Fashion sentence: Stylists makeover show on how they work
The plot of the programs built around the "transformation" of heroines - the so-called make over show, - always the same. A hero or a heroine is appealing to the show, who for various reasons wants to change outwardly. All available means are used - from innocent makeup to wonders of aesthetic dentistry and even plastic surgery. Such shows are persistently criticized for the stereotyped ideas about the beautiful and fashionable dictates of the leading and stylists. Often, they not only do not solve the problems of their heroines, but also create new ones, convincing the participants in a conservative truth: a woman can conquer the world only when she is beautiful. But programs do not lose popularity - people like to follow the stories of the magical transformation from the "ugly duckling" to the "beautiful swan," journalist Colette Welsh wrote in a column on The Huffington Post. In addition, on-screen changes occur quickly - literally by a wave of a magic wand.
TEXT: Anton Danilov, author of the Telegram channel "Promeminizm"
The real boom makeover show happened at zero. The most popular in those years were the BBC launched in 2001, “What Not To Wear,” the American “Extreme Makeover” on ABC and the “Ambush Makeover” on the Discovery Channel. One of the most brutal to its participants was the show "The Swan", called Entertainment Weekly "the worst reality in the history of television." In this program, two women competed every week, but only one of them could go on to the competition. At the end of each season, the “weekly” winners were waited by a kind of beauty contest, according to the results of which only one participant received the title of “beautiful swan” and a mountain of gifts from the sponsor. In the process of transformation, women were not allowed to look at themselves in the mirror, and one of them was even disqualified for violating this rule. Plastic surgeons of the program often reshaped the contestants to unrecognizability. One of the participants of "The Swan" Lorri Arias (whose transformation is called one of the most radical shows in the history of the show) ten years after the recording admitted that she lives with depression, bipolar disorder, agoraphobia - fear of a crowd of people - and dismorphobia - hatred of her own body . In addition, she gained her weight back and now hardly leaves the house, only occasionally meeting with a therapist.
In Russia, the first show dressing did not appear much later. In 2004, the project “Remove it Immediately” started on the STS channel, which earned fame on the uncompromising leading ones: Tashi Strict, Sasha Vertinskaya, Natalya Stefanenko. The girls mercilessly criticized the wardrobe habits of their charges, shredded their stuff right in the studio, and especially "unsuccessful" defiantly threw it away (with interruptions, the show lasted for nearly fourteen years and closed only in 2017).
In the process of transformation, women were not allowed to look at themselves in the mirror, and one of them was even disqualified for violating this rule.
In 2007, the premiere of the famous "Fashion Sentence" took place with Evelina Khromtchenko, Vyacheslav Zaitsev and Arina Sharapova as presenters. The popularity of the program was largely due to the success of the “court session” format, only in this case the judge, the prosecutor and the lawyer were not examining criminal cases, but fashionable ones. Later, Alexander Vasiliev took the place of the judge (Nadezhda Babkina acted as a defender).
The show, under his leadership, Finnish journalist Cherstin Kronvall devoted a whole column in the publication of Yle, calling the program misogynistic. "The heroines of the program are always very cute. Apparently, their only fault is that their husbands are unhappy," she wrote in a critical column in the Yle edition. "But they are always wrong, that is, it is they who should change. Men they look quite usual: they have liquid hair or shaggy whirlwinds; they are skinny or with a beer belly, they can be dressed in a battered jacket or tracksuit, ”she wrote.
Presenter Alexander Vasilyev responded to criticism: “I do not blame this lady, I understand her perfectly,” the fashion historian said in an interview with the MIA “Russia Today”. “The Russian woman seems dangerous to her, not like her. In the West, many women began to play the role of men, they run the business, occupy posts in the government - we are not at this level yet. And our ladies see a kind of springboard in changing their appearance, this also applies to career and personal life. "
In one of the seasons, the management of Channel One went on an experiment, putting eccentric designer Andrei Bartenev in a chair, who recommended women to wear what they want, showered them with compliments. However, Alexander Vasilyev soon returned to the show. And when the Domashniy TV channel launched the friendly version of the Fashionable Inoculation dressing program with presenter Svetlana Bondarchuk, the press met her with strong surprise. "She is so fond of heroines, as if they have a native granny," wrote Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Modern Western shows do not rely on the wow effect of "was" - "became", but on the human stories of their characters
In 2012, the own re-make makeover show launched TNT TV channel - a psychologist was included in the presenters: according to the creators of the program, this helped to solve not only the “external”, but also the “internal” problem of the heroine. And finally, in 2014, a “dressing room” appeared on the JTS “Catch up in 24 hours” with permanent leader Alexander Rogov, who four years later became “Horn. Studio 24”.
