The Perfect Woman and Makeover Reality Television Shows
By: Whitney Matt
Visual Communications
Abstract:
This paper will perform a content analysis of several television
makeover shows, and how these shows have created the idea of the “Perfect
woman.” These shows are used to sell the idea of this perfect woman that all
women should strive to be like, whether it has to do with them changing
their image by simply changing their clothing, to losing weight, to the
extreme of plastic surgery. The media shows that women should stop at
nothing to be the perfect woman. I am going to concentrate on women for
the sake of the argument about media and the perfect woman. The video
clips used were of three different categories; clothing makeover shows,
weight loss shows, and plastic surgery shows. Looking at each show I
analyzed class, race, music, setting and tone, actions and situations, dress,
gender and sexuality, family dynamics, camera techniques and effects,
introductions of characters, and copy. Many different shows were used to do
this analysis including Dr. 90210, Nip/Tuck, I Want A Famous Face, The
Swan, Extreme Makeover, Celebrity Fit Club, The Biggest Loser, Dance Your
Ass Off, How Do I look, What Not to Wear, Queer Eye, and others.
Reality-based television programs highlight cosmetic surgery and has
raised concerns that such programming promotes unrealistic expectations of
plastic surgery and increases the desire of viewers to undergo such
procedures to fit society‟s means of “The Perfect Woman.” Makeover shows
have been the most popular and longstanding shows, but with the popularity
comes criticism. Some are criticized for people not being who they truly are
and trying to be what society wants them to be. Some even say that
America has become obsessed with makeover television. Some, including
feminists are extremely against the whole idea of making over women to fit
society‟s standards. But when will it be too much? People are already getting
multiple surgeries to look like someone else and in the end aren‟t even
recognizable as the same person as before they went under the knife.
Society is making this more acceptable though. They put images out there of
women that are perfect, and not real in many ways. They are airbrushed,
have fake hair, nails, and boobs. Why does the media put the pressures on
women to look this way? These shows are reality shows, self improvement
reality shows. They are not real but people perceive them to be real which
makes them think that these looks are easily attainable, which now they are
becoming more and more attainable to the everyday woman. Sarwer and
Crerand assert that the prevalent, yet unrealistic media image of the „„ideal‟‟
thin, large-breasted woman is a contributing factor to the increase in the
number of cosmetic procedures in the United States (Cosmetic Surgery).
The perfect woman is advertised everywhere. She is shown in car
advertisements, make up ads, perfume ads, the red carpet, magazine
covers, movies, television shows, and most media outlets that you can think
of. The perfect woman is a lot like the Cosmo Girl, but also has different
attributes. She is beautiful, sexy, independent, classy, smart, and talented.
The perfect woman goes past that and more into the beautiful and sexy
aspect of it. She must have long, beautiful, big hair. Big, pushed up boobs. A
tiny waist, but still with curves (which is impossible, by the way). She must
have tan long legs. Lastly, she must be fashionable and glamorous.
Makeover and self improvement shows were rare to come by until
recent years. These shows cover a person, or a group of people changing
and improving their lives. There is either a new person each episode that it
is about or it is a group of people that remain constant throughout the
season. Despite character and situational differences, each show follows the
same basic format. The show first introduces the participant(s) in their
current situation or environment, whether it be at their home, workplace,
etc. The participants usually will then meet with some sort of expert who
gives the participant the means, services and instructions to improve their
lives. At the end the participants are usually placed back into their original
settings (home, workplace, etc.) and friends, family and the experts all
congratulate the participant on the usually significant lifestyle changes
made. Most of the participants go from frumpy ugly working women to sexy,
beautiful, sophisticated looking women. Without telling you, these shows are
still working off of “sex sells.”
Most makeover shows are targeted towards women. Yes men can use
makeovers too, but you can only do so much with a man. Women on the
other hand, you can dramatically change their clothing, hair, makeup,
weight and now even shape and contour very easily.
The less extreme makeover shows are the clothing makeover shows.
These shows include What Not to Wear, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and
How Do I Look. What not to wear shows a male and a female, which both
look very trendy, walk out into the city streets to uplifting soft music while
telling the story about the person who is on the show that episode and why
they need this makeover to change their life. It‟s usually white middle class
people who appear on the show. Usually the stories are very emotional and
they make you feel bad for the participant. This show is probably the least
intense out of all the makeover shows. The “experts” basically just tell you
how bad your clothes look that you currently own, show you what you
should be wearing, buy you a need wardrobe and send you off to your family
and friends to see the end results. There are no family dynamics on the
show other than the results part at the end. Queer Eye is another makeover
show. This show is a little different though, the “Fab Five” make over your
entire life, from your looks to the interior design in your home to your
relationships. The “Fab Five” includes the five “queer” men who host the
show, all experts in a different area. They prepare the participant, once
again for an event at the end of the show, usually with family and friends.
They are all white, middle aged, upper middle class males. The introduction
is very upbeat, while being set in the city. There are no family dynamics to
this show either. The show is based off of the stereotypes that gay men
know fashion and design the best. Another example of a clothing makeover
show is How Do I Look. This show, once again follows the same basic
format. Fashion victim, meets fashion experts who change the fashion
victims look and present it to friends and family at a later event, while
tailored to the individual participant. The show‟s host is a very trendy
female. The shows introduction is very trendy and upbeat as well. So we see
that clothing make over shows all follow the same basic pattern and format
while fitting each participants unique needs.
