F06 :: Feminist Film Studies

Is TLC’s hit show, “What not to Wear� transforming women into an image that isn’t true to their true character? The strategy is simple: hosts Clinton and Stacy select people volunteered by their friends to receive a wardrobe and style make-over. The people shown in this program often appear to dress normal enough, but through the keen eyes of “top Hollywood fashion consultants,� these people have a terrible choice in everyday dress attire. The way someone dresses is often seen as an expression of one’s personality. When others come in and tell a person what they should and should not be wearing, I believe it forces that person to re-evaluate their themselves to bend to the will of the others, that person then becomes untrue to themselves.

From the get go, this show is full of upbeat dance music. The show rarely has any men on, I guess men have a much better fashion sense than women after all, or maybe this programis geared towards women and designed with them in mind. This show’s fashion faux pa victim is Kristy. She is described as, “A frumpy legal assistant.� So what’s Kristy’s problem? She wears too much black, her shoes are too rectangular and her glasses are too old (they’re from 2003). When we first are introduced to Kristy, we see that she is shy, quiet, and very self-conscious about her body (she is a few pound over-weight). Overall, Kristy lacks confidence in herself. Kristy (like everybody on the show) agrees to give Clinton and Stacy complete control over what she will now be wearing. What she will be wearing are likely to be styles found in the commercial advertisements that station TLC runs in the time slot. Various product placements of clothing items and other beauty products are laced throughout the show. The show airs at 12pm, 2pm, 9pm and 11pm. The show seems to jump around the "prime time" line up of shows it would have to compete with if it aired earlier in the morning or the 7 o'clock to 9 night programs. This way, theshow can catch it's main audience after Desperate House Wives and Grey's Anatomy and other shows with predominately female veiwerships.

When the show’s hosts describe Kristy, they use words such as “fun, young and vibrant.� They are giving her an identity. From observing Kristy throughout the show, it is obvious that she is not a “fun, young, and vibrant� type of person. She is actually quite conservative and honestly dull, she claims she doesn’t like to stand out and be noticed. If this how she describes herself, why do Clinton and Stacy tell her that she is the opposite of what she is? She dresses in dark, unrevealing styles because she doesn’t want to stand out, not because she doesn’t know how to dress. Something that I found completely ironic about What Not to Wear is its commercial on TLC. In the promotion for TLC and the show, host Clinton sits in front of the camera and explains to us that “we are constantly bombarded� with the thoughts, views, and opinions of others. Clinton tells us that we should be unique and be ourselves. What? If everybody should be themselves why do they need a show to tell them that they shouldn’t be dressing the way they like, rather, conform to the styles set by a changing society? The show obviously contradicts its own promotions.

When Clinton and Stacy tell Kristy what to wear, she looks down at the floor and grudgingly goes along with it. This is not Kristy’s identity. The hosts also tell her how to hide her weight through different clothing options. As Kristy tries on new clothes, the camera is quickly jumping around her body and the fabric, giving extra attention to her stomach and curves. There is a segment near the end wear Kristy (or who ever the victim may be) strike various poses as the camera pans up and down her body while her face makes us believe that she's trying to act/appear "sexy". They even go as far as to change her make-up, hair, and eyebrows, all in an attempt to make her more appealing to the values of society. This is an example of the scaling of bodies. In this theory, a common prejudice is that society only values the fit, thin and beautiful people, not the overweight and unattractive. The show is centered around the message that this make-over will change the lives of those selected for the better, bringing the person new successes. Wouldn’t it be better if the overweight (women in general) were judged more on their charisma versus their appearance.

“Acceptance will not result in healthy female bodies, though, unless accompanied by rigorous and on-going critique of women’s representation in the media.� (The Body is the Message, Cara Woods. Gender + Plus size Body).

The gaze present in this show is surely male. The camera is constantly looking up and down the body of Kristy. One could argue that this only to show off the clothing styles (which is the clear intention). The counter to this is that the camera stops and focuses close in on Kristy’s chest and hips. Objectification of the female body in Western culture produces a multitude of negative consequences for women.

“Increasingly, researchers have investigated diverse samples of women and demonstrated a variety of detrimental effects associated with self-objectification including increased body shame, appearance anxiety, disordered eating, self-surveillance, and diminished mental performance and capacity to achieve peak motivational states.� ( A Test of Objectification Theory: The Effect of the Male On Appearance Concerns in College, Rachel M. Calegero. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 28 (2004).

In the end, Kristy is happy with her new look and the choices that Clinton and Stacy made for her. I still find it a little troubling that she disregarded what she was comfortable wearing to appease the opinions of those who believe they know the only acceptable way to appear in public.