Understanding the vulnerability of the format itself, modern Western transformation shows try to get rid of patterns and imperative intonations, relying not on the wow effect of "was" - "became", but on the human stories of their heroes. Such shows even launch streaming services like Netflix, and many of them, such as the incredibly popular Queer Eye in the States and around the world, have been on the air for more than one season. The principle of this show is not to change clothes or transform the hero externally, but to recognize his real desires and create a comfortable space, be it a house or new clothes.
Russian counterparts are often limited to formalities: for example, by inviting heroines with various forms to the studio, the presenters roll into recommendations like "this dress will decorate an hourglass figure." We asked Russian stylists of show-dressing about how their relations with the characters are developing and whether the approach to the shooting changes over time.
"Fashion sentence"
Catherine Zhuravleva
TV stylist
On the "Fashion sentence", which for convenience we often called simply "Fashion", I worked for two and a half years. This project is a huge colossus: there were about twenty stylists alone, but all of them, with rare exceptions, worked in pairs. The editors were looking for the heroines of the program, and as far as I know, they always had to be real people, not actresses. Emotions that we saw on the site, do not fake.
The “fashionable sentence” is removed by pools: in three or four days we transformed 12 or 16 heroines, respectively - four per day. Usually one such pool dropped out once every two or three weeks, and the rest of the time was occupied by the preparation for the shooting. We did not choose the heroines who had to be transformed, they were assigned to us by the chief stylist, focusing on the style of work of the stylists, the style of the heroine herself, her clothing size. We searched for clothes in an ordinary mass market like Zara, Marks & Spencer or Topshop, less often went to showrooms - there clothes cost more. The concept was always the same: we made up three images that were as different as possible: the first one, for example, could be business, the second one was relaxed casual, and the third one was a cocktail attire. If, due to the peculiarities of the figure, we could not do something radically different in meaning, then we experimented with colors. When I first started working there, the budget for one heroine was about 80 thousand rubles, but then it was reduced to 60-65 thousand. It is more difficult to work, because prices in stores did not fall, but grew. For women whose size was 52 or higher, it was difficult to find cool things not for the price of a tank, in such cases we tried to use the services of tailors.
We were caught up with the production time of the program: often we had only one day to dress the heroine. We could start early in the morning, and finish under the closure of the shopping center. Such shopping with stylists turned out to be exhausting, so the heroines — someone more, some less — complained of fatigue. In the process of selecting outfits, we did not discuss anything with them: their complete trust is an indispensable condition for participating in the program. A couple of times in my memory, the heroines expressed dissatisfaction, but in that case I said that she simply did not understand what design was in my head, did not see the whole image and therefore could not evaluate it objectively. In addition, we could have purely creative disagreements with a partner or, say, a chief stylist: it seemed to us that the image was successful, and he could “wrap” him. We had to redo it. “Fashionable sentence” collaborated with various beauty studios: hairdressers and makeup artists performed the task set by stylists.
The stylist on such a program is more than just a stylist, he must be a real psychologist. Some of the heroes are open to change, others are not very much - and, as I believe, the success of the transformation depended on their attitude. I remember we had a heroine with hair that was simply killed with cheap paint. When the barbers and I tried to figure out what to do with them, we came to the conclusion that it would be most logical for them to be cut off and repainted into a beautiful chestnut color. We got some kind of Audrey Hepburn, it was very beautiful. But the heroine, when she saw her reflection, was terrified. Clothing, of course, she did not like either. I tried to be calm about such situations, but still it was not very pleasant: you put a piece of your soul into the work, but you cannot appreciate it. But once I remember a really terrible case: one heroine (thank God, not ours) rushed to the program editor with scissors in her hands, because she absolutely did not want to cut her hair. By the way, there were no mirrors in the "magic room of the stylists", so what the stylists did to the heroines, they only found out on the podium.
I believe that any person who goes to the program with disguise, is well aware that he can wait there. The program is not the first year or even the first decade - the concept and format are known. People who agree to the shooting should understand that they will definitely not caress their heads and that they will “break”. Leading can be tough, but this is only a television image and an element of the show. Heroes of the program remains either to accept the rules of the game, or not to participate at all. It seems to me that often they go for such a strong "emotional jolt": they need someone to appreciate their appearance from the side and suggest what is wrong with them. As for the question, “for whom the heroines dress up, for those around them or for themselves,” the answer to it always depends on the particular heroine. I saw a few who, after shooting, really tried to maintain the proposed image for themselves. But there was an opposite example: a few months later the heroine returned to the same hairstyle and the same style from which she had left.
