Where would you like to end up making films?,"
0:34:06 > 0:34:10what are they going to tell you? Hollywood. It just comes to mind.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13- Is it realistic, do you think? - Why not?
0:34:14 > 0:34:19Cos I suppose, maybe I'm wrong, but I think most people crack Hollywood
0:34:19 > 0:34:21when they're in their 20s.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24So do you think that... Are you deluded about that?
0:34:24 > 0:34:26Do you know what I would say, right,
0:34:26 > 0:34:28there's one sentence. Limited beliefs.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31It's as simple as that. You know? If I was to think like that,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34you tell me where I would get. Where would I go? Where would I get?
0:34:34 > 0:34:37- Seriously.- What do you think?
0:34:37 > 0:34:39I think he's right, yeah. You've got to...
0:34:39 > 0:34:42You've just got to believe it, I guess.
0:34:42 > 0:34:43Do you think it can happen?
0:34:45 > 0:34:49- Maybe.- Do you think you'd ever get there saying that?
0:34:49 > 0:34:52- No, you wouldn't. But there we go. - You've got to believe in yourself.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55What happens when your looks fade?
0:34:55 > 0:34:58That's not going to happen, because I'm beautiful here.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01That's going to carry me through, and when I'm an old man,
0:35:01 > 0:35:03people will still say, "That older guy looks good, man.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05"He's the kind of guy that matured well."
0:35:06 > 0:35:08He's got a point.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11- You can't fight that.- I do. That point is solid as a rock.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14Of all of the people I've met,
0:35:14 > 0:35:18you are probably the only person, I would say, whose looks...
0:35:18 > 0:35:21your life is almost dependent on them as it stands.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23Yeah, I know how to shake my bum, you know,
0:35:23 > 0:35:25and I've got a nice physique
0:35:25 > 0:35:28and a few other hundred things. I rap, I make raps up.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32- You couldn't do one now for me, could you?- Oh, no.- What, a rap?
0:35:32 > 0:35:34- Mate, I'm...- Don't you dare.
0:35:34 > 0:35:35I'm ready to rap.
0:35:35 > 0:35:36- Please do a rap.- Here we go.
0:35:36 > 0:35:37- To you?- Yeah.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40- It's embarrassing, Lee, don't. - All right, look over there.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41(RAPS) I'm the coach
0:35:41 > 0:35:43You might have heard of me
0:35:43 > 0:35:45Or seen me working out on your TV
0:35:45 > 0:35:47Cos the coach is in the place
0:35:47 > 0:35:48Check out the body and the handsome face
0:35:48 > 0:35:50I'm number one, just for fun
0:35:50 > 0:35:52I tan my body, I wiggle my bum
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Training with the coach now, don't be scared
0:35:54 > 0:35:56I'll help put chest on your hairs.
0:35:56 > 0:35:57Come on, everybody, let me hear you scream
0:35:57 > 0:35:58My hair is crisp and my eyes are green
0:35:58 > 0:36:00I'm the coach...
0:36:00 > 0:36:02- Oh, my goodness.- Break it down!
0:36:02 > 0:36:03HE BEATBOXES
0:36:03 > 0:36:06Thank you.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Ooh!
0:36:10 > 0:36:13That was amazing! I loved it!
0:36:13 > 0:36:16I loved it. I'm actually crying a little bit.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21MUSIC: "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" by Jermaine Stewart
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Let's just say, Lee's got more chance of making it in the movies
0:36:25 > 0:36:27than he does in the music industry.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30But in homage to the pack-arge,
0:36:30 > 0:36:33you can't fault his positive thinking.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38It's week two of my hair-removal rebellion,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41and I'm starting to feel like a bush.
0:36:43 > 0:36:49So, it's been just over two weeks since I began growing all my hair,
0:36:49 > 0:36:52and I'm in the "I hate it" stage.
0:36:54 > 0:37:01Rrr! I'm dying to wax and shave and hair-removal-cream my entire body.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04I'm about that close to shaving my head.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07The only thing that's stopping me
0:37:07 > 0:37:13is the beauty of getting that time back each week.
