A children’s TV show in Denmark has raised eyebrows after asking adults to pose naked in front of school pupils in a bid to promote body positivity.
On Ultra Strips Down, a live studio of 11 to 13-year-olds watch as five adult guests undress. The children are then encouraged to ask questions about their bodies.
The adult guests are a range of ages, shapes and sizes as the show aims to debunk the myth of the “perfect body”.
Ultra Strips Down is already an award-winning show but it has been criticised by some, with right-wing Danish politician Peter Skaarup accusing the programme-makers of choosing a "vulgar way" to educate children about genitalia.
The series host, Jannik Schow, who co-developed the idea with a producer, told The New York Times: “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.”
Ida Engelhardt Gundersen, 13, said: “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, which adheres to strict child safeguarding guidelines, is in its second series. Parents must consent for their children to appear on it.
Denmark is well-known for its progressive attitude towards children's education. In 2014, Copenhagen Zoo allowed children to watch a euthanised giraffe being fed to a pack of lions.
