Alter's piece explores the growing trend of image consultations for young girls, who, due to the increased societal pressures to present a certain image thanks in part to tween stars like Miley Cyrus and makeover gurus like Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, feel that their looks need an upgrade. Alter follows a group of girls as they go through a session with "image coach" Sharon Glickman, who attempts to educate the girls about such things as dressing for one's body type (blargh), seasonal styles, and how to dress well even in difficult economic times. The girls are appreciative of Glickman's help, as one admits that the school fashion scene "can be pretty competitive."

Dressing for your peers, and being judged on such a thing, is a middle and high school rite of passage that never really ends. To that end, it's not really shocking or, for that matter, infuriating that young girls are seeking out fashion advice from experts. It is, however, a bit depressing, if only because it's a continuation of the notion that one's clothes (specifically, the brand name of one's clothes) are the true mark of who one really is, when that is often enough not the case. One wishes it weren't about knowing what's "so last season," as much as what works for the individual and inspires self-confidence. It also seems a little strange that some of the issues re: self-esteem are being addressed externally as opposed to internally, though one can argue at that age, feeling more comfortable in one's body due to clothes that make one feel more pulled together might help a bit.

Still, it would have been nice if someone had pulled me aside and said, "You know what? Socks over tights under shorts plus a raspberry beret might not be the thing to wear in your 7th grade class photo." But then again, my smile in that photo is pretty big, so perhaps the image I laugh at now was the one I was going for back then. I suppose if you have the means to help your daughter create an exterior appearance via clothing and hair that makes her feel happier and more confident, that's all well and good—just as long as she doesn't lose herself in the process.

The Minor Makeover [WashingtonPost]

As Givhan points out, we love Susan Boyle in part because she doesn't fit the gorgeous, size-2 stereotype we're all used to:

Boyle beat the system that rewards the drop-dead gorgeous 10s and ignores the 3s and 4s. And people love her for that. Her rough-cut curls and sensible shoes make them feel virtuous. If she should decide to take designers up on their offer of free flattering frocks, avail herself of a smart new haircut and vigorous eyebrow arching, would she ruin the fun being had by her millions of fans?

And, she adds, a makeover need not be the sinister blonde-ing and drastic weight loss it's come to suggest.

The point of a proper makeover... is not to look like someone else but the best version of yourself. This is not a recommendation for an "Extreme Makeover," but rather the Tim Gunn or "What Not to Wear" version. Those are the kind of transformations in which the recipients spend a little time figuring out precisely why they've been squeamish about trying to achieve their personal best.

In sum, to Givhan, "The tale of Susan Boyle will not be complete until the shy spinster blossoms. Those who have been entranced by her story so far should let Boyle's fairy godmother finish her work." Our rationale is different. Boyle should not get a makeover to satisfy our fantasy. Rather, she should be kitted out like any professional entertainer would be, with good hair, makeup, and costumes, because that is what professional entertainers do, and that's what Boyle is now as a result of her undeniable talent. She should not to transformed; she should be polished. Because to not do so would be patronizing and creepy. If we insisted that Susan Boyle change absolutely nothing about herself, that she continue to play an undiscovered amateur when she has earned the privileges of the pro, would be to reduce her to a caricature, a sort of spinster minstrel, who didn't deserve better and who has no value beyond being an "ugly duckling."

The kind of singing Boyle will likely do - concert singing, perhaps work in musicals - does not, after all, demand American Idol-style sartorial hijinx. Concert singers, opera performers, generally look elegant, polished, professional, but are rarely required to be sexy or overly youthful, and we can't imagine that Boyle would either. Given her admiration of singer Elaine Paige's career, it seems likely that Boyle would assume - if not want - a similar level of polish and low-key glamor. To deny her that would be a grave injustice, and anything less would be, at this point, artificial.

Susan Boyle Makeover Would Add Grace Notes [Washington Post]

Professor Julie Albright of USC interviewed 662 college students, concentrating on their television viewing habits and how those habits affected their body image. “The practice[of plastic surgery] now has incredible visibility, which has led to incredible acceptance, which has led to incredible pressure for women to improve their appearance,” Albright says, “Women are being taught to access power and status through their looks. Before women might buy a Louis Vuitton purse to show off their ‘status.’ Now they might buy new breasts as a sign of their success."

