Makeovers: Real help or movie make-believe?
Though a very infrequent Oprah watcher (occasional distraction on a treadmill), I caught her recent "Look Great at Every Age Makeovers" show, co-hosted with Rita Wilson.
The
women did look better in their "after", all sleek trends and updated hair. But isn't it shooting fish in a barrel to start from the prison matron "before" depths of Stacy, 35?
All you have to do is find a subject who's hoarded her nunnish suits for fifteen years, and help her to reveal her svelte figure in a pencil skirt with stilettos, add ample bling, then finish with tumbling waves (three hair products).
They took Cindy from schoolmarm to siren after a 100 lb. weight loss. "I'm 42 but dress like I'm 62" she said.
I was shocked to hear the impression my age group made; no one I know in their 60s dresses like the "before" Cindy. FLDS wives maybe, but not women in my circle.
That morose mauve tent is not hard to trump with a leopard-print Michael by Michael Kors skirt, is it now?
In one segment, Wilson presented four women of different age ranges–30s through 60s– styled to "look fantastic for their age".
All wore black, tight bottoms– leggings or black narrow jeans–with various tops and accessories.
The 40 year old in leggings with a barely crotch-covering top looked inelegant. Maybe the leggings are de rigeur for Hollywood, but to my taste they're crude. You sit in that top: instant skank.
The 50 and 60 year olds were transitioned into tight jeans, which "still look young". Just don't think about sitting down for long.
The eldest makeover was the vibrant 67 year old Laurali, who puts in long days at her catering company, hence her sweats and practical braid.
In describing the makeover, Wilson said that she "dressed her for work" in skinny Levis jeans, white shirt and fitted Max Mara jacket.
"We gave her a white shirt that she can roll up at the sleeves", Wilson said proudly. The only white Laurali ought to wear in a professional kitchen is a chef's coat, institutional garb built to withstand the grind.
This makeover shows Wilson's showbiz sensibility: only in a movie could Laurali escape splashes or spills by rolling her white sleeves, or spend 14 hour days in ballet flats without arch support.
Wilson's
own style is similar to Charla Krupp's: long flowing hair, suspiciously broomlike lashes, short skirt showing off toned legs, studded leather jacket. She's an unfurrowed fifty three; maybe being married to Tom Hanks keeps you looking young.
"I know my style, I've been helped by experts", she said. She provided three adjectives that summarized her style (I recall only "natural" and "sexy"), an approach I've described in a previous post. None of her three adjectives matched mine, which may explain why I didn't connect to her look.
What makes an hour of TV diverting fluff is not what makes sense in the real world. However, each woman was touched by her transformation and deeply grateful for the attention.
Releasing each woman's beauty and confidence is a worthwhile endeavour; I'd like to see the looks realistically reflect the continual attention required to keep ones' self "madeover" in the real world.
The
women did look better in their "after", all sleek trends and updated hair. But isn't it shooting fish in a barrel to start from the prison matron "before" depths of Stacy, 35?All you have to do is find a subject who's hoarded her nunnish suits for fifteen years, and help her to reveal her svelte figure in a pencil skirt with stilettos, add ample bling, then finish with tumbling waves (three hair products).
They took Cindy from schoolmarm to siren after a 100 lb. weight loss. "I'm 42 but dress like I'm 62" she said. I was shocked to hear the impression my age group made; no one I know in their 60s dresses like the "before" Cindy. FLDS wives maybe, but not women in my circle.
That morose mauve tent is not hard to trump with a leopard-print Michael by Michael Kors skirt, is it now?
In one segment, Wilson presented four women of different age ranges–30s through 60s– styled to "look fantastic for their age". All wore black, tight bottoms– leggings or black narrow jeans–with various tops and accessories.
The 40 year old in leggings with a barely crotch-covering top looked inelegant. Maybe the leggings are de rigeur for Hollywood, but to my taste they're crude. You sit in that top: instant skank.
The 50 and 60 year olds were transitioned into tight jeans, which "still look young". Just don't think about sitting down for long.
The eldest makeover was the vibrant 67 year old Laurali, who puts in long days at her catering company, hence her sweats and practical braid.
In describing the makeover, Wilson said that she "dressed her for work" in skinny Levis jeans, white shirt and fitted Max Mara jacket."We gave her a white shirt that she can roll up at the sleeves", Wilson said proudly. The only white Laurali ought to wear in a professional kitchen is a chef's coat, institutional garb built to withstand the grind.
This makeover shows Wilson's showbiz sensibility: only in a movie could Laurali escape splashes or spills by rolling her white sleeves, or spend 14 hour days in ballet flats without arch support.
Wilson's
own style is similar to Charla Krupp's: long flowing hair, suspiciously broomlike lashes, short skirt showing off toned legs, studded leather jacket. She's an unfurrowed fifty three; maybe being married to Tom Hanks keeps you looking young."I know my style, I've been helped by experts", she said. She provided three adjectives that summarized her style (I recall only "natural" and "sexy"), an approach I've described in a previous post. None of her three adjectives matched mine, which may explain why I didn't connect to her look.
What makes an hour of TV diverting fluff is not what makes sense in the real world. However, each woman was touched by her transformation and deeply grateful for the attention.
Releasing each woman's beauty and confidence is a worthwhile endeavour; I'd like to see the looks realistically reflect the continual attention required to keep ones' self "madeover" in the real world.
Comments
These makeovers are of the "transformative", very US media kind. Even to neighbouring Canadians they seem a tad ludicrous.
