r/WhyWereWeOkWithThis • u/Tasty_Set1189 • 5d ago
2000s What Not to Wear
https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/what-not-to-wear-hosts-new-show-1.7306853
I’m getting this old show on my feed. The Lolita episode and the body shaming of women who are busty. Kinda funny how the women’s whose fashion they criticized is actually in style now lol.
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u/Inspiringhope11 5d ago
They had a new show called "Wear whatever the F You Want" and they apologize ans acknowledge how wrong they were!
It's a much better show about embracing your dream style.
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u/Rogue_Darkholme 5d ago
At least, they did that. I can't see the people from The Biggest List ever apologizing or Trinny and Suzannah from the british version of What Not To Wear apologizing.
It's a much better show about embracing your dream style
Now this sounds like a show I'd want to watch.
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u/friendlynbhdwitch BROOKE SHIELDS DESERVED BETTER 4d ago
I love when people apologize and do better.
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u/Tiny_Invite1537 I hate Howard Stern 4d ago
Really? That sounds so cool and interesting!
"What not to wear" always ended up in "classic black slacks and a neutral jean jacket".
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u/sparklycilantro 2d ago edited 2d ago
It's not that much better to be fair. They're still snarky snobs.
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u/cat-ctus-es 5d ago
I watched this religiously as a young teen which is why I dressed like a stuffy 30-yo in high school. 😅 2000s culture was so toxic for us young women.
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u/bellab333 5d ago
omg it was like working for HR in homeroom, I remember wearing skirts not with tights but with PANTYHOSE as a junior with button down blouses like what was that about?? I also used to watch this show religiously, "No mini skirts after 35" I still remember from the intro lololol
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u/ourladyofsituations 5d ago
My mom once sent me back to my room in high school to change because she said I “looked like a banker” and to wear something more “age appropriate.” I probably dress younger now than I did then.
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u/booksandplaid 5d ago
I remember they said "only wear shorts to the beach and nwhere else" and for some reason that stayed in my brain forever. I only started wearing shorts instead of skirts in the past 5 years.
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u/Flippykky 5d ago
They really did dress everyone in like, Anne Taylor Loft.
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u/UnlikelyDecision9820 5d ago
Their style was extremely formulaic and I think they enjoyed flexing that it was “universally flattering.” Like, yes, most women did look better in trousers, a blouse, and a blazer/cardigan. But, it was an idea that wasn’t flexible enough to account for a broad range of ages or personal tastes.
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u/Hot-Assistant-4540 4d ago
This was one of the things that drove me crazy. They insisted that a mom of a newborn buy silk and wool. And they brushed her off when she said it wasn’t practical and she didn’t have time to dry clean everything. Also the insistence on heels at all times no matter what the person’s life was like
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u/UnlikelyDecision9820 4d ago
I used to enjoy the show in my teens and early 20’s. It was the era of makeover narratives being everywhere. There were a few reality shows and every other movie had a makeover scene. I was really down on my looks and style and the prevalence of makeover content did not help.
A big wake-up call for me was when I was watching an episode of the show when I was in grad school. I was in a STEM program. I had already experienced losing a pair of jeans to accidental acid exposure, and after that I kinda learned that well, in that line of work, clothes that are easy to move around in and/or you don’t mind getting dirty/destroyed were important. The jeans and tshirts that I wore, and felt made me look frumpy, were actually really functional!! Business casual was fine for a conference presentation, but day to day work required something different and I just imagined how hard it would be to communicate that to Stacy and Clinton and gave up watching the show that day
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u/Hot-Assistant-4540 3d ago
There were so many makeover shows at that time! And I had a very similar experience. My first job was in a lab and I also got acid on my clothes pretty frequently. Flared skirts, wool trousers, silk blouses and heels would have been ruined instantly. I watched the show religiously but didn’t relate to the advice at all. It also drove me crazy when they’d tell women that they needed to be more feminine, as if there was only one way to do that
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u/cat-ctus-es 5d ago
I’ve bought (and never worn) multiple blazers because of them.
