Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2008 The Commodification of Sexuality: A Critical Analysis of Queer Eye Yarma Velázquez Vargas Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION THE COMMODIFICATION OF SEXUALITY: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF QUEER EYE By YARMA VELÁZQUEZ VARGAS A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2008 Copyright © 2008 Yarma Velázquez Vargas All Rights Reserved The members of the Committee approve the dissertation of Yarma Velázquez Vargas defended on March 18, 2008. ________________________ Donna Marie Nudd Professor Directing Dissertation _______________________ Jerrilyn McGregory Outside Committee Member ________________________ Jennifer M. Proffitt Committee Member _________________________ Stephen D. McDowell Committee Member Approved: _____________________ Stephen D. McDowell, Chair, Department of Communication _____________________ John K. Mayo, Dean, College of Communication The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii A mis padres, con amor. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to my committee members, Donna Marie Nudd, Ph.D., Jennifer Proffitt, Ph.D., Stephen McDowell Ph.D., and Jerrilyn McGregory Ph.D. They all offered valuable feedback during various stages of completing this work. I am particularly thankful to Dr. Donna M. Nudd. Under her mentorship I have become a better researcher, writer, teacher and human being. Thanks for making time for ―Fab‖ conversations, endless drafts and important moments of inspiration. I am also grateful to Dr. Andy Opel who played an important role during the early stages of this project. In addition I must thank Dr. Maricarmen Martinez who has been my teacher, friend and a mother figure in Tallahassee. My heartfelt gratitude goes to the dissertation support group, my friends and colleagues, Yongrak Park and Maria Gracia Inglesis for their generosity and willingness to engage. Many thanks go to Anahí Lazarte, mi queridísima y solidaria amiga, for the brainstorming and research meetings over IM. A special word of gratitude to Daniel Rossman for his love, encouragement and endless optimism. I am lucky to have you. This work would not have been possible without the support of my family. I want to thank my brother Amaury and my sister Nahír for their blessings. You are my role models and inspiration. I wish to dedicate this work to my parents in recognition of their central role in this journey, to Mima and Raúl. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………………………………...viii CHAPTER 1 QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY ...................................................... 1 Importance and Purpose of the Study ................................................................................... 5 Outline of the Study .............................................................................................................. 7 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................................... 10 Queer Representation on Television ................................................................................... 10 Recent Backlash of Queer Representation .......................................................................... 15 Reality Television ............................................................................................................... 18 Literature on Queer Eye ...................................................................................................... 22 Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 30 Model .................................................................................................................................. 31 Episode Selection ................................................................................................................ 34 Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER 4 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................... 37 Political Economy ............................................................................................................... 37 The Role of Media in Reproducing Structures of Power ................................................ 39 The Goals and Effects of Advertising.............................................................................. 41 The Role of Corporate Synergy....................................................................................... 45 Advantages of Using Political Economy for the Analysis of the Show ............................. 46 Queer Theory ...................................................................................................................... 48 Advantages of Using Queer theory for the Analysis of the Show ...................................... 51 Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 52 v CHAPTER 5 MATERIALISM, DISPOSAL, AND CONSUMERISM ................................ 53 The Structural Elements of Producing Queer Eye .............................................................. 54 Synergy ............................................................................................................................... 58 Materialism ......................................................................................................................... 61 Disposable Consumption and Waste .................................................................................. 63 Consumption as a Tool to Shape Your Identity .................................................................. 65 The Pedagogy of Consumption ........................................................................................... 68 The Role of Product Placements in the Show ..................................................................... 69 Celebrity Endorsements ...................................................................................................... 73 Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 74 CHAPTER 6 REPRESENTATION OF QUEER AND THE IMPACT ON THE QUEER PROJECT ................................................................................................................................ 77 Representation of Gay Males in Contemporary American Culture .................................... 78 Representation of Queer in Queer Eye ............................................................................... 80 Queer equals gay male.................................................................................................... 82 Queer equals wealthy, cultured, vain, witty and effeminate gay men. ............................ 82 Queer as Asexual ............................................................................................................ 85 Queer as a separate world .............................................................................................. 85 Queer Leads to Complicated Flirtations ........................................................................ 87 Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 89 CHAPTER 7 THE CONSTRUCTION MASCULINITY AND FEMININITY .................... 92 The Representation of Masculinity in the Show ................................................................. 92 Cleanliness, Personal Hygiene and Smells ..................................................................... 95 Unsophisticated and Boorish .......................................................................................... 97 Repairing Masculinity ..................................................................................................... 98 The Problem is Masculinity, not Biological Sex or Sexuality ......................................... 99 The Representation of Femininity in the Show ................................................................ 100 Interchangeable Concepts, Queer and Feminine ......................................................... 101 The Superheroes of Bad Taste ...................................................................................... 102 vi Heterosexual Reproductive Romance ............................................................................... 103 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 104 CHAPTER 8 DISCUSSION: WE ARE HERE TO MAKE YOU BETTER ...................... 106 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................. 107 Review of the Research Questions ................................................................................... 110 First Research Question ..............................................................................................