Makeover to improve, not change

By Jane Muhlstein

I am a girl who understands the value of a makeover. Many people rely on ice cream and chocolate for those hard times life throws their way. But I happen to know for a fact that the absolute best way to recover from one of life's many setbacks (a bad grade, a breakup, finals, etc.) is to treat oneself to highlights and a new wardrobe. I am a firm believer in the mysterious healing power of retail therapy. Fitting into those jeans from your junior year of high school doesn't hurt, either.

That said, there is also something powerful about being happy with who you are - at least some version of who you are. A new class in the reality TV craze is a twist on the classic makeover format, and strikes me as incredibly unhealthy.

Shows like MTV's "I Want a Famous Face" and VH1's "From Flab to Fab," employing methods from fitness routines and salon visits to liposuction and rhinoplasty, help subjects look like the celebrities of their choice.

I will admit to coveting the bodies of Britney, J.Lo and Beyonce. If you have ever seen any of these lovely ladies, there is no explanation needed. But the truth is, maintaining a body like that is a combination of almost-godly genes, and a workout regiment that equates a full-time job. I long-ago accepted the fact that if I were miraculously given the body of Britney Spears, I would ruin it in a week with my lack of discipline.

I am all for shows like "A Makeover Story" and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." Let's be honest, some people need a little bit of help in the fashion and grooming departments. And helping someone get into better shape is never a bad thing. And why not let the rest of us get a little entertainment out of it?

A good makeover can be just the trick to help someone gain positive recognition from others and some much-needed self-confidence. But the most important aspect of any successful makeover is that it helps the subject to be happy about who they already are.

I am well aware that I sound a bit like Pollyanna here, but there's something to be said for individuality. Even celebrities have issues with their looks. We've all seen those sections in tabloids that catch people like Elizabeth Hurley and Jennifer Aniston grocery shopping on a Saturday morning, and they really don't look that different than the rest of us.

Improvement is always good, and there is always room for improvement. The trick is to accept who you are and play up what you've got. Why try to be a cheaper, faker, slightly less attractive version of Pamela Anderson? Isn't a better goal to be a better version of yourself? Way too cheesy, I know, but be all YOU can be.

And I have a final word of advice to that transgendered individual I saw on "I Want a Famous Face" a couple of weeks ago, trying to look like Jennifer Lopez: you looked less like a drag queen before you had the J.Lo makeover.

à Contact Jane Muhlstein at (408) 554-4546 or jmuhlstein@scu.edu.