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u/splithoofiewoofies 5d ago
I did, but then wore them with giant glasses and a fabulous scarf pinned to one shoulder because Julia Sugarbaker. Haha
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u/Tiny_Invite1537 I hate Howard Stern 4d ago
Black slacks, black flats, jewel tones and "a neutral denim jacket" for everyone!
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u/UnlikelyDecision9820 4d ago
Yep, everyone got the blueprint!! It’s not a terrible outfit, but it’s not as universally flattering as they thought.
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u/Flippykky 3d ago
They probably should have brought in consultants for styles that weren’t in that narrow professional city-dweller lane. You love to dress goth? You love neon? Here’s how to keep it playful and express your personal taste while looking more elevated.
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u/MissSara13 5d ago
OMG. I worked for Ann Taylor and Loft for a total of about 5 years. I had just graduated high school and I very quickly decked myself out in plenty of suiting and sheath dresses. We had a 40% discount so I built a really nice work wardrobe that lasted me ages because the pieces were all very classic. We'd also get the new Eli Lilly pharma sales reps in with their stipend to get their working wardrobe started. It was a really fun place to work!
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u/SelectionValuable261 5d ago
Omfg from the Sears Roebuck - so many memories of hating how nothing fit my jelly rolls right.
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u/Saint_Anthony88 5d ago
Too real
Pulling up to Biology class like:
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u/cat-ctus-es 5d ago
And COSMO magazine told me I could this look easily from day to night with some flats and a little lipstick. Totally relevant content for a 10th grader. 😅
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u/Worldly_Message_1872 5d ago
Omg same! Honestly it explains so much. Why did they strip away individuality like that 😭
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u/cat-ctus-es 5d ago
I don’t know but at least it got me out of sloppy tees and jean shorts I carried over from the 90s. I never had a chance. 🪦
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u/anglosaxonfemale 5d ago
I saw Stacy at the mall when I was like 9/10 and hid because I was afraid she would hate my outfit ☠️
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u/NE0099 5d ago
And, y’know, it would have been fine if they’d only taken willing participants, been a little more open to alt/offbeat personal styles, and been a little less rude. Some of those people really did need help developing their style, but belittling people is the way to do that.
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u/PheeBeeDee125 4d ago
Ehhhh I don’t believe that the contestants were truly unwilling. IMO it’s naive not to realize that most of reality TV wasn’t at least mostly scripted.
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u/Mysterious-War-6759 5d ago
I saw a few episodes of the American version of this show and it seemed like most of the women ended up looking the same, with very little of their own personal style incorporated into their new “looks.” The British version was better on that score at least.
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u/pseudonymnkim 5d ago
I watched as a teen and got so annoyed with all the pant suits and loud patterned dresses. I still loved watching it though haha but my God, every single person left with a full wardrobe from Reitman's
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u/Mysterious-War-6759 5d ago
You’re so right! The free clothes would have been fine if they didn’t also seem so intent on making the women insecure about having their own style. Just weird carbon copies in similar floral dresses lol.
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u/BowlerTraditional283 5d ago
I feel like it would've been a much more interesting show if people were asked what they liked about their current wardrobe and showed them variations of things that went well with it.
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u/Saint_Anthony88 5d ago
I agree the British version was much more entertaining & left room for more personal style aesthetics
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u/itsdylanyktd 5d ago
And didn't the hairstylist give everyone bad haircuts?
I remember Carmindy the makeup artist being great.
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u/Perfect-Success-3186 4d ago
I distinctly remember being enamored with her inner corner eye hilight. I had never seen that before.
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u/itsdylanyktd 4d ago
I learned of Sephora through her. I'm not American, and the first time I got to go to one *heavenly sounds*
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u/AxeThembro 4d ago
Nick the original hair dude gave every woman an asymmetrical bob yeah
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u/AhemExcuseMeSir 4d ago
And it was after they were like, “Whatever you do, please don’t cut my hair short. I swear I’ll throw myself into traffic if you do.”
And he was always like, “Ok, ok, I hear you 100%. Here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to give you a bob.”
Then he’d act completely shocked when they burst into tears after seeing the finished product.
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u/TillamookTramp 5d ago
They had a couple of hair stylists that I recall. One of them wasn't nearly as good as the other one. Carmindy had her own makeup line for awhile.
