Makeovers are happening everywhere. The campus is being revamped constantly, apartments are being redecorated, and the students reinvent themselves.

The place that I believe is in 'serious need' of a makeover is the fashion media industry. With current trends in television such as reality TV, audiences of America are given style. The show could be "Design on a Dime" or "Fashion Police," inundating the public with new trends.

The approach that many of these shows take to get viewers is through personal improvement. Everyone has had a bad fashion day or a messy apartment. These shows play on our inabilities to 'keep it all together.' A husband can now take his homemaker wife to "Style Court" for being frumpy, or a design team can revamp a trashed house to perfection.

Whichever scenario you identify with (because no one can truly keep it all together all the time), you are more likely to watch. As a result, the fashion media have helped people who are not hip with the new trend (or don't understand feng shui) get up to speed.

This doesn't mean all people will follow what they suggest but that people are being made constantly aware of their inadequacies. Makeover shows are by far the most interesting, as they provide the viewer with a program that builds them up to the instant gratification of a makeover if they watch the last five minutes.

If it looks so easy on TV, isn't it also attainable in real life? The answer to this question is not clear. Some participants in makeovers embrace change, while others revert back to their 'unfashionable' ways. There are no guarantees in this process but viewing pleasure.

There are also different shows like "Fashion Trance" where any designer runway show is televised and commented on. These types of shows have pop-up information on the screen that could pertain to the designer, show or trend. In the background is hip techno music that accompanies the waif models. These shows are also problematic because people may not appreciate or understand the exhibition of the design process.

A runway show is very different from a 'fashion alert' in Cosmo. There are several types of collections (couture being one) and artistic capability in runway shows. It is more about a designer dictating his or her own style rather than following cue. The accompaniment of pop-ups will say anything from the designer's heritage to "key item" or "key trend."

As a current design student and an aspiring fashionista, I believe this show materializes art. Fashion comes from a personal place in each designer and in each person. It is a representation of our ability to understand what is going on around us and who we are. Fashion media have recently taken steps to depict true creativity. It may mold and influence us, but it also has the capability to inspire.

If I watch a fashion style program and I like the colors a designer used, I can then choose to adopt it and put my own spin on it. The problem that may arise from doing this is imitating a total look for the sake of its popularity.

For example: the gaucho pant. Last year, this was one of the most popular pair of pants to be seen in. They were seen as comfortable, flattering and versatile. With its obvious benefits, these pants were also a seriously well-hyped item in the fashion media.

Every media outlet from Lucky Magazine to the show "How Do I Look?" capitalized on marketing this already popular fashion. This caused the gaucho pant to go from top album to overplayed single. The pants were great but became mass produced and unoriginal.

This situation is just an example of the many styles that can heavily filter through the industry. Although many shows can contribute to the mass produced consumer lifestyle, other shows can contribute to the understanding and appreciation of the design process.

The best example I can think of is "Project Runway." Putting the drama of reality TV aside, the documented challenges and strengths of each project and each designer display a warranted passion for fashion. It is a competition, but it is also a defining moment for many of the prospective designers. They are given critique and praise through the projects they tackle.

If you are someone who aspires to be a designer, take a look at this show. This show is the Mecca of trend, passion and originality. These designers embody an artistic community of fashion, concerned with construction, color, fit … etc.

This show does not represent many of the common narcissistic or stereotypical values. They all value details, execution, originality and making it to the finish line.

I have been inspired as well as informed by this show that fashion isn't easy. It takes hard work, perseverance, creativity and time. The fashion media have their costs and benefits to the creation of style.

I guess the bottom line is truly determined by the audience. How malleable are we? Am I being overly influenced by "Project Runway"? I am still not totally sure.

It is difficult to gauge how much we as college students respond to these media influences because we are all different. Fashion (in general) can be so impressionable due to its visual and artistic message. Just as a designer can be inspired by icons like Coco, they can also be inspired by Dali. Fashion is art, and art is beautiful.

Whether you are an avid supporter of the fashion industry or couldn't care less, consider fashion's artistic capabilities. Like art, we can say whatever we want.

In this country, our expressive freedom is the law of the land. To keep an open mind and not overlook iconic designers of Chanel's caliber will further creative and cultural expression. Being able to understand the status quo while creatively expressing ourselves is truly fashionable.

Melissa Eisenberg is a sophomore planning to major in journalism. She can be reached for question or comment at [email protected].