“What Not to Wear,” a TLC show dedicated to saving fashion victims from themselves, is a modern miracle. For a show that’s all about spending money, it rests on a philosophical base that’s not very far off from what simplicity groupies believe.
Wait for It, Wait for It…
The shows highlights one new (usually) woman each week who is nominated by her loved ones for her horrific wardrobe. Then our hosts, Stacy and Clinton, ambush the victim on camera and offer a $5,000 New York shopping spree in exchange for giving themselves up, “mind, body, and wardrobe.” The victim is then subjected to a range of torture methods, most of which end in being mocked by family, friends, and our genial hosts. Sounds awful, right?
Here’s the amazing thing. Each week, you see a person go from being insecure and image-conscious to confident and excited about life in a period of about three days. How do they do it? What Not to Wear does the same thing I would do: they force people to get rid of the crap in their lives.
Lessons in Simplicity from What Not to Wear
I’m not going to pretend that What Not to Wear is some kind quasi-Zen guide to life. It’s not. But the show’s intention is more admirable than you might think. Their ultimate goal each week is to make a woman’s life better by teaching her to be comfortable with herself. While designer clothes might not be the most ideal tool to do this, it works. Here’s what you can take from the show and apply to your own life:
Your personality does not rest in your clothes. There’s a part in the show where Stacy and Clinton go through the woman’s wardrobe and throw out the items that don’t flatter her. Usually, this leaves 98 percent of items in the trash can. The women freak out, cry, swear, and pick fights over the disputed items (including polyester ponchos and glitter boots). The most common battle cry is, “These clothes are who I am!” and, “But this piece shows off my fun/unique/quirky personality!” Their appeals fall on deaf ears and the offensive items are given away. And you know what? The women still manage to retain their personalities! It’s a miracle! Because the hosts know something these women don’t: personality has nothing to do with what you wear. Your personality lies in the way you carry yourself, live your life, and interact with others. The clothes are nothing but a crutch–a crutch that actually prevents a lot of people from noticing these women’s true personalities because they’re too distracted by exposed bellies and/or psychedelic colors.
To make room in your life for something new, you have to get rid of something old. The only way these women are able to move forward is because they’ve cleaned out the old remnants of their lives and dreams. Not only is there not physical space for two wardrobes, there’s not room in your mind. Trying to balance two versions of your dreams, your friends, and yourself is a recipe for disaster. Letting go of the old visions you have, along with most of the physical reminders (from old movie tickets to beat-up sweatshirts) gives you room to create new ideas and habits. You don’t have to let go of the memories or the lessons learned, just the life-stopping, deadening weight of the past.
Feeling good about yourself benefits everyone. Most women chosen for the show seem like genuinely good people. They have friends who adore them, bosses who value their work, and families that love them. They give all their energy to make these people happy, and leave very little for themselves. In fact, they seem to think that any attention or money they spend on themselves is wrong. But once these women are forced to treat themselves and let people take care of them, it’s fascinating to watch them blossom. When they’re reunited with their friends and family, the comments go something like this: “She’s just glowing,” “I love seeing her this happy,” and, “She’s so much more confident and in control.” The people who love you don’t want you to sacrifice everything for them. They want you to be happy and excited about life. Treating yourself now and then and taking time for yourself doesn’t have to be selfish. Sometimes it’s the best way to make sure your loved ones get to spend time with the best “you” possible.
It’s not what you buy that makes you happy, it’s what you let go of. As adorable as the women of What Not to Wear look in their new outfits, I don’t think it’s the clothes that really make them happy. My theory is that it’s the freedom they feel that makes them seem so light and carefree. They’ve been relieved of the burden of being who they think they have to be, something that was reinforced every day when they put on clothes that symbolized years of bad habits and low self-image. The feeling is almost tangible; they’ve realized that no matter how old they are or where they are in life, they have endless possibilities in front of them. If you want to feel better, you probably don’t need a $5,000 Visa debit card. You may just need to let go of the “stuff” that’s holding you back.