The notion that plastic surgery is a quick fix and a solution to deeper self-esteem issues may lead young women to undergo unnecessary procedures, thinking that their lives will be as improved as those they see on television. “The aim of plastic surgery makeover shows is to make women more beautiful and highlight the dissatisfaction women have with their bodies,” Albright notes, pointing out that women were led to believe that surgically enhanced bodies would make them more attractive to men and happier in general.

We've all seen these types of shows: The Swan, Extreme Makeover, and my least favorite show of all time, Ten Years Younger, to name a few. Though Ten Years Younger often doesn't involve serious plastic surgery, it's a show that thrives on humiliating women, taking people with already low self-esteem and placing them in a glass box on a busy street, where onlookers can criticize every single part of them. The women are then shown the tapes, and every nasty comment on them, as a faux-sympathetic host holds their hand and tells them everything will be okay with a little microdermabrasion and some new, hip clothes.

The entire show is a horrible joke, in that the women being "made over" are only made over on the outside; the self-esteem issues that have plagued them might be temporarily fixed by a day of beauty and a few new articles of clothing, but the reality is that even the most gorgeous people in the universe can hate themselves, want surgery, and feel down. As long as these shows continue to air, promising women happiness via hair products and plastic faces, it's fairly safe to say that young women will continue to see surgery and makeovers as a solution to much deeper problems. We all love a great swan story, but beauty, as we all know, fades, and perhaps instead of pushing women into boxes and picking out all of their flaws so that they can be "fixed," we should instead concentrate on teaching young women to love themselves for who they are. No amount of surgery, fancy makeup, or hair dye is worth as much as a sense of self-worth and happiness. And though these things may provide a temporary fix, the real makeover needs to start in the mind, so that a glance in the mirror doesn't point out everything that's wrong, but everything that is beautiful.

Makeover Shows Correspond With Increased Body Anxiety [ScienceDaily]

The show has yet to get picked up by the CW, but expect a "feel-good" vibe that's a contrast to the way the Js cut down wannabe models on ANTM. CW president Dawn Ostroff says these guys root for women: "Jay is your parent in tough love. He tells you the way it is, but only because he wants you to be the best you can be. As much as Miss J criticizes and rolls his eyes, deep down, he's just looking for the girl who can get it done."

Jay Manuel, who grew up in Toronto and has been a stylist for Tyra, Jennifer Lopez, Iman, Rebecca Romijn and David Bowie, says: "We like working with real women too. We want them to feel good about themselves. We aren't giving them makeovers on Operation Fabulous. I actually hate the word 'makeover.' We're teaching them to enhance and maintain what they've already got." Eh, sounds like a makeover.

But what about 6'4", 37 inch inseam J. Alexander — who was born Alexander Jenkins in the South Bronx and "plucked from obscurity" to model for Jean Paul Gaultier, then landed jobs in Tokyo and France, where he now resides and speaks fluent French? His entire life is a makeover, no?

And here's the real question: Isn't the makeover make better genre pretty saturated? Tim Gunn, Stacey and Clinton, Style By Jury, Extreme Makeover, The Swan… Haven't we seen it all? Especially when it comes to gay men telling women how to be "better" women? On the other hand, the Js are… different. Ostroff says when she first got a load of them in 2003, for the first season of Top Model, "They truly were unlike anything we'd seen on TV, refreshing and hilarious."

'Top Model' Duo Gets A 'Fabulous' Spinoff [LA Times]

First of all, I should probably come out and admit that I may have the zeal of a convert on this subject, as I have forced myself from desist from the practice. I think it's the time I've done in retail; while I love to advise friends and will certainly volunteer an opinion if asked, making a boyfriend over has never been my drug of choice. There's nothing I hate more than seeing a guy dictate his opinions about clothes to a girlfriend or wife, and I'd hate to fall into that trap. Do I wish my boyfriend didn't wear Birkenstocks? Obviously. Do I hate that vest he sometimes sports like an early 90's jazz musician? All signs point to yes. But I wouldn't really cotton to his attempts at a subtle makeover on me, so I don't feel I have the right. (Also, he's kind of a stubborn cheapskate, so it's really not worth the effort.)

