Gok

Source:: Speak Up
Language Level: Pre-intermediate
Standard: British accent

A group of women are standing on a platform in a department store window in London’s Oxford Street. Crowds of people are watching. The women aren’t glamorous models; they are all different shapes and sizes. A photographer is preparing to take their photograph. Suddenly, they drop their robes, and stand there completely naked. The photographer’s camera flashes. The women laugh, and turn to a thin, elegant young man. Each woman kisses and hugs him. He tells them, “You’re all gorgeous! Thank you all!” This is Gok, or Gok Wan: he is Britain’s favourite fashion guru.

THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS

Women love Gok. Hundreds of women take their clothes off for him. He even has an army. “Gok’s Naked Army.” He presents some of British television’s most successful shows: How To Look Good Naked, Gok’s Fashion Fix and Miss Naked Beauty.  What is his secret? Fashion gurus normally humiliate women. They tell them to diet, throw always their old clothes, and even suggest surgery. Gok is different. He helps women accept their bodies. They are beautiful as they are. He encourages them to try new, colourful fashions.

And he explains which clothes are good for their body shape. Most important, women trust him. And they know he is gay, of course.

MEDIA STAR

How did Gok become a fashion guru? He taught himself hairdressing and the art of make-up. He soon had celebrity clients like Brian Ferry, and wrote articles for fashion magazines like The Tattler, Glamour and Marie Claire. Then British television’s Channel 4 asked him to present a reality fashion show. He agreed on one condition: he would not humiliate anyone. His first show How To Look good Naked was an instant success. Gok promises to make any woman look beautiful. Can he really do it? He says, “Yes, I can.  There’s no trick. It’s a question of changing a woman’s attitude. It’s an emotional experience. We use a lot of Kleenex!

AUTHOR

Gok, or Gok Wan, is a successful writer. Look for his bestsellers How To Look Good Naked and Work Your Wardrobe. He has also designed a range of women’s lingerie with Simply Yours. He says, “It supports you. It holds you. And you’ll look beautiful.”