Reboot
Lina Dembikova
stylist and presenter
Our program is removed by the seasons, and in one shooting pool we have eight heroines. Each of them we need to pick up three outfits and the final dress - that is, only 32 images, and I have only 10-15 days to search for them. Each character has its own story, and for each one I create my own solution, so during the fittings I get about 50 images. Naturally, it is impossible to physically collect all this to me alone. Now six or eight people are working on the issue.
The most annoying thing is to cut off really cool images. Sometimes they turn out to be very fashionable, but the heroine is completely unsuitable for the task and the story. Therefore, our opinions often diverge from the creative producers of the project. I stubbornly uphold fashion and creativity, and they very fairly "put me down on the ground." It is impossible to take all the trends into the program, our task is first of all to demonstrate useful and wearable images. We have one feature in the process of fitting: the heroine has been blindfolded all this time so that she cannot see the chosen outfits. This is quite complicated and slows down the process of changing clothes. Do not forget that in our program, almost all girls do plastic surgery, and often the selection of things occurs after operations - and this is doubly difficult.
Sometimes we admire the whole team with the courage of our heroines, their endurance. There are girls who are glad and grateful to everyone. It is very disturbing to work with them: it always seems like a dirty trick. But it happens that from the very beginning they express their dissatisfaction: "it is inconvenient with the bandage", "tired of shopping", "everything is wrong, and everything is not that." Often they do not like the transformation, because to give up what you wore the last N years is not so easy. But in most cases, when girls see something absolutely unusual on themselves, they are lost at first, they do not know what to say, they themselves do not understand their reaction. They need time to get used to themselves new. They often say: “It’s not me at all, I’ve never been like this, I don’t recognize myself.” But we have to help them get through all the difficulties on the way to a new life, and often the girls check our team for sincerity, for stamina, for patience.
Our producers often take into the program girls with an un-fashioned figure, to show by their example that anyone can dress beautifully, regardless of height or figure. For example, recently we had a heroine with an increase of 191 centimeters and size XL. She was just all short and small. And before that there were two girls with a height of 154 centimeters - here we were saved by using clothes from the children's departments. The principles of bodypositive states that girls can be beautiful in any weight and height and figure, but this does not mean that they should not take care of themselves. We help the whole team to realize that they are beautiful if they learn to present themselves correctly. I personally teach heroines fashionable and beautiful to look regardless of the physique and features of the figure and appearance. Our program instills a love of self. And if a girl wants to make plastic for this, then we give her the opportunity. But we do not force anyone and do not urge to do surgical procedures. It all depends on the wishes and testimony of the doctor.
I do not believe in the history of "becoming beautiful for myself", because any person is a social being. It is clear that every girl comes to our project not only for herself. She has a husband, children, friends, and someone has a future elect in her thoughts. They all want to be complimented, admired, loved, because from the warmth of other people everyone becomes happier and kinder. Most of the girls come to us with complex stories, and we do our best to surround them with care and warmth. But there are also those who come for help, and on the set we understand that he does not want to make an effort. That's when we, the leaders, can be tough. We openly say that our program was created for those who want to get a chance for a better life, and not just a new chest and beautiful hair. As for the reaction of the heroines to our cues, then everything is also unpredictable. Sometimes girls are happy with every word and absorb every comment. Sometimes, they stand in a pose and do not accept a new one. Such denial usually means protection, but our task is to penetrate this protection with our desire to help.
We help those girls who come with a sincere story. Still, our program is not only about external transformation, but also about internal. Therefore, we look not so much at the external data of the heroines, as at their internal experiences. I do not believe that a new dress will save from conflicts in the family or solve other problems overnight. For the whole month, we help the team to immerse themselves in a new life and solve problems in a comprehensive manner. A beautiful image is a very important “cherry on the cake”, a beautiful start to a new life, but it all starts with the desire to solve the problem. To be honest, I find it difficult after a while to pick out some of the most striking transformation, because we all turn out to be real beauties. But in memory are their stories.
