Hello again friends, lovers, confidants. The time has come again for your favorite post of the week, the beloved Bitchin’ Table. Sitting in to bitch about TLC’s hit show What Not to Wear are bloggers BlondeRedhead and Lauranium. Buckle up, or should I say BELT IT UP, and enjoy the ride!
Lauranium: Sup, BlondeRedhead?
BlondeRedhead: Oh hey, Lauranium! Wait…IS THAT WHITE?! ARE YOU WEARING WHITE AFTER LABOR DAY?!
Lauranium: UMMMM, What Not to Wear says it’s A-OKAY with them to wear white after Labor Day. Jerk.
BlondeRedhead: You’re right! It’s in the credits! What a fool I’ve been! Oh, Stacy and Clinton, what would the world be without you two?
Lauranium: I don’t know, I mean they know EVERYTHING. Am I right?
BlondeRedhead: You right, you right. I mean, without What Not to Wear, I wouldn’t know that I shouldn’t wear cat tails in public, or crocs with my terry-cloth track suit.
Lauranium: You’re so right, it wasn’t until I watched What Not to Wear that I realized I should retire my cat sweaters and Christmas socks. They changed my life, for realsies.
BlondeRedhead: Of course, you could always just throw a belt around those cat sweaters. Some of the people on that show need help. But some others..I don’t know…I don’t feel like some of them are that bad.
Lauranium: I think you’re right. Some of the people on the show are genuinely happy to have help picking out a new wardrobe, but others seem to be forced into the situation.
BlondeRedhead: And the ones who are really opposed to it just more or less go back to how they dressed before. Do you feel like that show sometimes stifles individual style? I mean, some of the people’s outfits are unconventional, but hey, if that’s what they like, who are Stacy and Clinton to tell them otherwise?
Lauranium: Yeah, they definitely want everyone to fit into a very similar mould. But really, if everyone dressed the same, would the world be any fun? I don’t know, maybe I just have a soft spot in my heart for people who enjoy the occasional jeanthongpant.
BlondeRedhead: And who can blame you? Clothes and how you choose to wear them are all part of the bigger picture of self-expression. Granted, they do help a lot of I-lost-myself-after-having-my-kids moms find themselves again, which is great. I’ve also always appreciated how they handle body image issues. They’re good at making people dress for their size, and helping women of any size feel good about themselves.
Lauranium: Yeah, the show is definitely a double-edged sword, both helpful and harmful at the same time. Stacy and Clinton are skilled in helping some women to discover a sense of confidence they may never have known before, but also skilled in causing some women to feel bad about the unique ways in which they express themselves. Nevertheless, I still do watch the show on occasion. Does this make me a naughty feminist?
BlondeRedhead: I’ve been known to watch it when I have a spare mid-afternoon hour as well. I can appreciate the show because Stacy and Clinton genuinely do help people sometimes. But I think we also have to be aware of both the positive and negative consequences of the show, and the exploitative nature of makeover shows in general.
Lauranium: Agreed. As long as we keep this in mind, our feministy souls will remain in tact.
ShoutOut! James Madison University 
