Age Accomplished, Performed, and Failed

Liz Young as Old on The Biggest Loser

Dados Bibliográficos

ID12370198
AutoresJill Yamasaki (Russian State Agrarian Correspondence University, autor correspondente)
Ano2014
Volume34
Fascículo4
Páginas354-371
Data de publicação2014-09-03
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoText and Performance Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1046-2937 • E-ISSN: 1479-5760
EditoraTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10462937.2014.942871
OpenAlexW2077797788
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas2
Referências citadas19

This essay examines how three overarching narratives—decline, optimization, and transformation—influence Liz Young's embodied performance of age as a contestant on The Biggest Loser and fuel fan-based discourse surrounding her performance. Throughout the competition, Liz portrays herself as old, thereby reinforcing society's long-standing narrative of decline while rejecting contemporary narratives of optimization and transformation. In so doing, she angers loyal viewers who champion the show's inherent story of hope in ways that both reject and reinforce societal ageism. These competing constructions on both the show and related fan-based message boards ultimately constitute prevailing expectations for individuals to act their age—with pronounced implications for when they seemingly do or do not.Keywords: AgeNarrativePerformanceTransformationMedia She is especially grateful to the Text and Performance Quarterly editorial team for their ongoing encouragement and to the anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful feedback.She is especially grateful to the Text and Performance Quarterly editorial team for their ongoing encouragement and to the anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful feedback.Notes[1] NBC Universal permanently pulled all television message boards from nbc.com in December 2012. Bravo Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal, permanently retired televisionwithoutpity.com in March 2014, and permanently pulled all television message boards from the site in May 2014

Art · Champion · Competition (biology · Embodied cognition · Entertainment · Epistemology · Literature · Media studies · Narrative · Political science · Sociology · Aging and Gerontology Research · Gender, Feminism, and Media · History · Law · Media Influence and Health