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	by Maureen Scott  photography by Andrew MacNaughtan

	Do you look good naked?” that’s one of the questions Zain Meghji will ask women over and over, as host of the new nationally-televised show How to Look Good Naked Canada airing on W Network. And if it’s anything like the blockbuster British series it’s based on, it’s bound to be a mega hit in Canada. But the question is, would you willingly volunteer to: 1) strip down to your bra and panties in a stark white TV studio and face three Jumbotron-sized mirrors and talk about your cellulite and body issues, 2) submit to seeing a larger-than-life photo of you in the same underwear, displayed on the side of a building as passersby make comments while you listen, 3) flaunt your stuff on a catwalk before a live audience at a busy mall and 4) pose naked, or nearly so, knowing that your family, and the nation, will be watching the whole thing on television? Best friends Lorraine McNeil from Clarkson and Maureen James from Toronto, both in their 50s, signed up willingly! My question was, “Why?” On the set, I learned first hand their reasons for doing the show as these two best friends were transformed from down-in-the-dumps-hockey look moms to on-top-of-the world sassy sex kittens, in just 6 days! The premise of the weekly show is this: Zain and a team of fashion and lifestyle experts restore body confidence in women of all shapes, sizes and ages– without surgery. “It’s all about learning to love yourself and working with what you’ve got,” explains Naked host Zain Megjhi. “The reason women audition is because they want what we all want; to look and feel better. My job is to tell women they can do this and to show them how.” Tall, thin, boyishly handsome, Zain exudes warmth, charm and charisma. He’s worked in most aspects of the entertainment industry – teaching, acting, producing, directing and reporting for eTALK, Canada’s entertainment show, and as host of Vancouver’s Breakfast Television. During his stint as a reporter at eTALK, Zain covered many red carpet events and has interviewed some of the biggest names in entertainment including Will Smith, George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Mariah Carey. Sitting in the gleaming white-on-white studio in downtown Toronto, Lorraine and Maureen walk onto the set in jeans and sweaters and warmly hug Zain. In a calm voice he asks Lorraine and Maureen to take off everything except their bra and underwear. Lorraine talks to Maureen as they undress: “Take a deep breath; we knew this would be part of it.” Zain stands behind the two friends and asks them, one at a time, to do a full body scan; “What do you see?” he asks. Maureen goes first. “I want to look in the mirror and not flinch. I want to learn to look better. I feel…blotchy, veiny, I have no waist, I don’t feel feminine. People said I had nice hair, but I’m not doing anything with it.” She unconsciously tugs at her pony tail as she starts to cry, softly. Her voice is just above a whisper. “My skin is blotchy. I have indentation marks from my bra and bad feet. I’ve had several operations and I can’t wear heels. I used to have nice legs, now I see short and dumpy. Look at this – the avocado syndrome,” she says waving her hands in a circular movement as she is describing her shape. “Menopause,” she says. “This just seems to have happened overnight. I just woke up one day and my waist was gone.” Lorraine pipes in; “We’re fun to be around eh? This new level of womanhood is the pits.” And then she steps up to the plate: “I had great hair, but I’m noticing grey. Look at this,” she says grabbing her chin, “the chicken gizzard neck. That’s why I wear turtlenecks. My boobs used to be nice but now they are resting on this shelf that’s like jelly – it moves. This moves too,” she says about her tummy. “The underwear is keeping everything in. One thing I like is my toes, and that’s it.” She turns to the mirror to see her back side. “Oh dear, that’s a sight. I feel old, but I’m not. Inside I feel like a kid, now I think – you old fart – you old tub! What happened to me? Life can throw you a few curves, but when did I just disappear?” Beside her, Maureen is crying harder, feeling the hurt and pain. In the studio, Jill Spitz, the PR lady and I have tears streaming down our faces. Zain asks, “What do you hope to get out of doing this show?” “We want to feel feminine again,” says Maureen. “Sexy. We want to feel good about ourselves. We want to be found.” And isn’t that what women want? This may be their new vehicle to get there. Zain kisses each woman on their head. He says reassuringly; “Doing this is the first step on the journey toward change. You will be found. Looking at your photos, you have to accept that you are not going to look like the person you were 20 years ago. So you think, ‘So what, now what?’ From the moment I first met you (Zain starts to tear up) I felt such joy and it multiplies when the two of you are together. You are still those women, but this is who you are now. Maureen you have a waist, you have small legs and small arms. You have the wares- you are one sexy lady! Lorraine you have beautiful boobies. You got a whole lot of woman going on!” laughs Zain. The studio was like a giant balloon about to pop from the tension. Zain’s kind words hit home and the pressure is eased; a glimmer of hope shines in the stark studio for the first time that day. Zane asks; “What would it take to bring your sexy back?” “A miracle!” laughs Lorraine. Well, miracles do happen, on How to Look Good Naked Canada Street. After 6 days of filming both in studio and on-the-street, hair, makeup and wardrobe makeovers and even a gig at the Second City training headquarters, and their naked photo shoot, I spoke to the ladies about their experience. These were not the two sad sacks I had interviewed just days before. Two beautiful butterflies had emerged. They were raving about the experience, the positive on-the-street comments, their new look, their new wardrobe (which they get to keep) and their new-found confidence. “People tell me this is a brave thing we have done,” says Lorraine. “Zain helped us to dig down and find something deep inside to break out of this cocoon I’ve been hiding in far too long. I pictured myself as far bigger than I actually am. Now I think- I’m not that bad. In fact, I’m going to buy a full-length mirror. Yes, I still have a weight issue, but I can look in the mirror now and say, ‘I look good today!’ That’s a big step.” Lorraine described her nude photo shoot; “It was like a scene right out of the movie White Christmas. They gave me huge plumes of feathers to drape around my body. I think you can see the top of my boobs and a bit of my butt. I was really nervous but everyone turns around when you take off the robe and they make you feel very comfortable. My family told me to just go for it.” Maureen echoes the sentiment; “This is the most selfish thing I’ve ever done. This was all about me. I’m not arrogant, but I am already walking taller and feeling stronger. I hope that is the message women get from watching the show that they can learn to love who they are. Make an effort every day; make an investment in you.” I asked Lo and Mo, as Zain affectionately called them; “Do you look good naked?” Lorraine: “I haven’t seen the photo, but man I sure felt good! I felt ALIVE! Like I had a rebirth!” Maureen: “Yes! I feel sexy and confident. Just hearing the reaction of the people on the street to the before photo and knowing how I felt after the nude photo shoot I am excited about seeing the show!” And maybe that’s why there’s such a huge audience appetite for makeover shows: The journey may take some rough roads, but it leads to a happy ending. How to Look Good Naked Canada airs on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. on W Network. For more information on the show go to www.wnetwork.com.	“The reason women audition is because they want what we all want - to look and feel better.” - Zain Meghji