Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2007 Altering Bodies, Transforming Selves: Emotion and Gender on Extreme Makeover Emily M. Boyd Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES ALTERING BODIES, TRANSFORMING SELVES: EMOTION AND GENDER ON EXTREME MAKEOVER By Emily M. Boyd A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sociology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2007 The members of the Committee approve the dissertation of Emily M. Boyd defended on May 3, 2007. _________________________________ Patricia Y. Martin Professor Directing Dissertation _________________________________ Leigh H. Edwards Outside Committee Member _________________________________ Douglas Schrock Committee Member _________________________________ Jill Quadagno Committee Member Approved: _________________________________ Patricia Y. Martin, Chair, Department of Sociology _________________________________ David Rasmussen, Dean, College of Social Sciences The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables…………………………………………………………………………….v Abstract………………………………………………………………………………….vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………1 Reality Television and Extreme Makeover……………………………………….2 Why Cosmetic Surgery? .........................................................................................5 Narratives and Narrative Analysis ………………………………………………..6 Symbolic Transformation, Emotion, Identity and the Self ……….……………....9 Gender, Beauty, Femininity, and Masculinity………………………………...…11 Research Questions and Contributions ………………………………………….14 Overview of Chapters ………………………………………………...…………16 CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH METHODS ………………………………………………...17 Overview ………………………………………………………………………...17 Why Extreme Makeover? ………………………………………………………..17 Terminology ……………………………………………………………………..18 Structure of Extreme Makeover………………………………………………….19 Data Collection ………………………………………………………………….20 Data Analysis ……………………………………………………..……………..22 Descriptives of Primary Makeover Candidates………………………………….25 Presentation of Data ……………………………………………………………..27 CHAPTER 3 SYMBOLIC TRANSFORMATION: EMOTIONAL CHANGE ON EXTREME MAKEOVER…………………………………………………………….30 Background Literature…………………………………………………………...31 “Before” Narratives: Emotional Experiences Preceding the Makeover ………..35 Constructing Emotional Damage ………………………………………..35 Constructing Consequences—Bodies as “Holding Them Back” ……….36 Constructing Relationship Problems ………………….…………………38 Bodily Transformations …………………………………………………………40 “After” Narratives: Emotional Transformations ………………………………..41 Healing Emotional Damage ……………………………………………..41 Constructing a “New Person” …………………………………………...42 “If he had teeth I’d marry him”: Constructing Relationships as Emotional Change………………………………………...…………………………45 Symbolizing Change: The “Big Reveal” ……………….………………46 Discussion ………………………………………………………………………48 CHAPTER 4 CREATING FEMININITY AND ASSUMING MASCULINITY ON EXTREME MAKEOVER ………………………………………………………………...51 Background Literature …………………………………………………………..52 Feminine Deficiencies …………………………………………………………..56 Women’s Physical Deficiencies ………………………………………...56 Women’s Style Deficiencies …………………………………………….59 Fixing Women: Strategies for Increasing Femininity …………………………..61 Increasing Femininity: Medical Interventions ………………………….62 iii Increasing Femininity: “Training” Sessions for Women ……………….65 Increasing Femininity: Style and Dress ………………………………...68 Making Masculine Men? Men’s “Deficiencies” ………………………………..71 Men’s Physical “Deficiencies” ………………………………………….71 Men’s Style Deficiencies ………………………………………………..74 Fixing Men: Strategies for Enhancing Masculinity …………………………....76 Enhancing Masculinity: Medical Interventions ……….………………..76 Enhancing Masculinity: “Training” Session for Men ….……………….78 Enhancing Masculinity: Style and Dress …………….………………....80 Discussion …………………………………………………………………...….82 CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION AND THEORETICAL REFELECTIONS………..…….85 On Cosmetic Surgery and Embodiment …………….…………………………..85 On Free Choice or False Consciousness ………….……………………………..88 On Men and Beauty ……….…………………………………………………….90 On The Male Gaze ………………………………………………………………93 On Emphasized or Hegemonic Femininity …………….…….………………….95 On the Political Economy of Extreme Makeover……….……………………….96 Conclusions …………………………………………….………………………..98 REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………………...100 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH……………………...……………………………………108 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1. Descriptives on Extreme Makeover Episodes and Primary Makeover Candidates, Season 3, 2004-2005…………………………………………………….....21 Table 2.2. Candidates’ Makeover Procedures on Extreme Makeover, Season 3, 2004- 2005………………………………………………………………………………..