2008 Woodie Awards
Extreme gender injustice
MSU sociology professor Emily Boyd is studying the societal effects of the popular reality show 'Extreme Makeover'
by Shannon Keller
Issue date: 8/26/08
Section: Campus News
The public sees much of reality T.V. as being an outrageous and false version of actual reality, but one show has affected an MSU professor in a very serious way.
Sociology professor Emily Boyd has been working on her 150-page dissertation for about two years and will soon be submitting it to the social sciences journal "Signs" after condensing it to the size of a two-page article.
After getting her Ph.D last summer at Florida State University, Boyd received a dissemination grant which is given to those who have done research but have not published it yet. She continued her work for her dissertation, which is about her observation of how male and female contestants on the reality show "Extreme Makeover" were treated differently.
"I find TV interesting and it's such a cultural phenomenon," Boyd said. "That's why I chose to do 'Extreme Makeover,' because it's a transformative program that shows what can make a person better. Other medias show just what women need to do and 'Extreme Makeover' had both men and women."
After watching 18 episodes from the 2004-2005 season, transcribing everything that had happened and was said in each episode and then putting the similiar items together, Boyd discovered how often women were told to change their outward appearance compared to men.
"It was common that women were told they lacked femininity or had no femininity at all while men were always told that they were masculine," Boyd said. "Being attractive is not a key cornerstone piece of a man so they wouldn't put down men as much as they did women."
Boyd said when women went on the show they were told to change their behavior and personal style and went through plastic surgery, sometimes on numerous parts of their body to become more like the ideal feminine image society has. Men went through less of this process because of how masculine they are already seen in society, Boyd said. Instead of surgery, men were told to try a different wardrobe to improve their appearance.
Lauren Pilnick of the MSU Women's Center said she agrees with Boyd's article, saying that "women have always been taught to be seen but not heard."
"They have to fit into smaller spaces, figuratively and literally, and that leads to many things like eating disorders," she said. "Men are told to be larger and to take up space."
Some viewers of 'Extreme Makeover' can also remember seeing what they consider examples of gender inequality.
"Now that I think about it I do remember seeing differences between the men and women," MSU freshman Sarah Carson said. "But these people have come to the show for help and they seem to be happier afterwards."
Boyd didn't just concentrate on the male and female differences; she also looked at how the emotions of those on the show changed after they left the show. Boyd said those with lower self-esteem felt much better after the makeover process and had new confidence that could be seen by friends and family. These men and women had become well adjusted and were generally happier even eight weeks after being on the show.
"Maybe they do get more confidence from looking better, but still that's something society will decide," Pilnick said. "I agree with the show if [the contestants] want to do it themselves to feel more confident."
Boyd indicated the show didn't push boundaries as much as it could. have. Along with the program, little tips were given to viewers that they could do at home to improve themselves: how to pick out clothes that suit you best or How to tweeze your eyebrows would affect the viewers more than what actually happened on the show, she said.
"[With] shows like 'Extreme Makeover,' I theorize the effects as being minimal on society and since I'm a sociologist I would find the effects as indirect." Boyd said.
After Boyd submits her dissertation to "Signs", she'll wait to see if it's accepted and what revisions need to be made. If it's accepted, her article won't get published for another year. But no matter where the article ends up, Boyd wants to continue her research and write another dissertation focusing on the identity and emotional aspects of the show.
Boyd is also interested in beginning new research on the condition Alopecia Areata, which causes a person's hair to completely fall out. She would like to see how "these people can deal with certain challenges and how they still portray masculinity or femininity without having their hair."
Shannon Keller is a Reporter staff writer
Sociology professor Emily Boyd has been working on her 150-page dissertation for about two years and will soon be submitting it to the social sciences journal "Signs" after condensing it to the size of a two-page article.
After getting her Ph.D last summer at Florida State University, Boyd received a dissemination grant which is given to those who have done research but have not published it yet. She continued her work for her dissertation, which is about her observation of how male and female contestants on the reality show "Extreme Makeover" were treated differently.
"I find TV interesting and it's such a cultural phenomenon," Boyd said. "That's why I chose to do 'Extreme Makeover,' because it's a transformative program that shows what can make a person better. Other medias show just what women need to do and 'Extreme Makeover' had both men and women."
After watching 18 episodes from the 2004-2005 season, transcribing everything that had happened and was said in each episode and then putting the similiar items together, Boyd discovered how often women were told to change their outward appearance compared to men.
"It was common that women were told they lacked femininity or had no femininity at all while men were always told that they were masculine," Boyd said. "Being attractive is not a key cornerstone piece of a man so they wouldn't put down men as much as they did women."
Boyd said when women went on the show they were told to change their behavior and personal style and went through plastic surgery, sometimes on numerous parts of their body to become more like the ideal feminine image society has. Men went through less of this process because of how masculine they are already seen in society, Boyd said. Instead of surgery, men were told to try a different wardrobe to improve their appearance.
Lauren Pilnick of the MSU Women's Center said she agrees with Boyd's article, saying that "women have always been taught to be seen but not heard."
"They have to fit into smaller spaces, figuratively and literally, and that leads to many things like eating disorders," she said. "Men are told to be larger and to take up space."
Some viewers of 'Extreme Makeover' can also remember seeing what they consider examples of gender inequality.
"Now that I think about it I do remember seeing differences between the men and women," MSU freshman Sarah Carson said. "But these people have come to the show for help and they seem to be happier afterwards."
Boyd didn't just concentrate on the male and female differences; she also looked at how the emotions of those on the show changed after they left the show. Boyd said those with lower self-esteem felt much better after the makeover process and had new confidence that could be seen by friends and family. These men and women had become well adjusted and were generally happier even eight weeks after being on the show.
"Maybe they do get more confidence from looking better, but still that's something society will decide," Pilnick said. "I agree with the show if [the contestants] want to do it themselves to feel more confident."
Boyd indicated the show didn't push boundaries as much as it could. have. Along with the program, little tips were given to viewers that they could do at home to improve themselves: how to pick out clothes that suit you best or How to tweeze your eyebrows would affect the viewers more than what actually happened on the show, she said.
"[With] shows like 'Extreme Makeover,' I theorize the effects as being minimal on society and since I'm a sociologist I would find the effects as indirect." Boyd said.
After Boyd submits her dissertation to "Signs", she'll wait to see if it's accepted and what revisions need to be made. If it's accepted, her article won't get published for another year. But no matter where the article ends up, Boyd wants to continue her research and write another dissertation focusing on the identity and emotional aspects of the show.
Boyd is also interested in beginning new research on the condition Alopecia Areata, which causes a person's hair to completely fall out. She would like to see how "these people can deal with certain challenges and how they still portray masculinity or femininity without having their hair."
Shannon Keller is a Reporter staff writer
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