Dec 12 2008
What Not to Wear Therapy
Tonight’s What Not to Wear was another rewarding episode. Marianna, a 36-year-old wearing frumpy holiday sweatshirts and harem pants and rubber clogs, got a total transformation. The poor woman was in tears frequently throughout the episode, because she was so overwhelmed with joy and grateful for the opportunity to make over her life for the better. Not all participants are this open or this welcoming of change, or quite frankly, this deserving. I think Stacy and Clinton had a lot of fun this episode as well. Clinton in particular has seemed a little strained of late, dealing with stubborn clients who seem determined to be angry and miserable.
Not so with Marianna. I really liked that when she said she’d just gotten lazy with her wardrobe, Clinton said that she was raising three kids, keeping a nice home, and working–and that she wasn’t lazy. She just wasn’t allowing enough focus on herself. I thought this was cool of him to acknowledge that the woman wasn’t just sitting around eating grapes, and it addresses an issue a lot of What Not to Wear clients have–that there are more important things in life than what kind of pants that they’re wearing.
If we’re ranking things in life, then sure your kids rank above your clothes. But time and again, Stacy and Clinton and the What Not to Wear team have proved that wardrobe, hair, and make-up are important. Marianna was working in a corporate environment and wasn’t taken seriously because of her inappropriate attire. Her kids loved her, but hated her clothes. Her husband hoped to see her inner beauty once again reflected on the outside. And Marianna confessed that she often wore holiday-themed clothes to try to get herself into the holiday spirit that she wasn’t actually feeling.
What becomes evident time and again if you watch What Not to Wear, and if you pay attention to the women in your own life, is that all these women need help in life. They’re working, they’re raising kids, they’re struggling with a myriad of responsibilities and are often times depressed. They’ve lost all sense of self and don’t know how to handle any attention directed at them. The simple act of getting their hair done reduces them to tears, because it’s the first time in years that something has happened that’s all about them.
Once again, What Not to Wear proves it’s more than just a show about fashion. Seeing these women who feel so sad and invisible and undeserving of notice is perhaps a damning statement about society and the demands on women who are supposed to “be all and have it all”. How can women who do so much still feel so bad? What Not to Wear truly helps the women featured on the show, and hopefully the women at home, to see how taking care of themselves even for just a couple of days can have such a rejuvenating effect. It’s not really about clothing labels or stylists or high heel shoes. It’s not about trying to be an anorexic runway model. It’s about taking time to take care of yourself and be yourself and reward yourself for doing all of the wonderful things you do every day.
It’s okay. You deserve it.
*Watch What Not to Wear on Fridays at 9pm Eastern/8pm Central, with repeats later in the evening and on Saturday. Check your local listings for exact times.
What Not to Wear’s Stacy London and Clinton Kelly– Photo c2007, Brian Doben, TLC
Thank you so much for your kind words. It’s been almost a year since I filmed the show and aside from the birth of my kids, it was the most life-changing event in my life! Stacy & Clinton were both great!