Real Fit: Identity, Society, and Viewer Investment in Fitness Reality TV
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Real Fit: Identity, Society, and Viewer Investment in Fitness Reality TV By Juliana Lewis Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Philosophy May 2015 Nashville, Tennessee Approved: Kelly Oliver, Ph.D. José Medina, Ph.D. Lisa Guenther, Ph.D. Ellen Armour, Ph.D. Dedicated to my parents for their encouragement and support. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful to my dissertation chair Kelly Oliver for expanding my philosophical world to explorations of visual media and psychoanalytic theory, and for her guidance; this work would not have been possible without her mentorship and support. Thanks also to my committee members, José Medina, Lisa Guenther, and Ellen Armour for their time and feedback. I am grateful to my friends and colleagues Rebecca Tuvel, Alison Suen, and Elizabeth Edenberg for keeping me connected to the Philosophy Department while working at a great distance. Finally, I am thankful for the Vanderbilt Philosophy Department’s support. iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1—Protester outside the White House protesting Ebola Response (Messing 2014)....................................................22 2—Dolvett talks to his team (DeGroot 2014b, 16:10) .................................................................................................35 3—Jessie and Laurie's Conversation (DeGroot 2014a, 28:40).....................................................................................37 4—Jennifer and Matt 1 (DeGroot 2014b, 11:30) .........................................................................................................39 5—Jennifer and Matt 2 (11:40) ....................................................................................................................................40 6—Forum Sample 1 (Ruth17 2014) .............................................................................................................................57 7—Forum sample 2 (csfk55 2014)...............................................................................................................................60 8—Jackson 1 (Bartley 2013a, 15:10) ...........................................................................................................................77 9—Jackson 2 (15:30)....................................................................................................................................................77 10—Jackson 3 (Bartley 2013b, 19:10).........................................................................................................................79 11—Jackson's Tweet (Carter 2013)..............................................................................................................................80 12—Scott's Facebook Post ...........................................................................................................................................80 13—Ad for Season 14 ..................................................................................................................................................85 14—Junk Room 1.........................................................................................................................................................87 15—Junk Room 2.........................................................................................................................................................87 16—Social Buzz Graph (data obtained through primary research)..............................................................................96 17—Pie chart showing gender breakdown (data obtained through primary research) ................................................96 18—Pie chart showing sentiment breakdown (data obtained through primary research)............................................98 19—Word cloud showing negative and positive terms (data obtained through primary research) .............................98 20—Pie chart showing breakdown of negative conversation (data obtained through primary research)....................99 21—Pie chart showing breakdown of positive conversation (data obtained through primary research).....................99 22 – Bob and Jillian (Bartley 2014, 38:02) ................................................................................................................101 23—Rachel's win 1 (Bartley 2014) ............................................................................................................................115 24—Rachel's win 2 (Bartley 2014) ............................................................................................................................116 25—Photo portrait of Georgia O'Keefe posing with "Horse’s Skull with White Rose" (Everett 1931)....................118 26—Jillian and Bob are shocked ................................................................................................................................121 iv Chapter Page DEDICATION…………….………………………………...….………..……........................................................…ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .....................................……..…….....................................................................................iii LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................…….........................................................iv Chapter I. INTRODUCTION: THE SHIFT FROM VIEWER AS SUBJECT TO VIEWING AS A SOCIAL PRACTICE......1 Social Viewership: A Concept that Invites Collaboration……………….…………………………………...3 Background Engagement with Media Studies……..........................................................................................7 Background Engagement with Feminist Film Theory……........................................................................... 10 Discussion of Research Method and Limitations……...................................................................................13 Summary of Chapters…….………………..……..........................................................................................16 II. STORYTELLING, POLITICAL SOVEREIGNTY, AND THE BIGGEST LOSER.............................................19 Obesity and Agency…..…………………......................................................................................................21 Storytelling and Nationhood...........................................................................................................................32 III. TV FANDOMS & PSYCHIC OPPRESSION........................................................................................................42 Fandom and Ideology……..…..…………..……...........................................................................................50 A Closer Look at TBL Fan Behavior…….....................................................................................................56 IV. ABJECTION & VIEWER INVESTMENT……...................................................................................................65 Kristeva……………………….......................................................................................................................66 Creed…….......................................................................................................................................................69 Vomiting, Fainting, Gagging......................................................................................................................... 73 Exercising Exorcism for America……………............................................................................................. 83 V. THE LIMITS OF VIEWER INVESTMENT..........................................................................................................91 Research Methods and Process…..…….........................................................................................................93 Listening to the Audience.......…....................................................................................................................95 Pushing Kristeva Beyond Creed….……......................................................................................................104 A Social Form of Viewership.......................................................................................................................110 CONCLUSION: DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH..................................................................................124 REFERENCES ...........................................................................................................................................................129 v CHAPTER I THE SHIFT FROM VIEWER AS SUBJECT TO VIEWING AS A SOCIAL PRACTICE In Real Fit: Identity, Society, and Viewer Investment in Reality TV I propose a conception of viewership as a social practice that is intimately connected to normativity and political context. Watching TV, like any other form of lived experience, can’t be reduced to an individual act of perception; it necessarily refers to the affect of embodied subjects existing within and in virtue of a concrete social and political context. In our present, the consumption of TV media stands out from other forms of lived experience in that it is a social site where the traditional distinction between public and private collapses. Viewing is always a “viewing with others.” The concept of social viewership provides structure to existing debates on media and society by delving into the normative and psychoanalytic dimensions