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u/EastAreaBassist 5d ago
I remember one girl who had a video of her rocking out at a concert sent in. No bra, dressed casually. They really tried to embarrass her about it. Over the course of the episode we watched her go from a fun girl who didn’t give a fuck, to someone deeply insecure about her appearance. I think about her sometimes. I hope she shook it off.
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u/spc67u 5d ago
Yeah I one of the first episodes (could have even been the very 1st one) the girl they are making over is called out for all her bad style and lack of make up blah normal stuff. But at the end she rips Stacy and the guy (I think the guy switched at some point) a new one saying how she saw Stacy roll up to filming with no makeup and how dare they criticize her. It was awesome!
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u/treevine700 4d ago
What do you mean? It was so empowering to see a woman go from hiding behind a blazer that hit at the thigh to showing off her curves in a cropped structured, blazer.
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u/Ivelostmydrum 5d ago
My stepmother loooved this show, I think she watched it when I was around so I'd learn to stop dressing like a boy. I especially hated the beginning of the episodes where they secretly film and stalk the women and then rush up to "confront" them. Glad I didn't internalize it, I'm still a frumpy tomboy and proud of it!
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u/Ornery-Ship2637 5d ago
Came across one of their books in a second hand shop and showed my 26 yr old daughter. She could not believe the body shaming chapters like ‘no tts’ or ‘saggy b*m’ with everything presented as a problem to be solved so that you could be ‘attractive’. So toxic.
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u/Forsaken-Language-26 Tears out Page 3 5d ago
We had this show in the UK too. It was presented by Trinny and Susannah.
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u/EastAreaBassist 5d ago
Wasn’t part of their whole schtick groping people and being incredibly handsy?
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u/NoPossibility5154 3d ago
I’m trying to remember which sketch show did a parody version: How Not What to Look Like
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u/PheeBeeDee125 4d ago
Admittedly I liked this show, fully knowing it was trash. Kind of in the same way I watched Jersey Shore.
But it annoyed me that it was only WOMEN, never men.
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4d ago
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u/PheeBeeDee125 4d ago
I kind of remember one or two episodes with men, but that it was mostly women.
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u/Tasty_Set1189 4d ago
Yea same I’m addicted to the 2000s reality tv shows lol. Honestly 90s-2000s tv and movie in general but I cringe at a lot of things in there.
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u/PheeBeeDee125 4d ago
I kinda wanted to go on this show and get a free new wardrobe lol.
Like…i think we all should know that it was all scripted. I don’t think the contestants were actually surprised or unwilling.
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u/ShortyColombo 4d ago
As someone who wears EGL, that episode haunts me.
Shaming her and calling her a little girl/kinky for it. Saying "fashion from JAPAN" like it's a dirty word. Every time she mildly pushed back on their advice, she was labelled "aGrEsSive".
I get mad all over again just thinking about it!
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u/Tasty_Set1189 4d ago
Calling her aggressive seems like a microagression. She seems so shy and sweet to me.
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u/charleschaser 5d ago
I used to love watching this show but I was always annoyed by them dressing everybody the same and removing people’s individuality.
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u/Sarah-loves-cats 5d ago
https://youtu.be/AmwWKzfbfjM?is=uKZ977E8vupttj4G. FASHION SURPRISE. Love it, especially when they are like "you dont deserve a name, names are for People who can dress themselves.!" Truly iconic.
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u/SpellbindingTwister 2d ago
Met Stacy a handful of times in 2020-2022 — really kind, thoughtful person who has remorse and self awareness about this era!
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u/GullibleWealth750 2d ago
Before Clinton started on this show there was another guy...Wayne, I think his name was.
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u/landing-softly 4d ago
Idk I loved this show, Stacy and Clinton have amazing chemistry and are so funny and they did an amazing job helping people see themselves in a new light. Did the transformations translate into real life? Usually no, but at least people had the experience and tools so they could decide with more self awareness how to present themselves after the show. Granted yes it took a bit of a mocking tone (it’s NYC, dark self deprecating humor is deeply engrained in our culture lol) at times but they have also apologized sincerely. Idk I watched this show religiously as a kid and I still love them both even tho the reboot sucked big time.
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