So, the theme of "The Bold and the Beautiful" is high fashion. For the past six months, the show has been dressing characters as if they got their clothes after dumpster diving. Brooke, always a stunner, looks dowdy. Hope once wore beautiful flowing blouses. Then they dressed her like Pippi Longstocking. I am no fashionista, but I know when someone looks a hot mess. Last week, Hope went from Pippi to a cross between the Swiss Miss girl and Wendy from hamburger fame. Zoe wore a yellow jumpsuit that looked as if Tweety and Big Bird had exploded. Flo looked like a cupcake. The reason the fashion faux pax irritates me is that they distract from the storylines. How can one listen to the dialogue when one's wondering, "What the heck is she wearing?"

Roger Howarth (Franco, "General Hospital") is set to return to the soap in mid-May. Franco is dead. Who will Howarth play? No one is talking. Here are some guesses. He could be Franco. I know we saw his dead body. Of course, that means nada. One of my favorite returns for the dead was when Steve Hardy's brother died after being presumed dead for almost a decade. He even had an autopsy. He claimed he faked his way through the autopsy. OK. Howarth might be Drew. Sam loved Drew when she thought he was Jason. She even loved him when Jason came back from the dead after five years. See the theme? Maybe he will be a new character. It used to be that one could get someone to leak what was going to happen. Those days are over. Leakers will be fired. One actor and a studio guard were fired.

"Days of Our Lives" and "General Hospital" are showing that Black Lives Matter as they each delve into racial issues and tensions. When Aunt Paulina stormed into town, she was stunned that Horton Square did not have one Black-owned business. Paulina, played by Jackie Harry, fixed that. Harry is doing a terrific job and has just signed a long-term contract. Her first not-so-kind encounter happened when she challenged Julie as to who would be the best influence to Eli and Lani's twins. Paulina made digs about Julie's white girl privilege. The two have called a truce.

Over on "General Hospital," Jordan's son, TJ, and his longtime love, Molly, traded barbs. He said that Alexis got a soft sentence, three years in Pentonville. He said if the drunk driver were Black, then they would have been given double the sentence. In the early days of soaps, Black actors had rough go. James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson played Dr. Frazier and his wife. Everyone nodded hello in the hospital hallway but never invited them to spend the holidays with the Bauers. Everyone in town, even killers, was at the annual Bauer Barbecue or invited to celebrate Thanksgiving with Bert Bauer. I once asked the producer of "As the World Turns" why Oakdale had no Black characters at the time. He responded, "Who would they be friends with?" UGH.

"Days" is the most blatant example of the lack of tolerance by an audience. Julie's son, David, and Val, who was Black, began a relationship. They never kissed. They did hold hands. The audience was aghast vowing to never watch the show and boycott sponsors. David and Val remained a couple but never touched. At least not on air. Eli is the product of that relationship.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Free-Photos at Pixabay