Take heart that not all British people are nasty, condescending and critical of North American culture.
Our Commonwealth cousins have earned a bad reputation in recent years, thanks in large part to Simon Cowell's vitriolic dismissals of untalented warblers on American Idol , and the equally harsh Piers Morgan doing likewise on America's Got Talent . Of course, the truth hurts, but does it have to be so cruel?
By sharp contrast, Making Over America with Trinny and Susannah (TLC, tonight at 10 p.m.) is kind hearts and coronets. A gentler and more thorough approach to the fashion-makeover genre, the six-part series follows British TV personalities Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine around the United States on rescue missions to help women looking to change their life - not just their wardrobe.
"Our goal, truly, is to help women blossom," Woodall says. "We're not like those shows that whisk women off to New York for some crazy shopping trip, after which she's left with a closet of clothing that she sells online - which, let's face it, is what often happens on many TV makeover shows."
Many viewers here are already familiar with Trinny and Susannah as the hosts of the original British edition of What Not to Wear , or from their follow-up series Trinny and Susannah Undress the Nation . Initially brought together to pen a weekly fashion column for The Daily Telegraph, the pair has since gone on to write a number of bestselling advice books and create several clothing lines.
And in all their TV outings to date, the saucy fashionistas employed the hands-on approach: Without fail, every Trinny and Susannah fashion assessment includes one or both giving the subject's breasts a good squeeze (more than one morning talk-show host has cut to commercial red-faced after getting the treatment).
"We've always tried to be as honest as possible in our assessments," Constantine says. "But that means body and mind. We've been doing this for 15 years and we've always evolved toward the more psychological side. We're not psychologists, but we do have a lot of experience with women."
Like the hosts themselves, the format of Making Over America couldn't be more forthright: Trinny and Susannah are dropped into a typical U.S. town and handed a dossier with a woman's name and address and brief bio (each participant has sent in the request for assistance). "Most of the time we have absolutely no idea where the hell we're going, which actually makes it more exciting for us," Woodall says with a laugh.
Once set on the right track, the pair pop in on the chosen subject - usually unannounced and invariably at her place of work. In the first show, they're in rural Virginia to visit a single mother named Jennifer, who works as a coach at a cheerleading school. A former cheerleader herself, Jennifer has taken to hiding her excess weight with oversized T-shirts - a common fashion mistake, according to Constantine.
"Most women have a hang-up about a certain body part, so that's the only thing they see when they look in the mirror," she says. "In Jennifer's case, she was unhappy with her stomach, so she decided to shroud her entire body, when in fact she had an amazing pair of tits, great legs, fantastic butt and a very pretty face. What a waste of a gorgeous woman."
And Trinny and Susannah provide a full-service makeover. Following the initial introduction, the pair spend time with the woman's significant others - friends, family and co-workers - and park their Airstream trailer in her driveway for a sleepover.
"It's important for us to fully live another woman's life," Woodall says. "And the only way to do that is to stay over at her home and get to know the people around her. It's not just about buying new clothes."
New clothes are part of Making Over America , but not the main attraction. In the opener, Jennifer receives a more suitable look and renewed confidence. Perhaps more importantly, her nine-year-old daughter has a brand-new role model.
"I can't stress how tremendously important that is to a woman," says Constantine, herself a mother of three. "At that age, a child wants to feel proud and will pick up in her solar plexus how a mother feels about herself. It's such a positive message that a mother is accepting of her body, no matter her shape or size."
For all the show's sincere intent, though, remember that Trinny and Susannah are still from across the pond, and not above the occasional moment of British cheekiness. "Sometimes we like to make assumptions about the women before we meet them, based on their names," Constantine says mischievously. "We'll bet each other 20 bucks that she has a toe ring, or a starfish tattoo on her lower back. Quite often we're right."