While researching Grey’s Anatomy recently, I read a New York Times article by columnist Rob Walker. Walker points out that Barco Uniforms offers a top-selling surgical scrub line patterned after the ABC dramedy.
He calls this “notable.” So do I. At the least, it’s a sign of media’s power to influence consumers.
Apparently, the line was fashioned (no pun intended) before the series became a mega-hit. And we all know that fashion-forward shows can spark main-street trends. But the mere idea of a fictional medical show spawning a real-life clothing line for those in the medical profession just seems … odd. Walker writes that the idea of Mickey Mouse adorning pediatricians’ scrubs is less far-fetched, and you’d think most serious medical professionals would like to keep their fictitious entertainment choices separate from their demanding job.
Do you find it a little alarming that those who outfit the medical profession are blurring the lines between real life and over-the-top fiction?
If I were a patient who saw my doctor wearing clothing named after any medical drama, I’d probably question their professionalism. Would you want someone who wants to dress like Grey’s emotional, impulsive doctors to cut you open?
Of course, one real-life nurse wrote to Walker saying she’s never seen a Grey’s episode, but she loves Barco’s comfortable, well-made Grey’s scrubs—and that’s no doubt the case with many customers. I still wonder, though, how many other medical professionals somehow identify with—or even want to emulate—the show’s brilliant but seriously flawed characters. In fact, a Times reader, responding to Walker’s piece, spoke for me, too: “I’d prefer my fantasy/reality to not collide when in the hospital.”
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