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cover of episode Lucia Soriano, "Embodying Normalcy: Women's Work in Neoliberal Times" (Lexington Books, 2024)

Lucia Soriano, "Embodying Normalcy: Women's Work in Neoliberal Times" (Lexington Books, 2024)

2025/5/17
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New Books in Critical Theory
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This chapter explores the popularity of makeover reality TV shows in the early 2000s, analyzing their dramatic transformations and the limited television options available at the time. It examines how the shows offered a spectacle of transformation, captivating audiences with the promise of a better life through drastic change.
  • Limited television options in the early 2000s contributed to the popularity of makeover shows.
  • The dramatic transformations shown were a key aspect of the shows' appeal.
  • The shows presented a narrative of improvement through transformation, impacting viewers' perceptions of self-improvement.

Shownotes Transcript

Embodying Normalcy: Women’s Work in Neoliberal Times) (Lexington Books, 2024) calls attention to how women in the United States do a type of unpaid work to embody the latest trends for the purpose of achieving success in neoliberal culture. Using TLC reality shows, lifestyle and beauty influencers, Brazilian butt lift TikToks, and celebrities like Kim Kardashian as her archive, Lucia Soriano delivers four case studies that draw on gender studies, media studies, disability studies, and American studies to illustrate how the prerequisite for women to succeed in neoliberal culture calls for them to treat their bodies as projects that must be transformed every day.

Author Lucia Soriano** **is assistant professor in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and ethnic studies at Albion College.

The episode is hosted by Ailin Zhou, PhD student in Film & Digital Media at University of California - Santa Cruz.

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