Our Obsession with Makeover Shows
Makeover shows are archaic on paper: You take someone or something that is perceived to others as ugly or old, and you redo it until it fits the modernist ideas of what is socially acceptable.
But we eat it up every time; Shows like “What Not to Wear” ran for ten years before it ended. Why is that?
The easy answer is that watching shows where others' lives are improved makes us feel motivated to change our own lives, too. If all it takes is a makeover to improve your life, then what are you waiting for?
The much more difficult answer requires us to analyze the undertones of these shows deeper than their targeted audience is probably meant to.
“The ‘makeover’ or ‘glow up’ trope reveals society’s obsession with the omnipotence that comes with beauty after a makeover,” said Melody Tuan, author of “Why Are We So Obsessed with Makeovers?”
Tuan suggests that the well-received “after” is what we aspire to attain because of the value that we attach to it.
“The Fab 5 teach you to embrace the best parts of you; each of them shows you that there’s hope and the power of a little self-love — and there’s an inherent comfort watching people learn that,” Bukowski explained.
This can be rooted in something as simple as the makeover portion of “America’s Next Top Model,” and how the entire idea behind them is that they make the recipient, or the model, looks like the best version of themselves.
Of course, there are times where this doesn’t work out for the model and they become unhappy with their transformation.
Interestingly enough, it’s in these situations that the show chooses to incorporate the message of beauty being within whilst pigeonholing it with the life lesson that modeling includes changing your appearance consistently to match the brand that you are modeling for.
This is a common theme with makeover shows in general, as they usually force the person on the receiving end of the makeover out of their comfort zone even if it’s unwillingly. This, again, reinforces the idea that how others view them is more important than how they view themselves. An article by Jade Bukowski acknowledged this.
“It’s no secret that some makeover shows are problematic; whether they enforce a singular beauty ideal or they tear people down, there are some older series and even ones currently on the air that can make you feel worse when you’re finished watching them,” said Bukowski.
Some makeover shows, like “Revenge Body” or “100% Hotter” solely focus on gauging the value of your makeover from others.
“Revenge Body” revolves around the idea that by losing weight, you are getting revenge from someone in your life who wronged you. “100% Hotter” is a show that begins by getting the public’s opinion on your appearance, and aims to improve that public opinion by the end of the show.
However, there has been a more recent movement that redirects makeover shows to portray change under a more personal lens. Shows like “Queer Eye” and “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” take the idea of a makeover show and turn it inside out. These are shows that have taken to breaking down the traditional makeover and turning it into an opportunity for personal growth, too.
“The Fab 5 teach you to embrace the best parts of you; each of them shows you that there’s hope and the power of a little self-love — and there’s an inherent comfort watching people learn that,” Bukowski explained.
Makeover shows are archaic on paper but are constantly changing in reality. As the focus shifts from outward appearance to inward appearance and how others perceive us versus how we perceive ourselves, we begin to find that these makeover shows give us a different kind of comfort.
It’s the comfort of a blanket on a rainy day or warm cookies at night; It’s the idea that there are others out there struggling with the same things we do, and if they can learn to love themselves then so can we.
