TLC’s What Not to Wear (WNTW) continues to be at the forefront of Reality TV fashion as hosts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly dish out practical appearance-improvement tips on each episode. Oh to be lucky enough to get guidance and advice from experts like these guys.
A recent episode of WNTW featured a twentysomething lawyer-to-be who routinely dressed more like a teenager in search of attention from the boys at school, rather than a young woman looking to become a professional and respectable lawyer. It never occurred to her that she was not dressing appropriately in her cut down-to-there skin-tight tee shirt and barely-there short-shorts. She objected to every one of Stacy and Clinton’s suggestions without really considering any positive benefit that could come from the change. It was the same reaction when poor Ted Gibson wanted to update her hair style.
Most of the WNTW episodes have a happy ending because Stacy and Clinton are spot-on with their recommendations, and the transformations are nothing short of amazing. It’s not likely that any of us are going to appear on WNTW anytime soon, but we can all learn from Stacy and Clinton.
Fashion makeovers, whether it be WNTW or something else, consistently fall into seemingly similar categories. If any of these describe you, then it’s time to take a closer look.
- Young Adult in Teen Clothing – grow up, act your age, and dress appropriately.
- Frumpy Mommy Syndrome – yes it may be more convenient to wear sweats, but nobody outside of the gym wants to see them.
- Stuck in the Eighties – fashion changes, hair styles change, colors and fabrics change, and hard as it may be, you need to change with it.
- Aging Un-Gracefully – we’re not suggesting plastic surgery, but while salt-and-pepper makes a man more handsome, the natural gray look on a woman adds 10-15 years that you don’t need.
The moral of this story, and the one that WNTW tells us every episode, is that change is good, so be open to it and willing to try new things. We should all take a good look in the mirror to see if our style is sending the right message.
If you do have the opportunity to be given some fashion criticism, be sure to consider it carefully. Whether or not you make a change isn’t what matters, but rather that you are at least open to it.
