What happened to makeover shows??

And should they make a comeback?

Before my brain was mature enough to see why some TV shows back in the ‘90s and early 2000s could be controversial or problematic, make-over shows were my favorite thing on TV. It could be making over a person, a house, or a garden. There was just something about a dramatic before and after that attracted me to them. I also found them really inspiring, not because of how someone's hairstyle could make them look 10 years younger or how relaxing a small water feature could make an average backyard, but because of the experts with their wealth of knowledge on one particular niche subject. It was almost unfathomable to me how one person could know so much about one thing and have every answer to every question they were asked.

I found the fashion and beauty experts to be the most inspirational, and I credit these people for why I initially joined the fashion industry. I was always so impressed when a stylist changed the shape of someone’s jeans and gave them a chunky belt, and suddenly the person undergoing the makeover was transformed, or a makeup artist gave tips on how easy it was to create a “simple look” with a brown eyeliner. The knowledge of transformation and the know-how to make someone feel better through something that seemed achievable for everyone was something I wanted to possess.

Although I didn’t realize it then, these shows got increasingly out of hand. Looking back on some of them now may make you cringe or laugh at the old-fashioned style choices, backhanded compliments the hosts would give the participants or just straight-up insults, but one show I loved not only changed the participants physically but emotionally as well.