You Need a Makeover!: The Social Construction of Female Body Image in A Makeover Story, What Not to Wear, and Extreme Makeover

The document analyzes how female body image is socially constructed through three television makeover programs: "A Makeover Story," "What Not to Wear," and "Extreme Makeover." The authors, Gallagher and Pecot-Hébert, use textual analysis to argue that these shows perpetuate an ideology of beauty that deems women inherently flawed without beauty products, promoting consumerism and traditional beauty standards. The study suggests that while these programs focus on external transformations, they often overlook the psychological issues related to self-esteem and body image, and instead commodify the female body. The analysis also critiques the portrayal of plastic surgery as a simple solution to self-esteem issues, reinforcing unrealistic beauty standards and the objectification of women. The document concludes that these makeover shows reflect and reinforce cultural ideologies about gender, appearance, and identity, pressuring women to conform to societal beauty ideals.