Russian television viewers are reacting with shock to resurfaced clips of popular 2000s makeover shows, accusing hosts of humiliating and body-shaming female participants.
Programs such as Take It Off Immediately!, Cosmetic Repairs, and Cinderella 2.0 enjoyed widespread popularity across Russia in the 2000s and early 2010s. The broadcasts followed a standard format where stylists, psychologists, and surgeons transformed female guests into glamorous figures. Recent social media compilations have sparked intense backlash, with modern audiences condemning the harsh criticism directed at participants over their weight, body shapes, and clothing choices.
Controversy erupted in late July 2026 after an Instagram video compiled footage from Cinderella 2.0, a reality show that aired on MTV Russia between 2010 and 2012. The clip, which gathered 325,000 views and hundreds of comments, featured a 20-year-old participant named Dasha whose mother and boyfriend repeatedly criticized her appearance.
Dasha explained on the show that her mother constantly called her fat and complained about her inability to dress well. Her boyfriend Sergey, whom she had been dating for a year, was described as obsessed with singer Vera Brezhneva as his ideal of beauty. Sergey also opposed Dasha pursuing work as a DJ, insisting that a woman should remain a housewife, while her family disapproved of her interest in photography and playing drums.
In the studio, program host and singer Glukoza praised Dasha's chest, but a show stylist interrupted to criticize her figure, pointing out broad shoulders and narrow hips. Glukoza defended the participant by remarking that having something to show was a positive attribute.
The project psychologist, Baroness von Frantskevich-Eransson, told Dasha that she looked like an old woman before offering relationship advice. When Dasha complained about her boyfriend's immaturity, the psychologist instructed her to boost his self-esteem by paying him compliments while sitting with her hands on her knees as he stood above her.
Online commentators reacted angrily to the footage, noting that Dasha appeared athletic and healthy rather than overweight. Users questioned why the psychologist focused on pleasing the boyfriend instead of building the participant's self-worth, while online searches failed to find any evidence that Frantskevich-Eransson possessed formal psychological credentials. Her social media profile listed her instead as an actress, model, artist, playwright, and director.
Harsh studio commentary on Take It Off Immediately
Another resurfaced clip from Take It Off Immediately!, which aired on the STS channel from 2004 to 2017, drew severe online criticism over the treatment of a 26-year-old participant named Vera. Hosts Tasha Strogaya and Natalya Stefanenko stated in the studio that Vera needed to lose 20 kilograms, a sentiment echoed by Vera's sister.
Stefanenko told Vera to her face that she looked like an old woman, apologizing for the rudeness while asserting it was the truth. After inspecting Vera's clothes and labeling her unappealing, the hosts made her strip down to her underwear in front of cameras, where Strogaya claimed she had excess weight everywhere. Social media users condemned the segment as humiliating, with several commentators stating that growing up on such broadcasts contributed to eating disorders among young viewers.
A separate segment from the same show featured a mother of two named Olga, who had returned to work three months after giving birth. When Olga broke down in tears over feeling unneeded, Strogaya asked if her husband was seeing other women, which Olga confirmed.
After Olga stood in her underwear and mentioned carrying 20 kilograms of excess weight, the hosts advised her to exercise and open the refrigerator less often. Online viewers expressed outrage at the response, arguing that hosts should have condemned her husband's infidelity and supported her post-partum recovery rather than telling a mother who recently gave birth to stop eating.
Viewers also highlighted clips from Fashion Verdict, a show broadcast on Channel One since 2007. In one episode, a husband complained that his wife Anna bought discounted clothes to help pay off loan debt, stating that he wanted his wife to provide him with aesthetic pleasure.
When the husband continued to criticize Anna's belly after her makeover, calling it an apron, the show host defended her, explaining that her figure allowed her to wear voluminous clothing while remaining slender. Online users mocked the husband's comments, questioning why he insulted his wife instead of earning more money.
Influence of Western makeover formats
Many Russian makeover programs were adapted from Western formats that pioneered aggressive styling critiques. Take It Off Immediately! was based on the British BBC Two show What Not to Wear, launched in 2001 and hosted by fashion experts Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine.
The British series followed a rigid structure where friends and family criticized a guest's wardrobe before hosts discarded non-fashionable clothes into trash bins. Hosts monitored the participant during a solo shopping trip, intervened at fitting rooms, and oversaw a final hair and makeup reveal.
Woodall and Constantine were known for blunt remarks, with Constantine once expressing shock on the street that a woman's breasts hung down to her knees. In other episodes, the hosts described a participant's feet as too large, remarked that a guest looked like a man from behind, called a woman in a turtleneck a hunchback, and entered a church during Sunday service to tell a female vicar that her trousers made her backside look square.
Another popular British format, Snog Marry Avoid?, ran on BBC Three from 2008 to 2013, aiming to restore natural beauty to guests with heavy makeup and bold clothing.
The show featured a fictional robot named POD, or Personal Overhaul Device, who served as main critic. POD once labeled a male guest overusing fake tan as an Oompa Loompa obsessed with orange, and asked a woman in leopard print if she had been dragged backwards through a jungle. The participant responded by calling the droid a pig.
POD also presented public opinion surveys where passersby decided whether to kiss, marry, or avoid the guest. Russian channel Muz-TV adapted the concept as Cosmetic Repairs, using harsher survey options that asked members of the public whether they would hook up with, marry, or tell the participant to get lost.
More extreme American formats of the 2000s, such as The Swan and Extreme Makeover, involved participants undergoing plastic surgery procedures to alter their appearance. Muz-TV produced a similar Russian adaptation titled Terribly Beautiful.
Shifting public attitudes and presenter responses
Public criticism of Russian makeover shows has grown steadily in recent years. A TikTok trend in 2023 targeted Cosmetic Repairs, with users arguing that a show promoting natural beauty stripped participants of their individuality.
Following viral backlash in 2024, former Take It Off Immediately! co-host Tasha Strogaya defended the program during an interview on the YouTube channel Modny Podcast. Strogaya stated that participants signed up for a social experiment and knew they would hear unpleasant comments.
Strogaya argued that 20 years ago, Russian women responded better to strict, direct instruction than to gentle praise, asserting that firm criticism was necessary to motivate change. Historical viewer reviews from 2011 showed that some fans agreed with that approach, describing the hosts' methods as shock therapy that provided a necessary moral jolt. A reviewer using the online name mitina3112 compared the show to a fairy tale, noting that participants chose to attend and received a life boost despite the harsh feedback.
Media commentators note that makeover shows reflected societal norms of the 2000s, when women were expected to adjust to men and maintain flawless appearances. As cultural values shifted toward prioritizing individual emotional well-being over external approval, television networks began producing content focused on mental health and personal growth. However, online users suggested that current television trends may face similar skepticism from future audiences in 20 years.
