Adults strip on Danish children’s TV show to challenge ‘perfect body’ myth

Even in broadminded Denmark, there have been critics, but the youngsters watching don't seem to mind — the show is on its second series

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It gives a whole new meaning to classroom sessions of "show and tell". A children’s TV programme in Denmark is getting adults to pose nude in front of school pupils in order to promote "body positivity".

Before a live studio of 11-13 year olds, five adult guests disrobe in front of the children and then answer questions about their bodies and private parts.

In order to challenge stereotypes of the "perfect body", the guests include both old and young, fat and thin, and hairy and pimply.

The show is broadcast on Ultra, an on-demand children’s channel that is part of Denmark’s national broadcaster, DR.

Its producers say it encourages adolescents to accept that humans come in all shapes and sizes, making them less susceptible to body-shaming.

However, even in broad-minded Denmark, which has long been known for a relaxed attitude to nudity, "Ultra Strips Down" is not without its critics.

Peter Skaarup, a member of the right-wing Danish People’s Party, Peter Skaarup, has accused the programme-makers of choosing a "vulgar way" to educate children about genitalia.

That view does not appear be shared by the nations’ youngsters, who are already into their second season of the programme.

According to the New York Times, which sat in on a recording of the show, juvenile giggles were absent. Instead, schoolchildren used the occasion to ask the adults serious — if intimate — questions.

Among the inquiries were: “At what age did you grow hair on the lower part of your body?” and "Are you pleased with your private parts?”

One adult on the show, named Martin, admitted that when younger, he had fretted over the size of his manhood. “But the relationship with myself has changed over time,” he said.

The programme’s host, Jannik Schow, 29, who developed the idea in tandem with a producer, told the paper: “Perhaps some people are like, ‘Oh, my God, they are combining nakedness and kids. But this has nothing to do with sex, it’s about seeing the body as natural, the way kids do.”

The show even featured a transgender guest called Rei, with a tattooed chest and shaved head. He told the children: "I’m not a boy, not a girl, I’m a bit of everything.”

Ida Engelhardt Gundersen, one of the show’s 13-year-old guests, said afterwards: “I’m not used to seeing volunteers butt naked and asking them questions. But we learned about the body and about how other people feel about their bodies.”

The show adheres to strict child safeguarding guidelines. Parents must consent for their children to appear, while the adult guests — who are volunteers rather than actors — are never shown with the children in a single shot. Youngsters can also tell a teacher if they feel uncomfortable, although the show’s hosts say that has not yet happened.

Denmark has long been known for an open attitude towards children’s education, with a reluctance to shelter youngsters from the facts of life.

In 2014, Copenhagen Zoo allowed children to observe a giraffe being euthanised and dissected, its corpse then being fed to a group of lions.

Ultra Strips Off has also enjoyed acclaim from Danish TV critics, winning an award at last year’s Danish TV Festival. Whether it will lead to copycat shows in the likes of Britain – more used to children’s programmes such as Blue Peter — remains unclear.