{"product_id":"makeover-tv-brenda-r-weber-9780822345688","title":"Makeover TV: Selfhood, Citizenship, and Celebrity","description":"In 2004, roughly 25 makeover-themed reality shows aired on U.S. television. By 2009, there were more than 250, from \u003ci\u003eWhat Not to Wear\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Biggest Loser\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eDog Whisperer\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003ePimp My Ride\u003c\/i\u003e. In \u003ci\u003eMakeover TV\u003c\/i\u003e, Brenda R. Weber argues that whether depicting transformations of bodies, trucks, finances, relationships, kids, or homes, makeover shows posit a self achievable only in the transition from the \"Before-body\"-the overweight figure, the decrepit jalopy, the cluttered home-to the \"After-body,\" one filled with confidence, coded with celebrity, and imbued with a renewed faith in the powers of meritocracy. The rationales and tactics invoked to achieve the After-body vary widely, from the patriotic to the market-based, and from talk therapy to feminist empowerment. The genre is unified by its contradictions: to uncover your \"true self,\" you must be reinvented; to be empowered, you must surrender to experts; to be special, you must look and act like everyone else.\u003cp\u003eBased on her analysis of more than 2,500 hours of makeover TV, Weber argues that the much-desired After-body speaks to and makes legible broader cultural narratives about selfhood, citizenship, celebrity, and Americanness. Although makeovers are directed at both male and female viewers, their gendered logic requires that feminized subjects submit to the controlling expertise wielded by authorities. The genre does not tolerate ambiguity. Conventional (middle-class, white, ethnically anonymous, heterosexual) femininity is the goal of makeovers for women. When subjects are male, makeovers often compensate for perceived challenges to masculine independence by offering men narrative options for resistance or control. Foregoing a binary model of power and subjugation, Weber provides an account of makeover television that is as appreciative as it is critical. She reveals the makeover show as a rich and complicated text that expresses cultural desires and fears through narratives of selfhood.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Brenda R. Weber\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0822345684\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780822345688\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Duke University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 344\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.10lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.00w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/17\/2009 pg. 52\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2010","brand":"Brenda R. Weber","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46526209884415,"sku":"9780822345688","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_a93edfcb-efbd-4dea-a408-6367304bbe1c.jpg?v=1737555509","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/makeover-tv-brenda-r-weber-9780822345688","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}