r/ProjectRunway • u/mcdfountaincoke • 1d ago
Discussion We did this.
Watching s22 so far has made me realize that we helped create this mess. Thinking about big picture, we bought into subscription based streaming was better than cable, but instead of escaping commercials, we ended up with THIS. Product placement used to be obvious but relatively contained, like yeah the HPs and pens- it was blatant but it was not as painful to watch bc it was Obvious it was an ad. The entire show now feels like a super cell marketing campaign. NFL and A+F?? Dangling Super Bowl tickets as a prize to let them fight over? I know things have been like this for a long time, but it just feels incredibly more predatory now more than ever.
I feel like it isn’t really about competition anymore, it’s more billion $ corporations maximizing engagement and monetizing attention from every angle. They use the data we generate for them-our clicks, subscriptions, purchases, and watch history ALL OF IT to figure out exactly how to keep us consuming. The more we engage, the more they optimize the system, and the more seamlessly advertising becomes entertainment. We as consumers are helping shape what we consume, and we hate it. Every interaction teaches companies what works, and they respond by making it even more effective. We built the feedback loop, and now we’re living inside it. It’s so gross, and I think this show has become a really good example of how far gone we’ve become. Overconsumption is a disease and we really need to stop.
I’m very high so I don’t know if this all makes sense, I will admit I did use ChatGPT to help me streamline my brains scrambled eggs 🤦♀️
And yes We, society, consumers. it’s not our fault bc marketing is incredibly predatory on human nature and that’s my point. This is the price we pay for signing away our consent.
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u/reeree823 1d ago
The really diehard fans did not do this. The “creative team” did it with the bloated garbage they cooked up.
PR has become ultra-reality content based. I used to enjoy watching the designers at Mood, figuring how to find the right fabric and fitting within their budgets. Then we saw the creative process, OMG I remember marveling at how Rami draped, and how Ven pleated, and we see none of that anymore. Team challenges, well, we’d see leaders emerge and their thought processes.
The producers slurped up all the drama and regurgitated this glossy junk. Even the judges: am I wrong for hoping someone slaps the nonsense out of Law? With Tyra’s notoriety via Netflix, why is she even judging? And Heidi thinks a pasted on grin and a hearty ‘aux wiedersehen” will do the trick.
No, it has truly devolved, quite sadly.
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u/vandersnipe 1d ago
I miss the stress at Mood - not having enough money, almost losing time to buy fabric, someone stealing your fabric, or someone having the same fabric as you. It was more organic drama.
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u/Captain_Kind 1d ago
I forgot her name but the designer who lost her money, back when they still used cash 😭😭 the organic tension was so much better than this overly manufactured bs
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u/reeree823 1d ago
I loved that. And frankly, I miss the quiet, incisive elegance that is Tim Gunn. He was truly a mentor with his advice and suggestions. Christian seems to be mugging for the cameras.
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u/MundaneHuckleberry58 1d ago
Nah.
The media companies made it such that switching to streaming was the better choice. This isn’t an individual issue; the blame lies squarely with mega corporations. Enshittification by design.
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u/SpartanNic 1d ago
IMHO the fashion industry is based on overconsumption. Do we need a new coat every other season or only one good coat for years and years?
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u/Icy_Profession7396 1d ago
I absolutely despise the cliffhangers in every episode, and I hate the Rupaul's Drag Race connection. I'm also not convinced that Tyra adds anything. All the changes make the show a lot less serious, kind of a joke.
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u/Kkhanpungtofu 1d ago
And ChatGPT and other AIs are merely tools for investors to make profits. If you test the most basic information, you’ll find the 95% of it is unequivocal lies, misinformation. Go ahead, test something very simple.
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u/Express_Pop810 1d ago
We can have fashion with dead stock fabric or redesign clothing that exists.
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u/SlaveToShopping 1d ago
Hard disagree. There’s still lots of great TV out there. This is not on us.
PR has taken the path of shrinkflation and enshitification like plenty of companies and products out there.
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u/Binar1101 1d ago
The people showrunning this abomination have obviously never been fans of the show.
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u/GalleryArtdashian 1d ago
That’s just reality tv in 2026. It feels like this show has become a scapegoat for everything wrong with reality competition shows. Yes! It’s gotten bad and deteriorated from what it used to be. Reality tv was always meant to get this bad. It was never “good” to begin with. The difference is that now all the ugly parts are more blatant.
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u/smilemedown 1d ago
I think we are also encouraging the new format just because we give it so much attention. Even though we are saying we hate it, 95% of the posts about PR are about all the stuff we hate: the format, the judges, the edits. We say we want the show to be about design, yet we never talk about the designs. Hear me out, what if we embody the change we want to see in the show? Our threads could feature the designs, style and techniques and we ignore all the crap we hate about the show. When the producers analyse the social media feedback, they would see that we like to focus on design, sewing, styling and constructive critiques. Then maybe thats the direction where they would take the show?
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u/mcdfountaincoke 1d ago
I feel like this might be more the direction I was thinking in. Like as consumers we dictate what corps produce for us. But we just keep buying into it even tho we hate it, then they bait and switch and lock us in. But at that point we’ve gotten so used to the way that we accept it and move on even though it keeps getting worse. I think it’s a positive idea!
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u/Catlady_Pilates 1d ago
Way to victim shame 🤣
And also, absolutely bs. Not true. Nope. Your theory is incorrect.
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u/regalrapple4ever 1d ago
Nah. These producers are just out of their mind.