That said, I do absolutely realize that men tend to be less sensitive about this stuff. Whereas we might take a criticism of an outfit as a deep insult, a guy's probably just been holding onto it for a few years and doesn't really want to think about shopping. Even the most foppish dandy — like my brother — is unlikely to have his ego very involved in such choices. Men's fashion choices seem often to adhere to a misguided idea of appropriateness rather than self-expression. And yes, obviously these are generalizations. Plenty of men need help choosing clothes, are happy to cede the responsibility, don't care, or want to please you. I have friends who have really benefited from a little tactful making-over and are deeply grateful for it.

However, as in the case of my friend, helpful advice can sometimes segue into a dangerous form of egotism. When a guy's appearance is another carefully cultivated accessory, that's just weird. It feels yucky to admit we might be embarrassed by the way a companion dresses, but I totally get it: we put so much energy into our own self-presentation, considering the ramifications and implications of each component, that such a slapdash approach can be deeply frustrating, especially when you just know someone could look so much better. But sometimes it seems like this kind of reflexive making-over becomes a form of ownership, a wish to overcome the influence of prior girlfriends, moms, even an earlier identity. Like redecorating a house, it does seem like some dames feel the need to put their stamp down.

I worry, too, that at times this making-over becomes a form of willful whitewashing: by making a guy into someone who looks like the kind of person you should be dating, you've somehow glossed over the realities of tastes, personality, even values. The power dynamic of people dressing each other is a complex one; anyone who's shopped with her mom knows that. It quickly ceases to be about the clothes and becomes a tug of war over how you see yourself versus what someone else thinks you should be projecting. Sure, guys might not be aesthetically sensitive as a rule, but anyone knows when someone thinks they're not good enough as they are. In sum: Have I hidden my boyfriend's vest? Maybe. But I am making every effort to not replace it with a simple corduroy sports coat that he really needs and would look rad — because at the end of the day, it's his closet.

Single Shot: Why so many women want to remake their man's wardrobe[Seattle PI]

For some reason I think this guy looks better. Yeah, he had a kind of cute Michael Ian Black thing going on before, but that was kind of distracting because Michael Ian Black is a lot more attractive. No one agrees with me on this one though. Maybe I just think smoking looks cool.

Yeah, MISTAKE.

I think I used to rock this look in grade school. I would tie my hair into these elaborate pin things and then shake it out in the morning and, Voila, Gloria Estefan. It was a lot of work, but man, what a payoff. But I can't get a perm, right? I can barely get my hair cut.

Anyway, to make a long story short, Veronica raided Rebecca's underwear drawer, Rebecca received an entire closet full of amazing clothes from designers like Catherine Malandrino (Um, can we please get on this show? We'd like to upgrade from Banana Republic to Malandrino, thanks), we learned such lessons as "one cannot address the issue of style until order has been brought to the closet", and then Tim cried at the end in a totally sincere way. (We kind of did too). Tim Gunn's Guide to Style [Bravo]

So in case anyone forgot, Oprah has been on the air forever. Especially for this kid:
He's 18 now! It's so crazy that there are legal adults now that can't remember life without Oprah. He was born during her Optifast era, right? She's looking pretty trim in those scrubs.Now, if Tyra Banks had to do a segment like this and wear that outfit, she would've cinched in the waist with a large belt. And when she saw the lady getting the C-section, she probs would've tried to eat her ribs.

But all kidding aside, Tyra does so much more than eat comfort food and then bitch about people calling her fat. For instance, she gives people makeovers (weaves, she gives them all weaves!) to improve their self esteem. She had on some meth-heads who looked like total shit before Tyra sicced her team of doctors and drag queens on them. Actually, I thought it was really nice to give this lady new teeth. Dental work is so expensive. And she's looking sort of OK now, for having been a dirty crystal meth addict before.Then TyTy gave this "tomboy" a makeover.

I almost turned into a tomboy when I saw how hot she looked after this, but then I remembered that I don't like to eat pussy play sports.

Has anyone else noticed that Tyra has hired Topanga to do the kind of field that she doesn't really want to do? Hey, that's a little bit like me with Jezebel. Except whereas Ty sends To on adventures like yard sales, Anna sends me to show my vadge around town. And I do it with the same type of enthusiasm. In fact, this is totally the face I was making when I had my legs in stirrups at the doctors' offices:Thank God Gawker Media pays better than Tyra.
She's so cheap!