0:37:13 > 0:37:18I love just jumping in the shower, two minutes, and then jumping out.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21Oh! It's amazing.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27But there's another piece of unfinished business
0:37:27 > 0:37:29between me and my body.
0:37:29 > 0:37:30'I've spent the week agonising
0:37:30 > 0:37:34'over whether to get a tattoo of my daughter Coco's date of birth.'
0:37:34 > 0:37:37- How does it feel?- Painful.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39- Oh, that's not encouraging! - It's not that bad.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43Now I'm back to see Delphine, and it's crunch time.
0:37:45 > 0:37:50Date of birth, I would say more like on the left side of your ribs, there,
0:37:50 > 0:37:53- because it's the side of the heart. - Oh, that's nice.
0:37:53 > 0:37:54OK.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57I definitely want one. I definitely want one.
0:37:57 > 0:37:58- Yes!- Do it.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01I'll take your virginity!
0:38:01 > 0:38:04- Woo-hoo!- Oh, my God. Oh, I'm really excited.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07MUSIC: "Celebrity Skin" by Hole
0:38:09 > 0:38:13I've started to go a bit clammy. My adrenaline's really pumping.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15I'm pretty nervous now.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19'It is tiny, and won't ever be seen by anyone,'
0:38:19 > 0:38:21but it is a tattoo nonetheless.
0:38:28 > 0:38:29Ready?
0:38:34 > 0:38:35God, that is quite painful.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42Agh! That was really painful!
0:38:45 > 0:38:48Wait, wait, wait! I'm sweaty.
0:38:48 > 0:38:49OK.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Ow. Owee!
0:38:54 > 0:38:57You are probably getting one of the most painful places done there.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00- Why do you tell me this now?! - I told you.- I told you as well.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02I didn't listen properly.
0:39:04 > 0:39:05OK, done.
0:39:05 > 0:39:06- No way!- Yes.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10Oh, my arm! Oh, God!
0:39:14 > 0:39:17I can't believe I've got a tattoo!
0:39:17 > 0:39:18Let's have a look.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22- Aw!- Date of birth of Coco.- Simples.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25There's a part of me in the decision-making process
0:39:25 > 0:39:31that thought, what is the big deal? My body is a temporary thing anyway.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34Actually, no one's going to see it,
0:39:34 > 0:39:38and even if they do, why does it matter what they think?
0:39:38 > 0:39:41And I think that's what's empowering about it,
0:39:41 > 0:39:43the process of deciding to get a tattoo,
0:39:43 > 0:39:46you obviously worry about other people's judgements,
0:39:46 > 0:39:50you almost go through this process to the other side, where you think,
0:39:50 > 0:39:52"Actually, I don't mind what other people think."
0:39:52 > 0:39:54And that's what's so empowering about it.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58This is for you. It's on you, for you.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02- Now you understand better. - Yeah, I do. I really do.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09'My tattoo was a lot more painful than I expected
0:40:09 > 0:40:11'so now I want to find out
0:40:11 > 0:40:15'why Delphine puts herself through it again and again.'
0:40:17 > 0:40:19So the tattoo's healing really nicely.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Do you think it's finished healing?
0:40:21 > 0:40:23Hmm.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25- Nearly.- Nearly?- Nearly.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28It was a bit sore for the first couple of days,
0:40:28 > 0:40:31like, it felt bruised, but then it's been fine.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34That is normal. It's really normal,
0:40:34 > 0:40:38like, when I get black done, I'm sore for, like, two weeks.
0:40:38 > 0:40:43How much does pain play a part in transformation for you?
0:40:43 > 0:40:46Is pain important to you?
0:40:46 > 0:40:48No. I don't like it.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51I just don't like it, simply, like.
0:40:51 > 0:40:56So why get the tattoos when pain is so much a part of them?
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Because for me, I've been through a lot of pain,
0:40:59 > 0:41:03as mental, as physical, because of what happened to me,
0:41:03 > 0:41:08and I'm just fed up with being someone's toy, you know?
0:41:08 > 0:41:13Like, you'd like to experience the pain because you decided it.
0:41:13 > 0:41:19A pain that you decided is not at all the same as a pain you didn't decide.
0:41:19 > 0:41:20What do you mean?
