Even the occasional reader of this blog knows of the affection I have for TLC Cable network's show What Not To Wear.
For the uninitiated, each episode features hosts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly surprising some unsuspecting fashion victim and offering to trade $5000 worth of new clothing for the contents of the victim's closet, with the pledge that all replacement clothing will fit the shopping rules of stylists London and Kelly. Hair and makeup makeovers are included.
What I love about the show is that it invariably demands an unexpected degree of self awareness from the participants. These women (and most of the participants on the show are women) have to take a good look at their authentic selves, internally and externally, in this moment of time, and then embrace that person.
An article in today's Washington Post reinforces that I'm not alone in my loyalty to WNTW. Health Writer Jennifer Huget, who contributes to both the Eat, Drink and be Healthy column and the Checkup blog on the Washington Post website, interviewed Stacy London, then invited readers to weigh in (no pun intended) about the practice of letting clothes suck up closet space long after they no longer fit.
Huget's article and the readers' comments provide food for thought on holding on to our past selves, and when to move on.
Showing posts with label What Not To Wear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What Not To Wear. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Saturday, December 13, 2008
What Not To Wear -- Extended
There's a recurring theme on my guilty pleasure television show What Not To Wear http://tinyurl.com/33e7h (see my previous post for background)
It's people who punish themselves about their bodies. These are folks who have put on a few pounds over the years, or whose shapes have changed after the birth of children, or illness or just the passage of time. Some of these people have plans to diet or start working out. They plan to buy new clothes and upgrade their wardrobes…just as soon as they drop those pounds, tighten those abs and tone up.
WNTW stylists Stacy London and Clinton Kelly point out how self-defeating this attitude can be. Because the underlying message here is that people don’t deserve to look good in their clothes until their bodies are perfect.
A wardrobe should not be used as self-punishment. Everyone deserves to wear clothes that fit and enhance their appearance, whether they are size four or size 24.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe in setting goals as a source for motivation and change. At the same time, unmet goals can be a source of self-flagellation; a handy cat-o-nine tails to reinforce a sense of self-loathing and defeat. Exaggerated focus on a goal can obliterate the view of the victories large and small accomplished along the way, every day.
To quote a dear friend: “when you wait for the perfect time, you may already be in it and
miss it.”
It's people who punish themselves about their bodies. These are folks who have put on a few pounds over the years, or whose shapes have changed after the birth of children, or illness or just the passage of time. Some of these people have plans to diet or start working out. They plan to buy new clothes and upgrade their wardrobes…just as soon as they drop those pounds, tighten those abs and tone up.
WNTW stylists Stacy London and Clinton Kelly point out how self-defeating this attitude can be. Because the underlying message here is that people don’t deserve to look good in their clothes until their bodies are perfect.
A wardrobe should not be used as self-punishment. Everyone deserves to wear clothes that fit and enhance their appearance, whether they are size four or size 24.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe in setting goals as a source for motivation and change. At the same time, unmet goals can be a source of self-flagellation; a handy cat-o-nine tails to reinforce a sense of self-loathing and defeat. Exaggerated focus on a goal can obliterate the view of the victories large and small accomplished along the way, every day.
To quote a dear friend: “when you wait for the perfect time, you may already be in it and
miss it.”
Friday, December 5, 2008
What Not To Wear
We all have our guilty pleasures. One of mine is a reality television show.
I LOVE “What Not To Wear” on the TLC cable network.
http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/whatnottowear/whatnottowear.html
For the uninitiated, WNTW follows the untiring work of two fashion “stylists,” Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, as they ambush nominated fashion victims, secretly videotape their fashion faux pas, expose them to an unforgiving 360 degree mirror, trash their existing wardrobes and then whisk them to New York where, after being given a set of strict fashion rules divined for their specific body and figure types, the fashion miscreants are given a VISA card with $5,000 to buy a whole new wardrobe. The makeover includes a session with a top-notch hair stylist and a professional makeup artist. All of this transformation takes place over the course of a week.