译文:
让你继续“衣着大禁忌”
“衣着大禁忌”，一个tlc生活频道致力于为他们自己储存时尚受害者的节目是一个现代奇迹。它是一个完全有关如何花钱的节目，立足于哲学基础，预流行乐队迷所相信的简洁离得不远。
敬请期待
这个节目每周都会聚焦一个衣橱被亲友提名为非常糟糕的女人。随后我们的主持人，丝达茜和克林顿，给这个受害者埋伏了照相机并提供了5000美金的纽约购物狂欢，以交换让她们脱胎换骨，包括“思想，身体和衣橱。”这个受害者随即遭受一系列的折磨方法，她们大多数最后会被家人，朋友和我们亲切的主持人嘲弄。听上去不错吧？
以下是令人惊异的事。每周，你会看到一个人走出不安定和拍照恐惧，在三天的时间内对生活拥有自信和激情。她们是怎么做到的？“衣着大禁忌”做了我会做的事：他们强迫人们走出生活的阴影。
“衣着大禁忌”教你的简单的事
我并不打算伪称“衣着大禁忌”是某种生活中的禅宗。它也并不是。但是这个节目的意图比你可能想到的更令人钦佩。它们每周的最终目的都是通过教一个女人如何正确穿着，以让她获得更好的生活。尽管出自设计师的衣服可能不是最理想的达到这个目的的方法，但是它行得通。看看你能从这个节目上能得到什么能对你自己的生活有用：
你的个性不局限于你的穿着。在节目中有个环节，丝达西和克林顿把这个女人的衣橱中不能给她添色的衣物一并扔掉。通常，有98%的衣物在这样的清扫中进入垃圾桶。那个女人抓狂，大叫，诅咒，为那些有争议的衣物而斗（包括聚酯雨布和闪亮的靴子）。最普遍的战斗中的呼喊即是“这些衣服就代表了我！”和“但是这些衣服表现出我有趣的/特别的/离奇的个性！”她们的控诉被听而不闻，这些冒犯的物件被扔掉。你猜发生什么？这些女人仍旧设法保留她们的个性！这是个奇迹！因为主持人知道这些女人不知道的是：个性与你穿什么无关。你的个性展现在你如何表现自己，过你的生活，和与他人交流中。衣服什么都不代表，只是一个拐杖。这个拐杖事实上阻止了那些被露出的小腹和绚烂的颜色吸引的人注意到女人真实的个性。
为了让你的生活有接收新事物的空间，你必需丢掉些旧东西。女人能前进的唯一路径是因为她们已经清理了她们生活和美梦的旧残余。不仅是你的两个衣橱没有实际空间，你的脑子也没有。试着去平衡你的梦想，朋友和你自己的两种形式是应对灾难的处方。让旧景随着大部分的物质提醒远去（从旧电影票到破旧的运动衫），给你空间去创造新思想和习惯。你不需要抛弃记忆或者学到的知识，只是让生活暂停，隔音材料的重量留在过去。
对人人又益，感觉不错。大部分被选入这个节目的女人看上去都是真诚的好人。她们被朋友爱慕，老板看重她们的工作，有家人爱她们。事实上，她们似乎觉得任何花在她们自己身上的钱是种错误。但是一旦这些女人被迫善待自己并让人们打典好她们，看到她们绽放光芒是令人着魔的。当她们重新与朋友和家人团聚，会有像这样的说法：“她刚刚才长大，”“我喜欢看到她这么开心”，还有，“她变得自信和镇定许多。”这些爱你的人不希望你为他们牺牲所以的东西。他们希望你开心，对生活有激情。任何时候善待自己，留给自己时间不算自私。有时候这是最好的方法来确信你爱的人能与最好的你渡过美好时间。
不是你买的东西让你开心，而是你放开的东西。这些参加“衣着大禁忌”换上新装备的女人们如此可爱，我并不觉得这些衣服是真正让她们开心的原因。我的理论是她们感觉到的自由让她们看起来轻松又无忧无虑。她们已经松开了包袱，不用再去做她们认为必需去做的那个人，当她们穿上代表她们这些年的坏习惯和低自我的旧衣服，有些东西每日都在增加。这种感觉几乎切实；她们认识到了生活中不管她们有多老或不管她们在哪，她们对自己都有无限可能性。如果你想要感觉更好，你或许并不需要一张5000美元的借记卡。你可能只需要放开那些把你绑在过去的东西。