In the late 90s and early to mid 2000s, there was a very big theme in TV and film. And that was fashion. From shows like “Ugly Betty” and “Sex and the City” to movies like “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” there was a heavy emphasis on clothing and fashion at the time. Fashion serves as an archival function, whether it’s reflecting trends of the time or celebrating the art of the period, but where did shows and movies like this go?
I could be nostalgic for the feel good fashion series like “Ugly Betty” or “Sex and the City,” and how they reimagined journalism and fashion all at once, but as a communication major who takes a heavy interest in fashion and pop culture it has me wondering why aren’t there shows like this today. Yes, there’s “Emily in Paris,” “The Bold Type,” and “Girlboss” as examples as recent shows revolving around journalism, fashion, and pop culture, but they haven’t necessarily made waves in the same ways that the older shows did.
It can be hard to navigate the television scene in terms of fashion today for many reasons. The first is with our constantly changing and incessant trend cycles, TV shows and movies can hardly keep up with the trends. This leads into the next point where fast fashion has generally killed the concept of timeless pieces and personal style and the fashion industry is being exposed for its contribution to environmental and ethical issues. Aside from TV, the industry itself is corrupt in many ways from exacerbating body image issues to neglecting human welfare to imposing environmental damages throughout the world. But, that doesn’t mean that these issues have to continue in the industry and in the shows and movies that reflect it.
The shows and movies of the 90s and 00s surrounding fashion felt very authentic because they focused on personal identity and style. The writing felt real and the characters were personable and easy to connect with. Even looking at ratings the 2000s shows had much higher scores than the ones somewhat comparable to today. “Sex and the City” received an 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes compared to its reboot “And Just Like That” which only got a 33% audience score.
Now the older shows didn’t age well in terms of some of their jokes and messages. There was a lot of fatphobia and they were immensely lacking in diversity — “Ugly Betty” had some moments of inclusion but there were still many issues in the show surrounding it. So, to “bring back fashion TV,” it needs to be inclusive, relevant, yet still authentic, something which many of the shows today seem to miss the mark on for their writing and fashion choices.
Why I think we should bring back fashion journalism television and films is because they spoke to our sense of self and style, something that is treasured nowadays. Social media and other content has made it much more difficult for us to reach toward this sense of authenticity and personal style that these shows brought. I believe that finding this in our media can help us feel connected to our sense of fashion and self as well as help change the values of the fashion industry to something better in this age of digital journalism and trend cycles.