Skin Care Tip & Info -Makeover Mania

The Popularity of Personal Makeover Shows

Advice Seeker: Dear April,

It seems like every time I turn on the television, there's a new makeover show on. People are so interested in seeing how a person can go from looking ugly or just OK to looking like a beautiful swan. I don't understand what is making this trend so huge. Any ideas?

Sincerely,

More Makeovers

April Masini's advice:

Dear More Makeovers,

Personal makeovers are not new. In fact, they've been the mainstay of women's magazines for decades. What is new is that technology has allowed for so many, many new entertainment venues like cable television stations that never existed before, pod-casts, and websites. Now that there are so many places for entertainment viewing, there is a greater than ever need for content. And cheap content is what keeps websites and television shows that are not rich-network driven in business. Personal makeovers are proven entertainment, and because they don't require celebrities and stars -- in fact, they thrive on being about "real people" -- they are the perfect content for this new age of abundant entertainment outlets.

That's what's behind the trend in more personal makeovers.

One off-shoot of the trend in personal makeovers is that to just re-do a person's hair and makeup is no longer enough to get audiences. Entertainment producers have upped the ante by pushing the makeover envelope. Extreme makeovers that include plastic surgery and therapy is now prime time fare. In fact plastic surgery shows that are really makeover shows, have taken the makeover surgical.

Then there are life makeovers. Financial makeovers. Relationship makeovers. The boundaries are limitless -- and we will see them pushed as the venues for entertainment continue to expand in the wake of our technological revolution, and the need for more makeovers to fill these time slots and cyber spaces will grow.