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Abstract
Makeover television is generally interested in transforming individuals. Often these programmes alter participants on an individual basis, ignore structural problems, and enforce normative ideas of the good citizen. An important role is preserved for celebrities, considered able to help these individuals by performing the role of expert. This article aims to demonstrate how celebrities are legitimised with the power to transform young individuals in a television programme. Specifically, the article inquires how celebrities are represented as key actors in the process of transforming young individuals within a Dutch context in which ordinariness is promoted. To this end, a textual analysis is conducted of the Dutch programme It Gets Better. This article reveals how the programme constructs celebrities as the only way to solve the participants’ problems. On the one hand, they are able to connect with audiences and participants because their ordinariness eases identification and access. The programme particularly emphasises the ordinariness of Dutch celebrities while connecting it to their personal experiences with the issue at stake in the past. On the other hand, their extraordinary status in society gives them authority. The articulation of the celebrity status to personal experiences is pivotal for the transformation to take place. The critical moment of change is when celebrities deliver their messages to the individuals personally and act as a friend; consequently, individuals feel honoured to interact with them and take celebrities’ messages seriously.
Notes
1. Since the programme is in Dutch, the first author translated all of the quotes used in this article.
2. Bart de Graaff (1967–2002) was founder of and presenter at BNN. After a car accident in his youth he suffered kidney failure and consequently a growth disorder. The network has several shows in which people talk about their diseases, handicaps, and ‘being out of the ordinary’, such as Je Zal Het Maar Hebben (2001–2015) (Imagine having it) and Je Zal Het Maar Zijn (2010–2014) (Imagine being it).
4. Leontien van Moorsel started her own programme shortly after It Gets Better called Tot Op Het Bot (Citation2013) (To/till the bone), in which she follows six girls for one year and helps them battle anorexia.
5. In Dutch: ‘Doe maar normaal, dan doe je al gek genoeg’.
6. Some celebrities are also involved with this cause outside this television programme. For instance, Leontien van Moorsel helps individuals dealing with anorexia with and without cameras.
7. Although one may question whether changes in individuals are permanent, there are some indications some individuals have changed (e.g. blogs, personal posts on the It Gets Better Facebook page, presence in blood donation magazine (Stichting Sanquin Bloedvoorziening, Citation2013)).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Sandra Wagemakers
Sandra Wagemakers is a PhD candidate in regional identities in Noord-Brabant at Tilburg University, the Netherlands. She obtained her master’s degree in sociology of culture, media, and the arts at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Her interests include identities, popular culture, media, and celebrities.
Frederik Dhaenens
Frederik Dhaenens is a researcher at CIMS (Centre for Cinema and Media Studies) at Ghent University, Belgium. He has invested significantly in the study of issues related to gender and sexuality within television, film, and popular culture.