Comments on: Project Runway Canada 2 – Episode 7 Redux

By: Danielle

Danielle — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:50:29 +0000

Nadia – got the Jess love on here too <3 she’s a total sweetheart and talented too =)

Tiff – Part of the reason why I love Project Runway Canada is because it is inhabited by real people who subsequently make appearances in my real life. So, when I write about them, I am very conscious that they are people who will likely read these words and then maybe even call me out on it afterwards (though so far no one has). It doesn’t stop me from being critical, but it does make word it as if they are looking over my shoulder.

Like a blogger getting negative comments (and it happens to everyone sometimes), you try to remind yourself that its not personal and shouldn’t affect you, but the truth is it is painful. The nastiness of the commenters on the global.runway.com site is over-the-top. I’m shocked that Global lets those trolls run havoc over there. I think as the human being in question, you can read these and your brain might say “metatextual” but your gut hurts bad.

We’re not trolls and none of your comments are really that bad. I think what prompted me to mention Kim’s around our area of the internet was the word “disgusting” which is pretty tame. So please don’t take this as a rebuke – your side makes sense too and if you’re good with it then go for it. I’m just trying to explain why I am exercising a lil’ diplomacy.

By: Tiff

Tiff — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:53:28 +0000

I’ve been waiting for this post, Danielle, just because I wanted to mention something that I think is important to note. On Twitter, you mentioned that Kim (aka @kdon) is on Twitter, and I think you were politely warning me to, well, be polite. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and about how we view the designers on the show. For me, they are less “people” than edited characters, and my comments aren’t necessarily directed to Kim, or Jason, or whoever, but to the “Kim”, “Jason” personality I see onscreen. That personality is very much constructed and edited both by the designer her/himself and the editor/producer/director, etc. We, the audience, judge and make comments about work done by designers under extreme and sometimes ridiculous circumstances. That work is not just the garments that they create, but the personalities that they put forth, and the work that the production team does to make it all happen. I like to think of the whole show as a sort of metatextual fabrication.

What I’m essentially saying is that I hope the designers who do read any of the audience’s comments or opinions realize that what we’re commenting on is not really about them. And the reason I’m posting this is because I’m curious for your opinion on this weird Web 2.0 phenomenon of having a dialogue with one’s audience, and the “fabricated” reality that Project Runway (and indeed, most reality shows) presents.

Ok, /end rant.

Just wanted to say that I also thought Jessica deserves kudos for knowing when to change her design. I don’t see why that makes her a lesser designer in Kim’s eyes.

By: Nadia Lewis

Nadia Lewis — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:25:32 +0000

When I saw the word “positivity” on the Judy, I knew the Biffster would take it — Jessica absolutely glows with optimism. She always works so hard and never gets negative. For me, she is a designer who lives Tim Gunn’s “make it work” motto: never quitting when the challenge gets tough, always finding a way to rethink or edit a piece to make it better.

I felt so bad when she was torn into by a fellow designer for not following through with her first attempt. In my book, Jess gets major props for knowing when to shift gears and take the look in a new direction (last week) or to start over at square one (this week).

Don’t let the haters get you down, Jess! We love you!