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Post by Astral Echo on Dec 3, 2009 9:03:57 GMT -5
This question is aimed more specifically at the females members of this forum but I'd appreciate it if you could give me an honest, educated answer as I am planning to use some of your answers as research for my latest essay. So, did the introduction of revealing costumes from Season 4/5 on wards ruin your enjoyment of the show? And did any of you turn off before the end of the series and was this one of the reasons you stopped watching. If not, feel free to give your reasons. Thanks and enjoy the discussion.  |
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Esmeralda
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Post by Esmeralda on Dec 3, 2009 9:13:16 GMT -5
Honestly? Not really. Phoebe's ultra-skanky clothes emphasized her change to PhoeME/Freebie, but I would've felt that way anyway. I didn't really notice the difference in either Paige's or Piper's clothes. Their changes in personality took away from my enjoyment of the show much more than their clothes.
ETA: Thinking about it, I noticed the change in clothes and hairstyles and personality during The WB promoes for Charmed much more than I did during the show--like the banner that used to be on this site, where the thing you notice first was Alyssa's boobs almost falling out of her top. (and that picture was of Holly, Alyssa and Rose, not Piper, Prue and Paige) That irrirated the crap out of me, the way it did for all of The WB's promos those last couple of seasons for that reason--none of them, even Alyssa, looked nothing like their characters looked on the show. It looked like promoes for Sex in the City much more than Charmed. I'm not surprised that that was The WB's last gasp. If I wasn't already watching the show and wasn't determined to continue watching it, no way those promoes would've attracted my attention--I don't like soft porn without a story.
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Post by dylan345 on Dec 3, 2009 11:26:51 GMT -5
The costumes did contribute. Most of it was obviously things like the storylines and how I feel the show lost it's focus, but the costumes did play a part.
The first really revealing costume that comes to mind was Phoebe as a mermaid. I thought it was over the top, but I wasn't as bothered by it because it was the first time that happened. Then when they had her become other things, including naked in the one episode of season seven, it became irritating. It was obvious they were trying to show her off to get more viewers. Plus, with all the focus on her and her outfits (or lack there of), there was less attention put on the storyline. It became more of putting Alyssa in something revealing rather than having a good storyline.
Another thing was the characters that went along with the costumes. For instance, when they made Phoebe the goddess of love after all her issues with love over the seasons, I had to roll my eyes. It was just too easy and obvious of a thing to do. You had Paige become the goddess of war and Piper the earth goddess, two things that fit their personalities, and then the writers completely ignore all the cool traits about Phoebe that they could have emphasized, like how she was such a free spirit or willing to take risks, or how much she liked to have fun.
So yes, costumes had an effect and the characters that went along with them contributed.
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Post by marienomad on Dec 3, 2009 16:18:01 GMT -5
The costumes did contribute. Most of it was obviously things like the storylines and how I feel the show lost it's focus, but the costumes did play a part. The first really revealing costume that comes to mind was Phoebe as a mermaid. I thought it was over the top, but I wasn't as bothered by it because it was the first time that happened. Then when they had her become other things, including naked in the one episode of season seven, it became irritating. It was obvious they were trying to show her off to get more viewers. Plus, with all the focus on her and her outfits (or lack there of), there was less attention put on the storyline. It became more of putting Alyssa in something revealing rather than having a good storyline. Another thing was the characters that went along with the costumes. For instance, when they made Phoebe the goddess of love after all her issues with love over the seasons, I had to roll my eyes. It was just too easy and obvious of a thing to do. You had Paige become the goddess of war and Piper the earth goddess, two things that fit their personalities, and then the writers completely ignore all the cool traits about Phoebe that they could have emphasized, like how she was such a free spirit or willing to take risks, or how much she liked to have fun. I thought that Phoebe was more like the Goddess of Lust with her doing all that stuff and I just couldn't believe that she's an expert in love. Anyway, back to the topic, it's kinda a symptom that there were more revealing costumes. However, Piper had been wearing somewhat more prudent clothes but that's normal since she's a mother of two. Paige had remained the same. Phoebe's the only one that seems to like to take her clothes off. |
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Post by Fourever Charmed on Dec 3, 2009 17:36:03 GMT -5
