What Not to Wear

TV review by Brenda Kienan, Common Sense Media
What Not to Wear Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 13+

Wisecracking fashionistas say everyone can look good.

TLC Reality TV 2003
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Parents say

age 15+

Based on 14 reviews

Kids say

age 10+

Based on 32 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this show's core positive message (anyone can look great) can help mitigate the pressure to look like an airbrushed supermodel that young girls face daily. But during most of each episode, the subject experiences sarcasm and mild ridicule. The fashion experts can sound a bit mean sometimes when doling out fashion critiques, though they're also good at building up subjects' confidence by the end.

Community Reviews

Love555
Love555 Adult
February 5, 2020
age 18+

The lady on the show with the black hair should not try changing others when she always just looks the same always !

I don’t think anyone should be listening to the lady on this show she always appears to look the same fir past 4 years that I have watched the show off and on it’s always the same old stuff hey lets get real people ! I was once a professional model and performing dance artist now retired due to health reason , but I can let everyone know these fashion statements the lady on the show goes into just isn’t all true if so how come she never changes? And the gentleman on the show he always looks the same too they wear things right out of the90 ,s some late89,s even and lady on the show her hair always the same ! She wants to cut other ladies hair but never her own lets face it cold she was originally just a foot model for Dr. scholls and high heels not s fashion model I’m not watching this any more put out daughtered back on the air cause dam!

This title has:

Too much consumerism
McKathlin
McKathlin Adult
August 31, 2012
age 12+

Talk about respect and budget sense

This show is fun to watch for the transformations from funny-looking to fantastic. I enjoy and fully endorse the message that people of all body types can look good when they dress with self-respect and a bit of design sense. What bothers me is that this show promotes the idea that if you want to look good, you have to spend lots of money. Only once have I seen anyone on this show enter a secondhand clothing store. (In that case it wasn't for budget reasons, but for going-green reasons, which is also a positive message.) The put-downs in the show make parental guidance important. If you watch this with your kids, talk with them about whether the way Stacy and Clinton talk to the subjects is appropriate. Encourage kids to look for people's positive qualities of talents and character, and not to judge them negatively for how they dress. Despite the consumerism and the mean words, I call this show a net positive because teen and tween girls sorely need the "beautiful in any body" message that What Not to Wear conveys.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much consumerism
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

WHAT NOT TO WEAR has a simple, ultimately admirable message: No matter your shape, your size, or whatever physical liabilities or hang-ups you have, you can be beautiful. For dramatic effect, the show starts with an ambush. Friends and family of someone in need of fashion advice nominate her (or sometimes him) for a makeover. The subject is secretly filmed until -- surprise! -- fashion experts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly show up and announce they're giving her a $5,000 wardrobe and the benefit of their advice. In New York, the subject learns that said advice is wisecracking and mild ridicule, and a set of fashion rules. She's sent shopping and makes mistakes, prompting wisecracks from Stacy and Clinton, who eventually arrive on the scene to help her choose flattering clothes. After expert hairstyling by Nick Arrojo and a grooming and makeup lesson from Carmindy, the subject looks fantastic -- without plastic surgery, weight loss, or anything at all drastic.

Is It Any Good?

The beauty of What Not to Wear is that even though the subject is initially mocked, she learns that she doesn't have to change any part of her core self in order to pep up her image. And when the subject shows off her changed image to Stacy, Clinton, and her friends and family, she's as delighted as everyone else at her transformation.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the nature of beauty and whether we all need to look like models. What assets do the people who appear on this show have -- including their talents, personalities, and apparent character? Is that attractive? How do they react to change?

  • How do you think these people's "new looks" will affect their futures? Does it matter? Should it matter? What kinds of messages do makeover shows send in general? And why do you think most of the subjects are women? Do men have less pressure to change their public image?

TV Details

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