Thinking outside the laboratory box : the individualization, surveillance, and moralization of obesity within The Biggest Loser
Date
2010-06Author
Matthews, Natasha Nicole
Type
ThesisDegree Level
MastersMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The purpose of this study is to better understand the ways in which scientific discourse contributes to the individualization and moralization of obesity, through reality television. Popular reality television programs emphasize the importance of lifestyle to health and wellness, often focusing on participant weight loss. Within this research, I describe the ways in which the obesity epidemic is approached in popular reality television, specifically in NBC’s The Biggest Loser, and identify how the discourse of obesity is tied to issues of individualization, surveillance, and morality. Specifically, I undertake a laboratory study of The Biggest Loser to illustrate how this methodology can be extended from the traditional laboratory into a space of science that has no formal walls. With a focus on the seventh season of The Biggest Loser, I argue that the program is based on a human experiment that illustrates the interconnectedness of science and society, while perpetuating individualized and moralized obesity discourse. By conducting a laboratory study of a popular television program, I offer a new way to address obesity discourse
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)Department
SociologyProgram
SociologySupervisor
Poudrier, JenniferCommittee
Biggs, Lesley; Thomas-Maclean, Roanne; Quinlan, ElizabethCopyright Date
June 2010Subject
Surveillance
The Biggest Loser
Laboratory studies
Individualization
Moralization