….…26 Table 2.3. Transcription Notations, Adapted from Oliver, Serovich and Mason 2005…………………………………………………………………………………..….27 v ABSTRACT This dissertation examines one season of episodes of the television show Extreme Makeover. It focuses on the efforts of the show's producers, managers and staff as well of the majority of makeover candidates to frame their surgeries, training/instruction, and stylistic changes as transformative—of both the physical body and essential identity or self. My methods included watching and taking extensive notes on 18 one-hour episodes in the 2004-2005 season and then subjecting them to inductive analysis with a goal of understanding (a) how alterations of the body (particularly via cosmetic surgeries) and (b) how transformations of the self and (c) how femininity and masculinity were depicted on the show. The literature I use to frame my analysis reflects the central themes that I discovered—including the subjective feelings that the makeover candidates reported but also the differential experiences of women versus men. My two analysis chapters reflect these themes. I attempt to situate the study in literature on "reality" television shows, theories of emotions and bodies, and theories of gender. I am especially interested throughout in how the body, or embodiment, is represented in the discourse of the show's authorities and makeover candidates. At the conclusion of my study, I attempt so show how my findings can extend theoretical and empirical work in five areas: on theoretical debates of free choice versus false consciousness in cosmetic surgery, on men’s increasing investment in beauty practices, on discussion of hegemonic masculinity and hegemonic femininity, on the male gaze, and on the political economy of Extreme Makeover. vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This dissertation examines the reality makeover television program Extreme Makeover (EM) with the following aims in mind. I analyze how cosmetic surgery is represented and constructed to viewers through imagery, interaction with makeover professionals, and the accounts of makeover candidates. I examine the emotional and symbolic claims of transformation made by makeover candidates in order to explore how reality television (TV) makeover programs claim identity transformations as well as physical transformations in accord with cosmetic surgery. I also explore how the show represents hegemonic embodiments of masculinity and femininity as desirable for makeover candidates and reflect upon men’s participation in “beauty” or body presentation practices. My aim throughout is to analyze how the show represents cosmetic surgery procedures, and, to a lesser extent, style changes, as a means of improving fundamental aspects of the self and/or identity. In this introductory chapter, I discuss literature on reality television programs, including how a study of Extreme Makeover can add to this growing field. I briefly discuss the cosmetic surgery industry and how it relates to media representations of cosmetic surgery such as Extreme Makeover. I review literature on narratives and use of narrative forms of analysis, arguing that Extreme Makeover provides emotion narratives of how candidates felt about themselves before and after their makeovers. I review literature that frames my analysis chapters on emotion and symbolic transformation and on femininity and masculinity construction. Finally, I review the research questions guiding my analysis and anticipate the significance of my results. I also overview the chapters to follow. 1 Reality Television and Extreme Makeover Extreme Makeover is examined as a media program that presents the surgical experiences and stories of makeover candidates who receive cosmetic surgery and style makeovers before the camera. Unlike previous studies of cosmetic surgery that have done interviews with men and women who have had cosmetic surgery (Atkinson 2006, Davis 1995, 2003; Dull and West 1991; Gagne and McGaughey 2002), this study examines media representations of cosmetic surgery experiences. To situate my analysis, I provide a brief introduction to the genre of reality television. I review the commercial interests that underlie reality programming and the impact production and commercialization might have on the experiences reported by the makeover candidates on the program. Extreme Makeover is characterized as reality television, a genre that has received much attention from media scholars. Ouellette and Murray (2004) offer the following definition of reality television: We define reality TV as an unabashedly commercial genre united less by aesthetic rules or certainties