0:41:20 > 0:41:23I had troubles with an ex-boyfriend,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26and I had problems, and I... I can't have children, so...
0:41:26 > 0:41:28Yeah. So...
0:41:28 > 0:41:32Are you prepared to explain to me what happened with that guy?
0:41:32 > 0:41:36- You don't have to. - He took my femininity.- How?
0:41:36 > 0:41:39- Um...- What happened with this guy that hurt you so much?
0:41:39 > 0:41:43When a guy is cheating you and he doesn't even cheat you protected,
0:41:43 > 0:41:45and one day, doctors tell you,
0:41:45 > 0:41:49"Oh, you're going to have a few surgeries."
0:41:49 > 0:41:54- Because of unprotected sex from a cheating boyfriend?- Yep.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58This infection went wrong, and I had to have surgeries
0:41:58 > 0:42:00and I can't be pregnant, I can't carry a baby.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03- So...- So in my family,
0:42:03 > 0:42:05you become a woman once you have children.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09I'll stay forever a girl.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14- So...- So it was physically and emotionally life-changing.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18- Yeah.- Completely. - I'll never be a woman.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20- Do you still think that now?- Yeah.
0:42:20 > 0:42:25How can you, if you don't carry life inside you?
0:42:25 > 0:42:28I don't believe that at all. I think of course you can be a woman.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32You are now, you are, like, a wonderful person.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35You don't need to have a child to prove that or be that.
0:42:35 > 0:42:40Is that part of why you want to change your body
0:42:40 > 0:42:42and change how you feel about your body,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45- and make yourself feel... - Yeah.- ..beautiful?- Yeah.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48That's why I love so much my job.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51Because on each person, I'm doing a piece,
0:42:51 > 0:42:55that's going to be living and getting older, full of love,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58so it's my children, on people.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02You said to me before that you feel like you're a work in progress,
0:43:02 > 0:43:05that you're a chrysalis, and you haven't yet
0:43:05 > 0:43:08come into being a butterfly.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10When do you think that will happen?
0:43:11 > 0:43:15I don't know. I hope it will never happen.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19Because I could carry on doing what I have to do.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22You'll run out of space!
0:43:22 > 0:43:26No! Never underestimate the imagination.
0:43:29 > 0:43:34Wow. Hearing Delphine's story is really heartbreaking,
0:43:34 > 0:43:39but it has helped me understand what she does so much more.
0:43:39 > 0:43:43Someone stole her fertility, and she felt really out of control
0:43:43 > 0:43:49and by modifying her body, she's gradually getting that control back.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52Whilst her tattoos may only be skin deep,
0:43:52 > 0:43:55they seem to have changed her profoundly.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04I'm now almost four weeks into my hair removal holiday,
0:44:04 > 0:44:07and curiously enough for a lifetime body hair hater,
0:44:07 > 0:44:10'I'm starting to see some benefits.'
0:44:10 > 0:44:15It's now started to go quite nice and soft and furry.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17It's stopped being spiky and uncomfortable
0:44:17 > 0:44:19and it's now quite comfortable. It's fine.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22Physically, it feels pretty nice,
0:44:22 > 0:44:27like, you know, it's all soft everywhere.
0:44:27 > 0:44:32But the problem is, is that while physically it's become lovely,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35mentally, it's now a bit of a struggle
0:44:35 > 0:44:38because I'm really, really conscious of it.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40I don't want to get my legs out.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42My hairs are really black
0:44:42 > 0:44:46and my arm hair is the worst, I'm really self-conscious of that.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49I can feel myself sitting like that,
0:44:49 > 0:44:52because they are long, I can practically brush them.
0:44:52 > 0:44:57I mean, I'm one step away from applying conditioner to them.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59So the arms are a bit of a problem
0:44:59 > 0:45:04and it's a really beautiful day outside. I really want to wear this.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07No fricking way!
0:45:07 > 0:45:09It's a T-shirt day, definitely,
0:45:09 > 0:45:13because I've got some hamsters happening under my arms.
0:45:13 > 0:45:18So there's an upside, but there's also a bit of a downside.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23And to make matters worse,
0:45:23 > 0:45:28two of those Pesky Dames, Holly and Becca, are back to check on my progress.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30- Pesky Dames?- Hello!