Especially memorable are girls who survived unthinkable cruelties: violence, tragedies and losses. They come so wounded that our program for them is the only chance to start a new life. In such cases, I clearly realize the social significance of our program: we really change the lives of girls, and sometimes we save whole families. Our heroines often write us messages, share their successes, tell us how they live, what has changed. And sometimes, when I come with lectures and master classes in different cities of Russia, they come to me just to see. It is very nice. I see their changes and I understand that everything was not in vain. Of course, there are those that disappear after the shooting from our field of vision, but we try to believe that they have not returned to the past lifestyle and thoughts.
"Horns. Studio 24"
Alexander Rogov
главный стилист телеканала СТС, ведущий шоу "Рогов. Студия 24"
Прошлым летом по моей инициативе мы закрыли "Успеть за 24 часа" и теперь работаем над "Рогов. Студия 24". Они отличаются глобально: "Успеть за 24 часа" было стандартным мейковер-шоу, где мы преображали одну героиню. Теперь мы работаем над парой, так что новый проект получился не совсем о моде, а об отношениях. Это могут быть абсолютные любые пары: например, мама с дочерью, мама и сын, золовка и невестка. У них всегда есть взаимные претензии к внешнему виду, но как показывает практика, эти претензии - лишь ширма для какой-нибудь более глубокой проблемы. It often happens that they come up with one problem, and during the filming another pops up - and the one who considered himself to be right, turns out to be guilty.
In the program "Horns. Studio 24" I combine several positions: I am a creative producer, a presenter, and a stylist. Every couple we shoot every day, and one film crew is one pair of heroes: we usually “drive” at 7:30 in the morning, and finish at around midnight. To do this, I need to wake up at 5:30 in the morning, and this is not easy. This show can teach our country to communicate: I believe that the inability to talk is the main scourge of our country. We learn to accept each other. We are different from standard makeover shows, we do not have the task of scoring airtime. We also do not aim to make a radical transformation for the sake of transformation. We have an individual approach to each hero. Removing this program, we understand that the whole family can see us, so there should not be any dill, "marginality" and digging in underwear.
The main question that we are asked in social networks: "What will happen to the heroes tomorrow? They will wake up, wash and become the same." I do not think so, because the opportunity to spend one day in the company of people who are passionate about their business is already in some sense changing lives. Often, our heroes raise such questions that they hadn’t even thought of before, but some old insults, fears, and experiences emerge in the studio. We follow many couples that have gone through our project - and many of them have changed relationships. Once an ordinary couple came to us: civil husband and wife. He, of course, wanted his wife to dress sexually - and after the program she, already transformed, realized that he simply did not love her, and decided to part with him. Another heroine, who worked as a speech therapist, let slip at the casting that she would like to change her profession and become a makeup artist. I asked Lena Krygina to do her a make-up, and the heroine was incredibly happy with such a surprise. So, after the shooting, she got a job working in her studio. The third heroine wanted to open her knitwear production - and now things of my clothing brand Alexandr Rogov are sewn right from her, she has become part of our team. We also had mothers of children with disabilities, and I, as a person whose family also has a child with special needs, understand how important a fashionable shake can be for them.
We have a specific budget for clothes for the heroes - 800 thousand rubles, which is allocated immediately to the shooting pool - these are usually five work shifts with a break per day. During this time we are preparing 30 images - three for each character. One by one is given to each of them. Heroes looking for a casting department that works on my tip. Search in various places - in social networks, for example. In addition, there is a special questionnaire on the JTS website, and all applications are necessarily considered. The most interesting get to work. We appreciate the "chemistry" of the characters, whether they can communicate with each other in front of the camera, make a complaint. And, of course, I, as a stylist, must evaluate the “transfigurability” of the characters. If the couple has a cool story, but in general they are pretty and look good, then the audience is unlikely to stay watching the program until the end. We never “disfigure” them on purpose, and the heroes come to the shooting in the very same thing that came to the casting. It is their decision how they will look to us. We do not want to lead our heroes to some standardized version - we start from their personal data, their own needs.
Naturally, I have an assistant, but I myself go shopping and collect all the clothes. Everything that I do happens not only with an eye on the average audience - I understand that my show can be seen, for example, by the editor of a fashion magazine or someone from fellow stylists. And I do not want to be ashamed of at least something. Such a system of work is my principal position, because I work with the heroes in the frame, and not just comment on someone’s choice. As soon as I turn into a talking head, I will leave.
I have to feel the heroes, I must understand what is right for them, which will help me visually transform them so that they internally change and understand what they can be. I do not like to deceive the audience, because they always feel false.
PHOTO:Channel One, STS, TNT