So, did the introduction of revealing costumes from Season 4/5 on wards ruin your enjoyment of the show? The introduction of revealing costumes did not begin in season four. It was present in season three and even as far back as season two (i.e. Prue in "Ms. Hellfire"). I really don't recall anything too revealing in season four. (Note: I don't consider "revealing" and "raunchy" to always be the same thing.) I remember Paige wore some pretty short skirts, but I don't really count that as extremely revealing. It was just part of her character: she was young, fun, flirty and personally I rather liked a lot of her clothes in S4. The long shirts (with the sleeves that cover the hands), the mini skirts, and the boots went well together and fit her youthful characterization. The only "costumes" I really remember from that season were Piper as a fury in "Hell Hath No Fury," The Evil Enchantress clothes, and Paige's vampire costume in "Bite Me." But those were no more revealing (perhaps even less revealing) than some of the costumes from season two and three: like Prue's Ms. Hellfire outfits, Prue's Halloween witch costume, Phoebe's Elvira costume, Phoebe's colonial dress, Piper's possession clothes in "Coyote Piper," and Phoebe's banshee costume to name a few. Sex sells, of course, which was why even in the first three seasons, the girls began to wear more revealing clothing with each passing season. Just look at what Prue wore in "Something Wicca This Way Comes" and then check out the see-through black top which clearly shows off her black bra underneath in "All Hell Breaks Loose." But I think the downfall - for both the show's storylines and many of its costumes - came in season five. Phoebe's mermaid costume was insane. That was a costume I would categorize as raunchy, not just revealing. I read somewhere that they literally painted those scales onto her breasts. That's just going too far! I would've much preferred her to at least wear a traditional top instead of basically seeing her girls on full display on my television. It was like watching those crappy commercials for the Girls Gone Wild videos. Speaking of naked costumes, "The Bare Witch Project" in season seven was no better. There were others as well (I wasn't fond of Phoebe's Demonatrix costume for example), but the above mentioned costumes were the worst instances that come to mind. But the costumes were only a small portion of the big reason my enjoyment of the show grew less and less. The cheesy fairytale/superhero storylines, Super Brat, and the male domination of the show which was extremely heavy between seasons five and eight (though cases of this can also be seen in seasons three and four when Kern was making is takeover) is what really infuriated me. (Though to be fair, the "sexy"  costumes do fall into the category of the show becoming male dominated, because it projects the sisters and women in general as sexual objects instead of as people.) |
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Post by ljones on Dec 3, 2009 18:24:16 GMT -5
I also believe that the Tasteless Era of Ellish began in Season 2. Prue's Ms. Hellfire outfit still makes me wince. And Phoebe's Mata Hari outfilt, along with some other atrocious and skanky outfits turned out to be just too much for me.
But if I must be honest, Season 5 really began my disenchantment with CHARMED. While watching "A Witch's Tail", I had noticed that the production values seemed cheaper and the writing not as top notch. Then you had episodes like "Witches in Tights", "Centennial Charmed", "Baby's First Demon", "Lucky Charmed" and especially "Nymphs Just Wanna Have Fun" which really signaled the end for me, as far as "CHARMED" was concerned. Only one episode really stood out for me during this entire period - Season 6's "Chris-Crossed".
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pixiesunbelle
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Post by pixiesunbelle on Dec 10, 2009 22:28:37 GMT -5
I think it would have made more sense to use sea shells like every other portrayal of a mermaid. I honestly thought it was ridiculous to be that revealing. However, i love every episode of Charmed. The clothes really don't make it or break it for me.
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Post by ghostrider on Dec 19, 2009 1:25:48 GMT -5
I can't honestly say that in the beginning it ruined the show for me...no, it was more like a surprise. Having lived and worked in the area, I found some of the outfits out of place do to weather conditions. San Francisco can be rather chilly, so I thought the lack of clothing not very believable. Now if you reside in southern California you might be able to pull some of that off. Since the show was filmed there I could see how they could get away with this, without the girls coming down with the flu...but it wasn't realistic.
Now my memory may not serve me well, but the first sister I remember sporting skimpy apparel that did not work for me was my favorite...Prue. In the beginning she dressed smartly but a bit conservatively. Considering her profession I found that very appropriate. But her style of dress changed drastically as time when by. The scarf like tops with the spaghetti strap backs were to me ridiculous. No...I am not a prude. If I had her figure and I was at the beach....well, rock and roll. But that was not the case.
