So  E’s Fashion Police seems to be the Titanic of Shows. Things have gone from bad to worse in less than 2 weeks. First there was Guiliana Rancic’s tasteless comment about Zendaya’s hair at the Oscars, the result of which caused such a dust up from talk show hosts, other stars and the internet that Rancic had to issue a taped apology (Paula Dean style) to subdue the fury. Her fellow co-host Kelly Osbourne wasn’t having it either, she apparently repeatedly warned against the comment aimed at her friend (but was ignored) later that week she up and quit. Now not even a week later Kathy Griffin, the replacement to Joan Rivers has given up the ghost, stating that she thinks that the show is “to mean” and bashes people out of “context”.

Where I will give a hooray (albeit a short one) for her stance, I have to say, “Did you not watch the show before you signed on?” The premise for Fashion Police from the onset was a seated version of E’s2000-2003 red carpet show  Joan Rivers (toting along Melissa) . Then their critiques were caustic, mean spirited and hurtful. Who can forget the glib comment Rivers made about a floppy hat then VeeJay Karen Duff. Duff wore the hat because her hair had begun to fall due to a rare disease called sarcoidosis. An overstep that at the time caused backlash such that at the time many celebrities worked to avoid them on the carpet. Fashion Police became the re-imagined version, they took to the studio and used footage and pics to have at their prey. There are two things the has always struck me as peculiar about this set up, the first is that Rancid has always done red carpet coverage, and has fawned and cooed over celebrities their outfits, nails, jewels and bodies, now she was required to oh and ah to their faces and then retreat back to a studio where she could from a safe distance rip them to shreds.

The second thing I find odd is that you here you have three women who all have been highly criticized for their looks, Joan before surgery was always thought to be unattractive which prompted her obsession with plastic surgery which we can all agree (as she would) went a bit too far, Kelly Osbourne was the fat girl who masked not being attractive with wild hair and make up until she lost weight and started to fit in, and then began dressing in couture, and Rancic whose weight or lack there of has always placed her under scrutiny. It is a popular belief that she has some struggles with a possible eating disorder/ or disordered eating. The topic was highlighted when she and her husband did their reality series and she was traumatized when the doctor told her that in order to increase her chances of having a child she would have to gain weight. despite wanting a child she was torn about gaining weight her husband even asked if she was going be able to do it… So there they would sit like jackals at one end of the high school hallway and talk trash about people, mostly women who by all accounts were close to the worlds concept of “Ideal”. It was clear that the concept of the show was a glammed up Mean Girls (Cue Tina Fey in the Gym).

So forgive me if my applause for Griffin is short lived, one has to ask, “What did you think was going to happen when they said action?”. I can see where her comedic integrity was being compromised. Her comedy is about context, she can take the piss out of the Kardashians because they make it easy and there are so many contradictions they present. In her act she has never gone after Oprah for her physical weight, but more her weight of power and influence, so I can see where reading someone for the color or cut of a dress not flattering them or wearing the wrong eye make-up might send up a flag, but still, you had to know…

I hope that this marks the end of the show or at least a restructuring of it. Perhaps they will enlist actual experts…that would be a change! Perhaps a designer a make-artist and a hair stylist, at least then we as viewers could respect their opinions and learn a thing or two.

All in all I am still hoping that one day will move away from the senseless judging of women, their bodies and their personal style, (or that of their professional stylists). Perhaps we can move to a place where women are not reduced to being object that exist to please others with their appearance alone. With the I have to say I am not holding out hope, after all it’s still Hollywood.