The next type of makeover show I chose to focus on has recently
become extremely popular, which is weight loss make over shows. An
example of this type of show is Dance Your Ass Off. This show is similar to
Dancing With the Stars in that the contestant is paired up with a professional
dancer while one couple being eliminated each week. The goal is not only to
dance well but to lose the most weight at the same time. The show displays
each contestants start weight and then the weight they lose as they show
continues which helps others see that it is truly possibly to reach your
weight loss goal if you actually try for it. Dance Your Ass Off’s introduction is
very upbeat and edgy. Another type of this kind of show is The Biggest
Loser. This show is exceptionally popular as well. This is a competition
reality show, as well as a weight loss make over show, much like Dance Your
Ass Off. The introduction shows each member, introduces them, then shows
them in the workout room hard at work. The Biggest Loser features males
and females, of all races and all different types of class. To become the
biggest loser you must lose the most weight, with participants getting
eliminated each week. Another show to compare to is Celebrity Fit Club. This
show is widely popular as well and has a twist to it. Celebrities compete to
lose the most weight. It features both females and males who basically have
to go to boot camp to win the prize, which actually goes to charity. These
weight loss shows all follow the same pattern, but it is not the same pattern
at all as the clothing makeover shows. This format is a competition to see
who can lose the most weight, with contestants being eliminated for not
losing enough weight, with a prize at the end of the show.
The shows that I am mainly concentrating on are the plastic surgery
shows. These shows are the most interesting and extreme shows. The first
show is Extreme Make Over. There is also a spinoff which is the Home
Edition. The show begins with introducing that particular episode‟s
participant and they explain why she needs this makeover and how it can
benefit her life while showing her in her daily life as it is pre-surgery and
follows through the whole procedure, including doctor‟s visits and surgery.
Most contestants are middle class females. The females not only get hair,
clothing and make up makeovers but also receive plastic surgery to fix their
flaws. These procedures range from dental work to liposuction. Each show
features how the participant looks after the makeover. This show did not last
very long due to criticism and terrible ratings. Another plastic surgery
makeover show is Dr. 90210. The show features the same set of doctors
each episode, their home life, and their families; which makes this show
different than any of the other plastic surgery shows. It also features
different participants, why they want the surgery, their goals, and the
journey from pre-op to post-op. It is set in Beverly Hills which plays a big
role in this show, because most of the operations are purely cosmetic and
mainly just to enhance their looks for artificial reasons. The Swan and I
Want A Famous Face are the two most criticized, and creepy, shows to be
aired. The Swan is where contestants, who are known as “Ugly Ducklings”
go under the knife and also participate in a lot of physical exercise for three
weeks, and who are afterwards known as “The Swan.” The participants also
compete in a beauty pageant at the end. It features all “plain Jane” middle
class females who are just average women and in the end are bombshells,
the ideal woman. Big boobs, tight bodies, beautiful hair and teeth and then
throws them back into their old life. I Want A Famous Face features young
people who admire a certain celebrity so much that they get tons of plastic
surgery to look just like the star of their choice. Extremely Creepy. The
introduction shows plain looking people then it shows surgery marks,
followed by a red carpet and flashing lights, which I think is very interesting.
It features both males and females, mainly white. Most participants on this
show get these surgeries done because they think it will make them have
careers like their celebrity idol. Most are middle class, 20 something year
olds. Neither of these shows lasted very long due to extreme criticism.
Lastly, I would like to look at Nip Tuck. It is different from the other due to
the fact that it is not a reality show. It is made to look like it but is not. It
does still follow the same pattern. It shows doctors, patients, the reason
they get the surgeries and before and after footage.
As these makeover shows have progressed they have gotten more and
more extreme, from What Not to Wear to The Swan. There are so many
different forms of makeover shows to fit different people‟s needs. They show
how easy it is to improve yourself, when in all actuality, what they are
showing is not that easy. Why can‟t these people be happy with what they
originally look like? Because of media in today‟s society. These women
featured on these shows are not “The Perfect Woman.” They are overweight,
short, and have no boobs. They are not acceptable in today‟s society. These
women are striving and going to extreme‟s to fit society‟s standards. This
also leads us to another rising issue, we are paying more attention to who‟s
gained weight and lost it than to more important things like the ongoing war
or economic troubles.
Dr. Lorenc, a plastic surgeon states that he is worried about the
danger posed by the impact on people‟s self image through the media.
(Celebrity Culture) “There is tremendous danger in unchecked celebrity
worship. A perfect example is I Want A Famous Face- the MTV television
show in which patients come into a doctor‟s office and say „I want to look
like Britney Spears‟ or „I want to look like so and so.‟ This shouldn‟t happen.
No one should aspire to look like someone else. If I have a patient with a
photograph who says „I want to look like that,‟ they don‟t need me, they
need a therapy session. It‟s very unhealthy to perpetuate that. I won‟t
operate on them.” (Celebrity Culture)
American‟s are taking their celebrity worship to a whole new level by
trying to capture the glamour and youthfulness of celebrities through plastic
surgery to fit what image they think they should have, and the pressure to
look a certain way which is presented through the media. Society also puts
celebrities in a bind; they have an image to uphold as well, which they can‟t
attain on their own over the years, which leads, once again, back to plastic
surgery. They must maintain the image of the glamorous, young, beautiful,
flawless lifestyle that the media portrays them having. These shows easily
convince viewers that these procedures are common and acceptable to get
and that they will improve your life in various ways.
Sources:
Celebrity culture. (2005). The CQ Researcher, 14(10),
Nabi., RLN. (2009). Cosmetic surgery makeover programs and
intentions to undergo cosmetic enhancements:. Human
Communication Research,35(27),
Blair/Shalmon., B/S. (2005). Cosmetic surgery and the cultural
construction of beauty. Art Education,
Cosmetic surgery. (2005). The CQ Researcher, 14(15),