Okay, Prue is gone, Paige arrives....things get sillier. So what is up with this. Well, until I joined The Cafe I didn't know about the change in writers. Connie and Brad were not names I knew as I didn't follow that aspect of the show. A lot of my education has been taught to me from the members here. With this new found knowledge I now think that the wiggle/jiggle look might be contributed to by the King that took control from the Queen who created the show in the first place.
Once he took command the occasional come hither look (which is acceptable and expected from attractive young single woman playing the dating game) turned into a Hugh Hefner Bunny party that might have done better aired at a later time. So what does this tell us? It has already been said....Sex...Sells. But was that what this show was about?
I became interested in Charmed because I loved the unity the girls shared. There were problems, but they tried to work through them and deal with a heritage they knew very little about. I thought for the most part that they handled it well. I don't think the "Sex in the City" thing was necessary, and did diminish the original idea.
Did it truly ruin the show...maybe, but with the writing going down hill with Kern at the controls...better outfits or not...the demon doomed it...regardless.
Dear Mr. Kern, thank you for the lovely meal but I think I will take a pass on the desert tray as your only offerings are Cheese Cake and Jello. Yours Truly....GR
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2015 1:42:06 GMT -5
It did.
They should have kept "Hellish" far away from Charmed.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2015 13:12:10 GMT -5
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Charmed, at the beginning, was supposed to be a show about sisterhood and female empowerment. It was a trio of sisters who were meant to save the day, and the leads, despite their strength as witches, were still meant to be relatable for young women. They were still normal women with lives that didn't revolve entirely around men, which, sadly, is still as hard to find on TV shows today as it was in 1998. A lot of that relatability was lost when the era of Hellish and skimpy costumes began. The sisters were no longer strong, relatable female characters, but instead, sex objects for Horny Teenage Boys. The show became less about female empowerment and more about the Male Gaze. Not so coincidentally, the sisters' lives also started to revolve entirely around men at this time. Piper's storylines were mostly about Leo and her sons, while Phoebe's centered around either Cole or her Slampiece of the Week. Paige barely had any storylines to even speak of. This, of course, all led up to an ending that sent home the message that none of the sisters could ever find true happiness without a husband and children. By then, it was less about sisterhood and more about landing a man.
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Post by Melinda Halliwell on Jul 30, 2015 13:28:58 GMT -5
I must say I did prefer the clothes the sisters wore in season 1 more than the latter ones as I related to them better character wise then I think plus liked them further as women whereas later on I thought god sack what are you trying to do hey just get men then or something? Err man.
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Post by lilchi7212 on Jul 30, 2015 13:30:27 GMT -5
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Charmed, at the beginning, was supposed to be a show about sisterhood and female empowerment. It was a trio of sisters who were meant to save the day, and the leads, despite their strength as witches, were still meant to be relatable for young women. They were still normal women with lives that didn't revolve entirely around men, which, sadly, is still as hard to find on TV shows today as it was in 1998. A lot of that relatability was lost when the era of Hellish and skimpy costumes began. The sisters were no longer strong, relatable female characters, but instead, sex objects for Horny Teenage Boys. The show became less about female empowerment and more about the Male Gaze. Not so coincidentally, the sisters' lives also started to revolve entirely around men at this time. Piper's storylines were mostly about Leo and her sons, while Phoebe's centered around either Cole or her Slampiece of the Week. Paige barely had any storylines to even speak of. This, of course, all led up to an ending that sent home the message that none of the sisters could ever find true happiness without a husband and children. By then, it was less about sisterhood and more about landing a man. Paiges character seemed more focus on helping people. |
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Post by Melinda Halliwell on Jul 30, 2015 13:57:06 GMT -5
The thing is a lot of the times the sisters fought evil later on they always wore skimpy tops and high heeled shoes which wasn't very practical when your kick boxing demons say which the show never touched on consequence wise bar Phoebe hurting her foot season 2 end that should've been played on more making the Halliwell's think better which didn't happen even after Prue's stalker incident when they wore sneakers or when Chris said to one of the Stillman sisters she had to change shoes 'cause you can't fight demons in heels or the fact Leo never pressed on that more being their White lighter which he should've done I mean you'd think they'd each have sections in their wardrobes just for demon fighting attire which they wore often that was manoeuvrable more practical and safer foot wear wise but no wearing that type of stuff would've been too bad image wise wouldn't it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2015 14:30:41 GMT -5