I suspect the Oprah staff do watch too many cooking shows. In those shows very few of the celebrity chefs (perhaps Emeril was an exception?) never wear the uniforms required in professional kitchens for reasons of occupational safety and food hygiene. Nigella in her beautiful cachmere pullovers and long dark hair!
Indeed the middle woman looks like she is wearing "modest" religious garb, whether LDS, ultraorthodox Jewish or many other groups that insist on modesty. If she was indeed a modest dresser for such reasons, it is still possible to improve her image according to her beliefs.
A middle-age woman who has lost 100 lb would be likely to have quite a bit of extra skin and bumps here and there (in real life), while she certainly wants to show off her accomplishment and her vastly improved health, I doubt she would want to wear skin-tight clothing.
I can't abide the Charla Krupp look. Think it is very, very ageing, and very expensively cheap.
I would *adore* a makeover- fascinating to see what someone else could do with me. I could just revert to my old look for whatever I didn't like (as I suspect these women will do.)
Rebecca: Was also annoyed by how cut off Oprah and Rita are from real working life.
lagatta: Doubt that modesty was at play in the second example or she would never have gone for that leopard skirt :)
The Krupp/Kirchner chromeé look (not so hard to see in Montreal, either) fascinates me in a weird way. Very few women look better in it and not one looks younger.
(Quétaine is Québécois slang for tacky, kitschy).
Frugal: GLAM? AM I not seeing something?
metscan: Often wish you could post photos, that sounds beautiful.
http://goinggraylookinggreat.com/great_grays/article/goldies_story/
elegancemaison: Thank you for your comment, that nails it! I'm following your blog.
Valerie: Thanks for the followup, she seemed ecstatic with her colour on the show, but I wondered what would happen once she got 4 weeks worth of roots. I admired the grey.
I thought I was horribly plump at that size too - at 18.
I'm not surprised about the fake frumpery. Makeover no. 1 is obviously a very hot babe indeed...
But I looked at the grey hair worship site, and while Goldie looks at least as good with her own hair colour, that is not true for a lot of us. The pics feature the type of grey-haired women with fine features and swannish necks that won't be too gallantly offered seats on buses and patronisingly called "dear".
Goldie has the figure and hair colour that she might even get away with the grey in a job search, but it is also worth pointing out that she doesn't seem to have a paid job - she spent all her life raising a large family full-time from what I can make out.
I find that site is about as fakey in the opposite direction from the Oprah makeovers. At least they don't seem to be selling anything.
I did see that makeunder show - they were OTT with too much makeup and big hair and slutty clothes. Also an easy job, just make them look a bit elegant and bob's your uncle!
I just find it so strange that someone would say that. Maybe I am living in a little bubble here in Southwestern Ontario... but quite a few women I know - I can think of half a dozen - rock their natural grey/white, are otherwise well groomed and elegant (and not necessarily thin) and seem to have no trouble interviewing for, and scoring, management-level jobs.
re the grey, the woman on the site is not the woman on *this* makeover show.
Right now my hair is a red that does not exist in nature, on anyone. Though a bit odd, I like it.
metscan: Wonderful, I will follow, and look forward to getting to know you more via your blog.
Imogen: Think you would host a terrific makeover show!
materfamilias: Better late than never.
Anonymous @ 4:05: To me the LA looking one is Rita Wilson. Though I do sometimes see that look here in Toronto, I think of it as very LA.
debbiew: The New York Times Style section today has a piece on plus size models (12) and women's reaction. What amazed me is that several thought that showing a 12 is "promoting obesity"!
Here (Toronto) gray hair in itself would not disqualify an applicant. But overall appearance is a factor to an extent that still surprises me. It is hard to describe the disappointment I felt when a very qualified woman, interviewing at a major Canadian retailer for a management job was disparaged by the interviewers for "not even wearing lipstick" and "drab hair". Her hair was that in-betweeny gray-brown. And this for a "head office" job- she was not going to be on TV! The woman was wearing textbook perfect clothing, too, for the occasion.
I asked the interviewers (only partly in jest) how I got my job.
Regardless, you always start the best discussions.
Really, nothing looks better, more stylish and confident, to my mind, than a woman who obviously takes great care of herself AND has her natural grey or silver hair. (But I have a great dislike of the ashy-blonde streaks so many older women affect to "hide" their grey. Almost as much of a dislike as I do for that still - unfortunately - present trend of having two very different colours - you know, blonde on top with a dark or red underneath - it looks like the Bride of Frankenstein, and I've never seen anything more aging on anybody.)
I'm going grey at the temples with great speed, and I can already tell I'm going to end up like my mother, who even at 75 is still not completely grey, and whose hair has a colour best described as "old dishwater". Haven't quite decided what I'm going to do about it yet; at the moment, I'm leaving it be.
Rita Wilson spent with each of these women interviewing them on their lifestyles, roles, needs, desires etc. If a professional is going to do ANYTHING for you, they must know you almost better than you know yourself. I really don't trust "celebrity" stylists as experts for real women with real lives. Case in point, the caterer that Rita put in a Max Mara jacket for work! How out of touch can you get?? Rita looks like someone who's been paper-dolled to me. Is that really her authentic self showing through? I highly doubt it. Someone who's had years of having it all thrown at them can't possibly be in touch with what noncelebs need.
Granted, it's nice to play dress up once in awhile and maybe get a thrill from that, but in my work I really aim for realistic, maintainable style for my clients. I work very hard to understand their comfort levels and personal preferences, I think they appreciate that, because they keep comin' back for more.
Karen: Well said. Am curious whether Rita Wilson, who has produced some big wins at the boxoffice (My Big Fat Greek Wedding)is actually spending her time dressing at home mums and caterers. Love your term, paperdolled.
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