Parents' Guide to

What I Hate About Me

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Flaw-fixing reality show could send teens mixed messages.

TV Style Network Reality TV 2010
What I Hate About Me Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

adrik
adrik Parent of 3-year-old
January 10, 2010
age 10+

a good show i like it alot im not sure what age group it would fall for i would say older teen to young adult. for now will watch more :)

i presonally like it but im not sure its for kids maybe teens to young adult ppl.

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What's the Story?

Unhappy women tackle the 10 things they dislike most about themselves in WHAT I HATE ABOUT ME, a reality makeover show that challenges you to "learn to love what you hate." In each episode, host Lisa Arch guides one woman through a self-generated list of her biggest "flaws" -- both physical (like "I hate my moustache") or emotional (like "I hate that I'm constantly apologizing") -- and introduces her to various experts who can help her change each perceived negative into a positive.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This makeover show mash-up gets points for spotlighting a broad spectrum of things in a woman's life that might need "fixing," instead of simply focusing on appearances and giving her a new haircut, a new wardrobe, and a lesson about the transformative powers of cosmetics.

But trying to fix 10 things in a one-hour episode comes off as overly ambitious ... particularly when some of the problems -- such as emotionally complex body image issues -- can hardly be dealt with in a matter of minutes. Having the featured women choose five things they'd like to change about themselves instead of 10 would have produced a show with far more meaningful take aways.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what message the show is sending women -- and young girls in particular -- about outward appearances and body image. How many of the "problems" are superficial issues that can be easily fixed? How many are internal and more deeply emotional in nature?

  • Do you think that the show's message -- that you should change things about yourself you don't like -- is ultimately negative or positive? If you don't like your freckles, for example, is it better to buy concealer and cover them up, or would it be better to change your perception of what's beautiful?

  • Why are these types of makeover shows appealing? Is there at least some part of us that feels better about ourselves when we see that others struggle with feelings of inadequacy, too?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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