The thing is a lot of the times the sisters fought evil later on they always wore skimpy tops and high heeled shoes which wasn't very practical when your kick boxing demons say which the show never touched on consequence wise bar Phoebe hurting her foot season 2 end that should've been played on more making the Halliwell's think better which didn't happen even after Prue's stalker incident when they wore sneakers or when Chris said to one of the Stillman sisters she had to change shoes 'cause you can't fight demons in heels or the fact Leo never pressed on that more being their White lighter which he should've done I mean you'd think they'd each have sections in their wardrobes just for demon fighting attire which they wore often that was manoeuvrable more practical and safer foot wear wise but no wearing that type of stuff would've been too bad image wise wouldn't it. Yeah, jeans and sneakers make for good demon-fighting attire, but they're bad for getting Horny Teenage Boys to watch your show. The sisters needed to be as gorgeous as possible. |
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Post by Melinda Halliwell on Jul 30, 2015 17:07:02 GMT -5
Yeah, jeans and sneakers make for good demon-fighting attire, but they're bad for getting Horny Teenage Boys to watch your show. The sisters needed to be as gorgeous as possible. But they could've worn those types of clothes at P3 or on dates after saving innocents and still got their men whatever. They didn't need to wear those all the time. And what effect did it have on teenage viewers then I wonder who can be quite impressionable at that age especially when the sisters were made out to be strong female role models and that by wearing those types of things could've given of the impression that, that might've being the only way to get boyfriends then which's not true obviously. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2015 17:09:56 GMT -5
Notice that in Season Eight, when Hellish was finally ousted, the sisters stopped wearing skimpy costumes.
Of course, Hellish was gone, but her influence remained. Just ask poor Billie in Generation Hex.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2015 18:32:49 GMT -5
And what effect did it have on teenage viewers then I wonder who can be quite impressionable at that age especially when the sisters were made out to be strong female role models and that by wearing those types of things could've given of the impression that, that might've being the only way to get boyfriends then which's not true obviously. I know. The skimpy costumes really damaged the show's original message of female empowerment. |
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Post by Sadrick on Jul 30, 2015 20:41:24 GMT -5
If you ask me, what really contributed to the downfall of the series was a combination of factors like shoddy writing, the poisonously whimsical magical creatures (nymphs, leprechauns, ect.) the cheap knockoffs of popular ideas like Hogwarts, uninspiring antagonists who became generic leather-clad fodder flinging energy/fire balls, and the despicable personalities of the sisters later on. It got so bad that the sisters became callous husks of their former selves who couldn't give a d*mn about innocents if they interfere with their personal lives. Phoebe was the worst. She had fallen so far from the young and exuberant girl who enjoyed helping innocents to this self-absorbed media icon who exploits her premonition ability to get pregnant. The skimpy clothes and promiscuous attitude certainly added to the woes, but it wasn't the only issue plaguing Charmed.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2015 23:33:09 GMT -5
The basic problem was that Charmed had bad show runner. They needed a Joss Whedon (after all, thanks to him, Buffy is still very much in the public eye, even though it's been over longer than Charmed has). Whedon actually cared about his shows. To Kern, it was just a job.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2015 17:56:29 GMT -5
For me, no. I mean they certainly didn't help, but I think the costumes were just salt in an already open wound.
It was the characters. I mean look at Piper, she was my favourite character originally, I can barely stand her later on. That definitely wasn't down to clothes, since Piper never wore anything that revealing. She couldn't escape Valkyries, superheroes and goddesses, but wouldn't call any of her outfits skimpy or revealing.
I do think it turned the series into an even bigger joke and I can totally see why it'd put people off if they'd never seen it. Phoebe in particular just gets plain embarrassing at points in later seasons. But no, it was the downfall of characters that I used to love- and that happened regardless what they were wearing.
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costumes do fall into the category of the show becoming male dominated, because it projects the sisters and women in general as sexual objects instead of as people.)