0:45:30 > 0:45:34'Because today is the day I face my darkest demons
0:45:34 > 0:45:36'and go hairy in public.'
0:45:39 > 0:45:42- Shall I show you?- Yeah.- Shall I show you what I've cultivated?
0:45:42 > 0:45:44I've been busy.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47I don't think it's that impressive, but I'm really proud of it.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51If I can just get it out.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55- Oh, that's... Yeah. That's impressive. Lovely.- It is.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58The arms I don't like, cos they're well hairy.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01- There's nothing there!- That was your problem before, wasn't it?
0:46:01 > 0:46:04Yeah, that was the one I was embarrassed about
0:46:04 > 0:46:06but I wonder whether I should just get over it.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10I think going swimming is probably the thing that I fear the most,
0:46:10 > 0:46:13because there is nowhere to hide. It's all out there.
0:46:13 > 0:46:17So I was wondering whether you might come with me this afternoon.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19Oh... Yeah, all right.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21- Yeah, I will. I will.- OK.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28'So, it's off to the pool to bare our hairy bits.'
0:46:35 > 0:46:39Just the sound of people enjoying themselves is terrifying.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41Bikinis and body hair
0:46:41 > 0:46:45are two things I've never, ever dreamt of putting together -
0:46:45 > 0:46:46until now.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49So, ladies, moment of truth.
0:46:49 > 0:46:53- Shall we have a little compare and contrast?- Yeah.
0:46:53 > 0:46:54Eee!
0:46:54 > 0:46:58Six months, three months, one month.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01- Shall we?- Yes.- Let's do it.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06'Time for the walk of shame.'
0:47:08 > 0:47:12'Holy crap, there's a group of boys in the pool!'
0:47:12 > 0:47:15MUSIC: JAWS THEME
0:47:15 > 0:47:19'Surely they've noticed my furry legwarmers.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21'And that lifeguard is definitely close enough
0:47:21 > 0:47:24'to spot the spiders trying to escape from my bikini.
0:47:24 > 0:47:25'No wonder he's walking away.'
0:47:25 > 0:47:28CHERRY SHRIEKS
0:47:29 > 0:47:32- Shall we go for a little swim? - Lets, let's.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34- I'm going to swim like my gran. - Me too!
0:47:38 > 0:47:40'But after a couple of lengths,
0:47:40 > 0:47:43'I can see no-one is standing and pointing.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47'In fact, we're not even the worst offenders in here.'
0:47:47 > 0:47:50Interesting to observe that there are a few guys here
0:47:50 > 0:47:53that are so hairy, they look like they're wearing jumpers,
0:47:53 > 0:47:58and I'm worried about a couple of millimetres of armpit hair.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03I'm not feeling self-conscious at all, actually. No-one cares,
0:48:03 > 0:48:06no-one can really see unless they're massively close,
0:48:06 > 0:48:09in which case what are they doing so close to you?
0:48:12 > 0:48:15'Now it's time to get right up close and personal.'
0:48:15 > 0:48:17Shall we go and ask some people what they think?
0:48:17 > 0:48:21Because there's one thing being in the water and people being far away,
0:48:21 > 0:48:24but another thing people being up close and actually seeing it.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27- Yeah?- Yeah, shall we throw ourselves in at the deep end?
0:48:27 > 0:48:30- I think.- Yeah. - Go swimming with the sharks?
0:48:30 > 0:48:33- Drop it. Drop it. - I don't have a pun.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37'The last time I put this to the public test,
0:48:37 > 0:48:40'most people said they would rather break a leg
0:48:40 > 0:48:43'than be or be with someone hairy.
0:48:43 > 0:48:44'How will I fare this time round?'
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Hairy legs?
0:48:46 > 0:48:47Horrible.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50It's just, I don't know, dirty and sweaty and horrible.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54Would you rather be with a girl with full-grown body hair
0:48:54 > 0:48:56- or break your toe?- Break my toe.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59Right, ladies, release the beast.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04- They're hairy.- Yeah, they are!
