In the lecture on Transformation Narratives, we discussed the different makeover subjects.  These include: people, bodies, cars, houses, pets, relationships, professional skills and gardens/backyards. This immediately caught my attention. There is a show dedicated to making-over every aspect of my life. Do I need to ‘make-over’ my life? Well according to these shows, yes. They’re saying I am not perfect, and I should be “made-over.” I believe that these shows are incredibly unhealthy for young boys and girls growing up, watching these shows on TV. Shows like Extreme Makeover and Dr. 90210 negatively effect body image and suggest that plastic surgery makes you more beautiful.

In fact, a study from the University of Southern California suggests that women are more likely than men to watch makeover shows like Extreme Makeover, The Swan and Dr. 90210. And the more they watched, the more likely they are to feel anxious about their bodies. “The aim of plastic surgery makeover shows is to make women more beautiful and highlight the dissatisfaction women have with their bodies,” study author Julie Albright said. What’s more, women assumed that a surgically enhanced body was more attractive to men, even though men in the study disagreed. So basically, women are putting pressure on themselves to look a certain way, even though men don’t expect–or even want–perfection.

I believe these shows are cause much more body-image problems than the beauty magazines which are often complained about.

This is a clip from Dr 90210 where a beautiful woman is getting breast implants and a nose job. This can easily make young and influential children think “if she needs plastic surgery maybe I do too…”

I do agree that there are some good “makeover” shows. The Biggest Loser, to an extent, is one of them. It encourages healthy eating and exercise, and explains how obesity is bad. It does not encourage plastic surgery. In my opinion, World Strictest Parents (the show we watched in the lecture) is reasonably okay. I don’t like how it enforces ideas onto parents, and how the children’s lives are made so public. But I do think it gives some good tips to unaware parents, and it is better than extreme beauty makeover type shows.