Kiss & makeover: the case against the case against tube tops

Washington Monthly, Sept, 2003 by Sarah Wildman

Somehow I don't always find it uplifting to see the formerly resistant fashion victim submit to the hosts' dictates in the end. In her video diary, the voiceover tells us that, before, Ann was a "frumpy suburban mom" (ouch!) who just needed someone to tell her that she is beautiful. Though she's convincingly remade to look glamorous and sophisticated, I wonder just what was so terribly wrong with the frumpy original Ann, whose identity was more defined by her incredible philanthropic gestures--she trains seeing-eye dogs, among other things, it's hard to go more heart-of-gold than that--than by her wardrobe. What exactly was misguided about her quirky choices and baggy sweaters, besides being out of sync with the dictates of Madison Avenue fashionistas--especially when Ann is not even a Manhattanite herself? The old Ann's preference for spending money on charity instead of fashion is at least as noble a choice as any. Even her husband seems a bit disconcerted by the new style-conscious Ann. Though he set her up, he admits to being somewhat concerned that she's become someone he can't compete with. "I'm going to have to upgrade my lifestyle," he says, with a worried laugh, upon her return.

Given the high price of her new winter wardrobe, it's not clear whether she'll keep up her new image come summer season. She and her husband seem like a sweet couple; for their sake, I'm rooting for Ann to keep some of her old baggy T-shirts and save her spare cash for a much-needed vacation.

Sarah Wildman is a Washington, D.C., writer.