Author: Brenda R. Weber
Publisher: Duke University Press
ISBN: 0822391236
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 339
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Book Description
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.
Author: Tania Lewis
Publisher: Peter Lang
ISBN: 9780820486772
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 184
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Book Description
What do the Fab Five from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, the Supernanny and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver all have in common? Lifestyle gurus are increasingly intruding on everyday life, directing ordinary people to see themselves as «projects» that can be «made over» through embracing an ethos of relentless self-improvement. Smart Living argues that they represent a new form of popular expertise sweeping the world. Written in a lively and accessible manner, the book examines this cult of expertise across a range of media and cultural sites and offers the reader a range of critical tools for understanding the recent emergence of this popular international phenomenon. Smart Living is a must-read for anyone interested in the relationship between popular media culture and contemporary social life.
Author: Dana Alice Heller
Publisher:
ISBN: 9786000011550
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages : 241
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Book Description
This volume explores makeover television, the reality format that cuts across all genres and time slots. Chapters examine how makeover programming annexes the private space of the home, transforms the body through surgery and rigorous discipline, recreates aspects of consumer lifestyle and social identity and much more.
Author: Bay Buchanan
Publisher: Regnery Publishing
ISBN: 1596985070
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 274
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Book Description
An analysis of Hillary Clinton's efforts to adapt her public image to render her a desirable presidential candidate describes how perceptions about her have changed, in a profile that considers her eligibility and potential for the presidency.
Author: Misha Kavka
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
ISBN: 0748654356
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208
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Book Description
This book is a study of the 'Reality TV' format which, in less than a decade, has transformed network programming schedules, branded satellite and digital stations, become a favourite target for anti-television campaigners, and turned viewers into savvy r
Author: Tania Lewis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 157
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Book Description
Author: Teresa Tomeo
Publisher: Ignatius Press
ISBN: 1586175610
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 213
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Book Description
The author presents research and her perspectives on how the teachings of the Catholic Church both liberate and dignify women.
Author: Madison press,
Publisher: Hyperion
ISBN: 9781401308193
Category : House & Home
Languages : en
Pages : 180
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Book Description
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition single-handedly changed the face of reality TV with its heartfelt, philanthropic mission: to provide struggling families with safe, beautiful homes. In each episode, host Ty Pennington and the talented design team work around the clock for seven days to transform one needy family+s home into a place of comfort and love. The first season garnered an Emmy nomination for -Outstanding Reality Program+ and since then the show has only gained momentum, touching the hearts of millions every Sunday night. The official tie-in provides behind-the-scenes details on the challenging home makeovers, from demolition to last-minute decoration, profiles of the cast and crew, and profiles of the featured families-including the special circumstances that have inspired the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team to turn these families+ houses into state-of-the-art homes-come-true. Beautiful full-color photos of the before and after transformations will run throughout.
Author: Laurie Ouellette
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119325196
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 598
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Book Description
International in scope and more comprehensive than existing collections, A Companion to Reality Television presents a complete guide to the study of reality, factual and nonfiction television entertainment, encompassing a wide range of formats and incorporating cutting-edge work in critical, social and political theory. Original in bringing cutting-edge work in critical, social and political theory into the conversation about reality TV Consolidates the latest, broadest range of scholarship on the politics of reality television and its vexed relationship to culture, society, identity, democracy, and “ordinary people” in the media Includes primetime reality entertainment as well as precursors such as daytime talk shows in the scope of discussion Contributions from a list of international, leading scholars in this field
Author: H. Steinhoff
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137493798
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 229
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Book Description
At the turn of the twenty-first century, American media abound with images and narratives of bodily transformations. At the crossroads of American, cultural, literary, media, gender, queer, disability and governmentality studies, the book presents a timely intervention into critical debates on body transformations and contemporary makeover culture.
