A recent raft of lifestyle television programs have attempted through the presentation of "real women" and their corporeal experiences to promote positive body image, but their actual efficacy in doing so has not been examined. in the present study, (1) a lifestyle show aimed at promoting positive body image using average-sized actors (n = 40); (2) a modelling competition with an explicit focus on the thin ideal (n = 40); and (3) a nature series containing neutral content (n = 40). during pre-and post-exposure sessions, participants completed measures of body-focused anxiety, body weight dissatisfaction, and mood. Preliminary analyses showed that participants in each of the three groups did not significantly differ in key demographics and attitudes toward the video clips. however, participants in both experimental groups, but not the control group, reported more negative body-focused anxiety and body weight dissatisfaction in the post-test session. Participants exposed to the video clip focused on the thin ideal, but not the clip that ostensibly promotes positive body image, reported more negative post-exposure mood. these results are discussed in terms of the deleterious effects of lifestyle television programs that seek to (re)define "real women" as those who engage in traditional beauty practices and who are willing to work on the body.