Makeover TV: Selfhood, Citizenship, and Celebrity

Console-ing Passions: Television and Cultural Power

by Brenda R.Weber, Lynn Spigel (Series Editor)

In 2004, roughly 25 makeover-themed reality shows aired on U.S. television. By 2009, there were more than 250, from What Not to Wear and The Biggest Loser to Dog Whisperer and Pimp My Ride. In Makeover TV, Brenda R. Weber argues that whether depicting transformations of bodies, trucks, finances, relationships, kids, or homes, makeover shows posit a self achievable only in the transition from the “Before-body”—the overweight figure, the decrepit jalopy, the cluttered home—to the “After-body,” one filled with confidence, coded with celebrity, and imbued with a renewed faith in the powers of meritocracy. The rationales and tactics invoked to achieve the After-body vary widely, from the patriotic to the market-based, and from talk therapy to feminist empowerment. The genre is unified by its contradictions: to uncover your “true self,” you must be reinvented; to be empowered, you must surrender to experts; to be special, you must look and act like everyone else.Based on her analysis of more than 2,500 hours of makeover TV, Weber argues that the much-desired After-body speaks to and makes legible broader cultural narratives about selfhood, citizenship, celebrity, and Americanness. Although makeovers are directed at both male and female viewers, their gendered logic requires that feminized subjects submit to the controlling expertise wielded by authorities. The genre does not tolerate ambiguity. Conventional (middle-class, white, ethnically anonymous, heterosexual) femininity is the goal of makeovers for women. When subjects are male, makeovers often compensate for perceived challenges to masculine independence by offering men narrative options for resistance or control. Foregoing a binary model of power and subjugation, Weber provides an account of makeover television that is as appreciative as it is critical. She reveals the makeover show as a rich and complicated text that expresses cultural desires and fears through narratives of selfhood.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Elevate Difference · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makeovers are everywhere in today’s society, though I had never really given much thought to them until I read Brenda R. Weber’s Makeover TV. Weber points out that we are making over everything: bodies, houses, cars, hair, lifestyles, wardrobes, and even pets. Now that I am more sensitive to it, I realized we seem to be obsessed with change. Nearly every magazine cover focuses on how to change something (get better abs in thirty days) or someone who has already changed something (like Heidi Montag’s new body and face).

Televised makeovers are being consumed not only by those featured in the show, but also by a large viewing audience. What is emphasized throughout, no matter what the show, is that there are definitely the "right ways" and "wrong ways" to do things. The more you go with the flow and only stand out in ways that are determined to be aesthetically pleasing, the more people will love you and, therefore, the more you will love yourself.

The role of shame is emphasized in all of the makeover scenarios. Whether the people featured have nominated themselves or by friends and family, they are made to feel embarrassment for their actions. To simplify Weber’s well-crafted and researched prose, if one really cares about oneself, one wouldn’t let these things happen; one would keep a cleaner house, wear better fitting and trendy (but not flashy) clothes, weigh less, and have a nicer car, a more obedient child, and a well-trained pet. Once the shame has been heaped upon the person's head, the pieces are picked up and fashioned into a gender-normative, middle to upper middle class ideal of life.

Weber provides a critical analysis of makeover TV. The book isn’t light reading, as the text can be dense and often references academic studies, with an emphasis on the psychological; however, it is still accessible for non-specialized readers. She includes quotes from the shows and the occasional image to illustrate her points.

It was a bit scary to realize how right Weber is, and that so much “entertainment” on TV is focused on making people conform to the norm. Makeover TV is a good, eye-opening read.

Review by Kristin Conard

[Kayla Oswald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Research for the capstone baby!!!

[Sunkist and Mango · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an interesting read about culture's history and obsession over Makeover TV shows.