At first blush, this has the elements of a lot of reality shows – humiliation, transformation. But I LOVE this show, because it is the best coaching metaphor EVER.
360 degree mirror? Hello? What else is this torture but a version of the 360 review that is found throughout corporate America? The ambush and the “secret footage” provide the perfect compliment, giving friends and co-workers given permission to voice their honest opinions in a safe environment, while the nominee is forced to face how she (and yes, most of the nominees are women) is perceived by the rest of the world.
Those multiple views strip away every self delusional lie: “it’s not THAT short; THAT tight; THAT long; THAT loose; THAT bland; THAT bright; THAT low-cut; THAT sexy; THAT old, THAT worn; THAT torn; THAT inappropriate; THAT awful.”
Stacy and Clinton are there to reinforce – “Yes, it’s really THAT BAD.”
After this forced, public introspection, the two stylists then show the participants clothing options that better suit their body types, profession, life style and age. Sometimes this requires gently getting people to accept that their bodies have changed. Sometimes it means acknowledging that times have changed – what worked in the 1990’s no longer applies in the new millennium.
Every episode has a happy ending. The participants learn that their clothes can reveal more about who they are than the words that come out of their mouths. They reflect on why they clung so hard to their old image, and the possibilities of the new. They learn the rewards of change, and the sense of accomplishment that can come from the simple act of taking a risk.
A lot of people would be willing to trade their old image for a makeover and a free shopping trip to New York. I’d guess most of the participants on “What Not To Wear” would say their experience was worth a lot more.
New wardrobe? $5,000. New Self awareness? Priceless.
I LOVE “What Not To Wear” on the TLC cable network.
http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/whatnottowear/whatnottowear.html
For the uninitiated, WNTW follows the untiring work of two fashion “stylists,” Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, as they ambush nominated fashion victims, secretly videotape their fashion faux pas, expose them to an unforgiving 360 degree mirror, trash their existing wardrobes and then whisk them to New York where, after being given a set of strict fashion rules divined for their specific body and figure types, the fashion miscreants are given a VISA card with $5,000 to buy a whole new wardrobe. The makeover includes a session with a top-notch hair stylist and a professional makeup artist. All of this transformation takes place over the course of a week.
At first blush, this has the elements of a lot of reality shows – humiliation, transformation. But I LOVE this show, because it is the best coaching metaphor EVER.
360 degree mirror? Hello? What else is this torture but a version of the 360 review that is found throughout corporate America? The ambush and the “secret footage” provide the perfect compliment, giving friends and co-workers given permission to voice their honest opinions in a safe environment, while the nominee is forced to face how she (and yes, most of the nominees are women) is perceived by the rest of the world.
Those multiple views strip away every self delusional lie: “it’s not THAT short; THAT tight; THAT long; THAT loose; THAT bland; THAT bright; THAT low-cut; THAT sexy; THAT old, THAT worn; THAT torn; THAT inappropriate; THAT awful.”
Stacy and Clinton are there to reinforce – “Yes, it’s really THAT BAD.”
After this forced, public introspection, the two stylists then show the participants clothing options that better suit their body types, profession, life style and age. Sometimes this requires gently getting people to accept that their bodies have changed. Sometimes it means acknowledging that times have changed – what worked in the 1990’s no longer applies in the new millennium.
Every episode has a happy ending. The participants learn that their clothes can reveal more about who they are than the words that come out of their mouths. They reflect on why they clung so hard to their old image, and the possibilities of the new. They learn the rewards of change, and the sense of accomplishment that can come from the simple act of taking a risk.
A lot of people would be willing to trade their old image for a makeover and a free shopping trip to New York. I’d guess most of the participants on “What Not To Wear” would say their experience was worth a lot more.
New wardrobe? $5,000. New Self awareness? Priceless.
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