What Not to Wear

One major issue that this show had for me were negative comments that were often extreme made by Stacey and Clinton. This has nothing to do with the year in which the show came out. It is not "a product of its time". The humour was sarcastic and condescending which is the last thing participants wanted to experience after realizing they were filmed in secret. I wonder how many participants said no to makeover. Some people do deserve it though because you don't need a stylist to realize that wearing stained, ripped, clothing with shoes that are way beyond repair is acceptable, when you are far from being poor. I would be insulted in their presence.

20 years later and still Stacey's and Clinton's advice holds. Many ideas and outfits are great if you like Kate Middleton - Catherine, Princess of Wales classic sort of style. I can't wait to see their new show that is coming out soon - I hope they will finally focus on the person and what they like and that they will find what works not just for their figure but their personality too. I was getting tired of constant super feminine styling ideas and heels. I also hope that they will tone down their criticism.

While you may think the show is cruel, I have yet to see an episode where the person receiving the makeover ends up upset and hurt at the end. They are always thrilled with the results and always comment on how it changed them both inside and out. They do make some cruel comments, but they're clearly all in jest. I love the show and don't see anything wrong with it. The makeover recipients also rarely say that their feelings were hurt by the comments. It's likely that they realize that the comments are true and have wanted to change for awhile. I've seen the British version and don't care for it nearly as much. No surprise to me as I'm not usually a fan of British humor, style, etc...

Thing that gets me is, people attach memories to clothing, essentially they are throwing away people's keepsakes. I know I wouldn't take $5000 for the things that matter to me. Quite honestly, there are people who the show is great for but also people who I see that they don't pay any attention to the person's lifestyle. I saw them throw out clothes a girl had for meditation sessions. I personally own a lot of clothing I don't wear regularly but have for costume reasons because I LARP (Live Action Role Playing). But I am sure if someone went on the show with stuff like that in their closet and tried to explain that they'd just throw it out like they did the clothes the girl used for meditation.

The author of the another comment regarding this show failed to mention that the men and women feel much better about themselves after their makeovers. It is not all personal style. Some people get stuck in a rut or have no fashion sense and really do not know how bad they look. No one wants to look bad no matter what their personal style is. The stylists always try to take the "victims" own sensibilities into account while updating them. Some of the people only dress bad because they do not have the money to spend on clothes, and if that were me, I would welcome $5000 and a chance to shop in NY. I do think they went a little crazy on the pointy toed shoes last season which I hate regardless of trend, but all in all the show is fun, and educational for people who are unaware of what shapes, cuts, and fabrics flatter their figures.

This is one of the only reality shows I can stomach. Unlike many reality shows that are completely gratuitous and basically smutty, this show has excellent results. I feel the hosts, Clinton Kelly and Stacy London, are fantastic. Though some of the things they say about the contestant's clothes are very critical (and often hilarious), they never denigrate the person's body or personality. They are there to help the person and almost every person who appears on the show is amazed at how good he or she looks at the end of the experience. Some complain that the show forces people into some "cookie cutter" style that reduces creativity and expression. However, that is hardly the case. Clinton and Stacy go out of their way to find clothes that fit the person's individual shape, size, and wardrobe needs. In addition, many of the contestants do need a makeover in a sense they are not dressing in a way that is appropriate for their professional lives. There is nothing wrong with helping someone look better and feel more comfortable in their own skin as well as help their career by giving them a more professional image. Long live What Not to Wear!