But I've sang the praises of The Fashionate Traveller before, and today I'm going to do it again.
"How do I Look" -- Is it discriminatory?
I love a good makeover show as much as anyone. Seeing girls or older women who have no clue about fashion and style and who really want to learn, and see them benefit from others’ expertise, is a lovely thing. Sometimes it results in a whole new lease of life and improved self esteem which is a great thing.
But lately something has been irking me that I’d like to get off my chest: some shows, particularly “How Do I Look” decide that alternative culture is not valid and ladies with alternative/goth/punk/rock fashion senses need a good smack upside the head. Occasionally this is true. For every well put together rock chick there may well be another girl who just looks, well, trashy. But often I see people who already have a strong sense of self, being pressured to give up their old clothes, hairstyles etc…in order to please well-meaning siblings and friends who want to ‘vanilla’ them down. Know what I mean?
I've had these exact same kind of off-put feelings while watching "What Not to Wear." I loves me some Clinton, but not everyone wants to dress like they came out of a khaki cookie-cutter, like these shows seem to do to um, everyone. Good comments abound in this post, and I encourage you to go check 'em all out.
What do *you* think?
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ReplyDeleteI agree completely! Stacy and Clinton *generally* treat vintage clothing as hideous old trash. :( We all need to know how to dress "properly" and how to dress to flatter our bodies, but let's not forget that it's ok to express our individuality with ... shall we say "alternative" fashion ... at the appropriate time and place, based on how we wish to be perceived. Dress in current, classic styles at an office job, but at a punk concert be who you are! http:///www.bctreasuretrove.com
ReplyDeleteI watched a How Do I Look where the girl had a very quirky sense of style, wore black lipstick. Well this woman IRL is a fashion blogger with an amazing personal style. They approached her on the street asking her if she would be willing for the free clothes, etc. The outfits she wore on the show were not the same style she wears on her blog. While her style doesn't work for all, she rocked it completely.
ReplyDeleteKnowing this behind the scenes really turned me off of that show. I have seen episodes of WNTW where they have let a woman embrace her personal style, have seen them go into Trash and Vaudville and other shops to mix funky with mainstream for makeovers. Wonder if they have strayed from that in recent seasons for ratings?
Like Diana said, as long as you dress to flatter your body, I don't see how one style is better than another. While it's not the best idea to wear black lipstick or have your septum pierced in most offices, it can look quite fabulous after hours.