On ‘What Not to Wear’ the guest either ‘gets it’ or doesnt. Ususally they get it.
By ‘get it’ i mean theres a moment where the viewer can see that something clicks with the guest. They let go of their outdated or preconcieved notions of fashion.
The guests for the show are chosen for good reason. They all have the wrong ideas about, or are improperly dependent on fashion.
The themes are familiar:
Guests improperly using fashion to mask their real age.
Improperly using fashion to mask weight gain.
Poorly using fashion to ‘express individuality’.
Believeing that revealing clothing = sexy or attractive.
Using ‘comfort’ as an excuse to dress shabbily.
Guests assuming that fashion is too difficult, expensive, or time consuming.
Guests assuming that they dont have what it takes to carry the look off.
Guests dressing for an self generated image of themselves rather than their actual selves.
If the guest has an open mind, trusts and takes the hosts advice there comes a moment in the show where the guests lets go of their old notions or dependence on bad fashion.
Once theyve stopped using their fashion crutch theyre free to try new and correct items, from then on. In other words, at least for that show, it looks to me like it sticks.