Fat bodies, intimate relationships and the self in finnish and American weight-loss TV shows

ABSTRACT

As sites where the construction of identity and selfhood take place, relationship-focused weight-loss TV shows reproduce the notion of a correlation between a woman’s body size, her ‘success’ in romantic relationships, and the appropriate self. I analyze the weight-loss shows Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian from the US, and Rakas, Sinusta on Tullut Pullukka (Honey, You’ve Become Chubby) from Finland, investigating how relationship and body size norms, gender, and the self intertwine. I examine the shows in light of Foucault’s theory of normalization. Here, normalization not only refers to the normalization of the body but also of the relationship(s) required to achieve a valid self. I suggest that the shows express a parallel between being single and on the verge of society and being fat and being on the verge of society; through solving one of the deviations (in this case, becoming thin) the other deviation (being single) can be changed and thus a “normal” life can be achieved. People learn how to normalize their bodies and their relationships, which in the end paves the way for the idea that a good body/dieting is the precondition for a relationship and an acceptable self. The shows thus reinforce that a thin body is the basis for an appropriate self and fulfilling life.

KEYWORDS:

• Makeover
• foucault
• normalization
• relationships
• fat

Disclosure statement

There are no relevant financial or non-financial or other competing interests to report.

Notes

1. all translations from Finnish to English by author.

2. season one, episode five.

Additional information

Funding

This work is funded by Suomen Kulttuurirahasto (the Finnish Cultural Foundation) under the grant number 00200929 and Koneen Säätiö (Kone Foundation).

Notes on contributors

Susanne Ritter

Susanne Ritter is a PhD student at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Tampere University, Tampere, Finland. She has a background in Media Studies and her research deals with fat bodies, relationships, structures of power, body politics, and makeover shows.