0:49:04 > 0:49:05- Ready, ladies?- Yeah.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09- Love it?- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:49:09 > 0:49:13It's funny, because I'm sensing repulsion from you.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17I think it makes you kind of look unclean.
0:49:17 > 0:49:21- It's not really my cup of tea, to be honest.- No.
0:49:21 > 0:49:22It's a bit too masculine for me.
0:49:22 > 0:49:24Do you do body hair maintenance?
0:49:24 > 0:49:27I do, because I was coming swimming this morning,
0:49:27 > 0:49:32and I nearly forgot to shave my legs and I was like, "Oh! Crisis!"
0:49:32 > 0:49:35so I had to go back home and shave my legs before I came.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39- So you went back home especially to shave your legs?- Yeah.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42Name for me a really hot woman in the public eye.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45- Jessica Alba.- Jessica Alba?- Yeah.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49If she grew armpit hair, would you still really like her?
0:49:49 > 0:49:53- Probably not as much, no. - So it's a deal-breaker for you?
0:49:53 > 0:49:56Not a deal-breaker, but...
0:49:56 > 0:49:59I'm kind of digging myself a hole here, but I don't know,
0:49:59 > 0:50:02just maybe a bit less attractive to have a bit of armpit hair.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05So far, so predictable.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08Is no-one enlightened around here?
0:50:08 > 0:50:10- OK, ready?- Yeah.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14- Brilliant.- Really?- Yay!
0:50:14 > 0:50:18Yeah, it's...why not? I don't find there's anything wrong with it.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21I think it's really important that people, woman particularly,
0:50:21 > 0:50:26feel comparable and natural with their bodies, and not panic or...
0:50:26 > 0:50:28Because they haven't been able to shave that day.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30I think it's important to relax.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33And on that note, I don't mind if I do.
0:50:33 > 0:50:37So my Julia Roberts moment has had mixed reactions,
0:50:37 > 0:50:40but for the first time in my life,
0:50:40 > 0:50:43I think I can genuinely say, "So what?"
0:50:43 > 0:50:44- Hello!- Come on the sofa.
0:50:46 > 0:50:47'Now the Pesky Dames are back,
0:50:47 > 0:50:51'I want to know what reactions they've had
0:50:51 > 0:50:53'to the V-log we made together.'
0:50:53 > 0:50:55Hair is manly! Rrgh!
0:50:56 > 0:51:02Oh, wow! I can really feel my inner goddess.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04LAUGHTER
0:51:04 > 0:51:07I would never go down on a girl with a hairy bush.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09It's so good!
0:51:09 > 0:51:12578 views.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14- When did you put this up?- Last week.
0:51:14 > 0:51:19- That's amazing.- I think 100 of those will probably be my mum.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22"Ha-ha, love this. So bizarre how women are seen as weird or gross
0:51:22 > 0:51:25"if they don't get rid of body hair. We all grow it.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27"How can something your body naturally does be unnatural?
0:51:27 > 0:51:31"As the old saying is, show it, don't mow it."
0:51:31 > 0:51:34- I love that saying!- Oh, wow!
0:51:34 > 0:51:37- I mean, all of the comments are really positive.- Yeah.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41- Do you feel quite encouraged by the comments?- Yeah, definitely.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44It's always really, really nice just to have people, like,
0:51:44 > 0:51:47I don't know, not think that you're weird.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49Well, shall I show you my puppies?
0:51:49 > 0:51:50Yeah!
0:51:50 > 0:51:52DRUMMING OF HANDS
0:51:52 > 0:51:54CHEERING, LAUGHTER
0:51:57 > 0:52:00- I know! I know!- Amazing.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02So, the problem is
0:52:02 > 0:52:06that this one kind of looks like I've had a period on my armpit,
0:52:06 > 0:52:11unfortunately. I won't choose that colour again. Yeah?
0:52:11 > 0:52:14- But I like that one.- That's good!
0:52:14 > 0:52:18- Yeah?- Yeah. - I feel quite, quite jealous.
0:52:18 > 0:52:22- I want to dye mine.- I want to dye mine!- I want to dye mine!
0:52:22 > 0:52:26Why do you think growing your hair is so empowering?
