TLC's 'Making Over America' Vs. 'What Not to Wear'

I absolutely loved the British version of 'What Not to Wear' starring Trinny (the skinny one) and Susannah (who manages to make herself known as "the one with big boobs" rather than just "the big one" thanks to her embracing of cleavage). So I was excited to learn that an American version of 'What Not to Wear' was going to air on TLC. But while I've enjoyed this show over the last few years, I've been reminded of what I missed out on when I lost BBC America with TLC's new show that brings re-introduces us American prudes to Trinny & Susannah, 'Making Over America'.

Stacy and Clinton of 'What Not to Wear' do a decent job of making the show entertaining with their snarky comments and somewhat harsh criticism of their guests, but these fashion snobs have nothing on Susannah and Trinny, who do something Stacy and Clinton only manage to do on rare occasions: actually make me laugh out loud.

The show 'Making Over America' follows a similar premise of that of 'What Not to Wear', with Susannah and Trinny making over a victim of bad fashion. However, the two are a lot more intrusive that Stacy Clinton when it comes to invading one's private space, moving in next-door in their cozy little RV and doing things to their female guests that would get Clinton slapped with a sexual harassment suit.

Part of 'Making Over America', apparently, is making women more comfortable with their bodies by grabbing handfuls of their fleshy bits and calling them "delicious" when suggesting the right types of undergarments to wear. Susannah and Trinny do a good job of reminding us Americans of how different things are in our parent country; would Stacy ever lift up her skirt in a store to show the poor shocked woman she's trying to make over her panties, for example? The two can be a bit harsh sometimes, with Susannah comparing one of their victims to a pretzel with saddlebags, and Susannah looking down her shirt and telling the poor woman that she was overjoyed that she had no boobs, but somehow they just have a more profound effect on the women they make over. The two of them waste no time in grabbing their victims' boobs and bums to see exactly what they're working with, and their idea of style is much different than that of Stacy and Clinton in that the clothing they choose is not always something that would be considered in style; it's simply clothing that makes their "victims" happy.

The gals love color, and Trinny is often seen donning some pretty outrageous outfits that Stacy wouldn't be caught dead in. And whereas 'What Not to Wear' victims often suffer nervous breakdowns when Stacy and Clinton turn them loose in the wardrobe wilderness of New York, Susannah and Trinny's subjects transform into joyous, liberated shopaholics when they set out to define their style alone.

I'd love to see a TLC 'What Not to Wear' and 'Making Over America' crossover where the two dynamic duos try to make each other over, but, like most Americans, I don't think Stacy and Clinton are ready for their very liberal counterparts.