What's Eating You Theory

Feminist Theory and the Misguided Shows of the E! Network

Bridal Plasty. Dr. 90210. What’s Eating You? Girls Next Door. Sunset Tan. Sound familiar? The common feature uniting all of these television shows is the E! Network, owned in its entirety by media conglomerate NBC Universal and plaguing the minds of over 600 million viewers worldwide, including an incredible 88 million US viewers. The E! Network holds its claim to fame as the original “Entertainment Television” channel, with few competitors in its midst even today. But hey, with quality programming such as “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and “Married to Rock” at the touch of your $200 universal remote, who needs to have competition? Unfortunately, even for those minds that have
“What’s Eating You?” chronicles two different people every week who have severe eating disorders that they are trying to overcome. Now, there are several issues to discuss about the morality and complexity surrounding of this type of show, but a starting point would be the name of the show itself. The title “What’s Eating You?” has an almost facetious connotation that sets the tone for the viewer that the show may not be as psychologically complex or in depth as it should be. In any manner, “schadenfreude,” taking pleasure in the misfortune of others (Pozner), is a key element in audience appeal. Explaining the complex emotional and physical processes of the recovery of not one, but two individuals in the time slot of one hour doesn’t “cultivate awareness” as the advocates of the show claim it does. What it does do is provide an incomplete picture of recovery and treatment for those who don’t have much of an understanding. Another meaningful issue to point out is the fact that only two of the 14 participants are male while the rest are female. This feeds into the idea of gender essentialism, and how society views women as the weaker sex in terms of developing eating
There are several issues to consider with this show. The most obvious subject to address is the girls’ “occupation.” Over-exoticising their lifestyle on this program is crafted skillfully to provide a sort of escapism or fantasy world that draws in large audiences. (Pozner) They portray their everyday life as extremely desirable to viewers, most of whom are incapable of seeing through the superficiality of the show to the deeper problems that lie beneath concerning body image, gender essentialism, and racism. The issue of distorted body image exists on the forefront of “Girls Next Door,” as seemingly perfect bodies are strewn across the screen during each and every episode. Not only that, but all three women have admitted to having breast augmentation surgery. They are also all blonde, white, and have nearly the same bodies. The only distinguishing factor between characters is their heightened personality differences. It seems that the show plays up the girls’ diverse personality traits to ultimately appeal to different audiences. Bridget is portrayed as being sweet, cute, and smart; Kendra is portrayed as a tomboy and sport fanatic; and Holly is portrayed as being more of a housewife or motherly figure for others in the house. These character traits may not be as extremely different as the show makes them out to be, but by standing apart from one another the male viewer is able to better connect with one girl