0:52:26 > 0:52:29I think, because it's not really doing anything,
0:52:29 > 0:52:33because you're kind of just being OK with yourself the way you are
0:52:33 > 0:52:37without making changes because, like, society or a magazine has told you,
0:52:37 > 0:52:42so it's like, "Actually, I'll just chill and do my own thing."
0:52:42 > 0:52:48I had absolutely no idea that it would make me feel the way it did.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50What did you think it was going to be like at first?
0:52:50 > 0:52:53I thought it was going to be itchy, scratchy
0:52:53 > 0:52:56but I didn't really even give a moment's thought
0:52:56 > 0:52:59to how it would make me internally feel about myself,
0:52:59 > 0:53:02how empowered I would feel,
0:53:02 > 0:53:05how exciting it would be that every single time you go out,
0:53:05 > 0:53:08when you lift your arm up, there's this thing going on
0:53:08 > 0:53:12where you see people looking and you think, "I don't care."
0:53:12 > 0:53:15Every single time you feel that strength,
0:53:15 > 0:53:19something changes in you again, and it's bizarre.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22AND it does not make you more smelly.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26- Oh, no.- On your armpits or your fanny. It really doesn't.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29People are always like, "Armpit hair, doesn't it smell really bad?"
0:53:29 > 0:53:31But actually, like, the function of armpit hair
0:53:31 > 0:53:33wicks away the bacteria and sweat.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36How much do you think porn has a part to play
0:53:36 > 0:53:39in how women feel about their body hair?
0:53:39 > 0:53:43- I think it's a pretty big part. - Yeah.- Because I think, um,
0:53:43 > 0:53:48quite a lot of men and teenage boys get their sort of expectations
0:53:48 > 0:53:50about sex and what female bodies look like through porn
0:53:50 > 0:53:54because that's, like, the most accessible way for them to see it
0:53:54 > 0:53:57- and it's just wrong. - But so do women. Like, the thing is,
0:53:57 > 0:54:00I don't think it's so much, like,
0:54:00 > 0:54:03it's not that men expect it or that teenage boys expect it,
0:54:03 > 0:54:08- it's that woman think that men expect it, so they do it.- Yeah.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11This is definitely not an issue about men, definitely, is it?
0:54:11 > 0:54:17Because I think women are just as... just as hung up on it as...
0:54:17 > 0:54:21- Women sort of recoil from my armpits and stuff just as much as boys do. - Oh, definitely.
0:54:21 > 0:54:22I think there's a stereotype
0:54:22 > 0:54:26of the kind of hippie feminist with hairy pits.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28It comes in a package that's quite derogatory, isn't it?
0:54:28 > 0:54:32Yeah, we're all like crazy hairy lesbian feminists
0:54:32 > 0:54:34who hate men and want to enslave them all.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36- Not really my thing, to be honest.- No.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46This hair challenge really has changed my life.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48I'm not just saving myself time and money.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51I also care much less about what other people think.
0:54:51 > 0:54:56From now on, I'm going to be kinder to my body and kinder to myself.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01For better or worse, I do really mind about how I look.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05I'm a bit of a fashion junkie and everything else that goes with it,
0:55:05 > 0:55:07but I have been really surprised
0:55:07 > 0:55:11that by stepping away from conventional beauty for a moment,
0:55:11 > 0:55:15actually, it's been really empowering.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19I hadn't realised that whilst looks aren't the be all and end all,
0:55:19 > 0:55:21they can be a really powerful way
0:55:21 > 0:55:24of changing how you feel about yourself.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34MUSIC: "Express Yourself" performed by Labrinth
0:55:56 > 0:56:00'Next time, I'll be finding out how prejudiced we are these days.'
0:56:00 > 0:56:03"Do you do the cooking?" No, I go on the fire engine and go out to fires.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07You almost want to go up and shake them and say "I'm not a terrorist!"
0:56:07 > 0:56:09We were disgusting lesbians.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11CHEERING
0:56:11 > 0:56:14'And how prejudiced I am.'
0:56:15 > 0:56:16What does that say about me?
0:56:16 > 0:56:20That I'm that surprised that she's still really overtly sexual.
0:56:20 > 0:56:24Sorry, I just feel like such a mad moanie.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd