Notes on Are You a Good Female Citizen?: Media Discourses on Self-Governing Represented in Popular Korean Weight-Loss Reality TV Shows
Introduction
Based on Foucault’s concept of governmentality, this study examines how media discourses reproduced and spread in Korea’s neo-liberal society through weight-loss reality TV shows.
After neo-liberalism was established as a political ideology in Korea, weight-loss reality programs with strong neo-liberal characteristics have risen in popularity among ordinary Korean women.
The popularity of female-oriented pop media culture has generated the idea of self-body care, which now plays a powerful role in efficiently reproducing good female citizens who can be governed at a distance.
The study analyzes significant media discourses on diet reality shows that prompt ordinary girls and women to take on a neo-liberal subject by taking care of their bodies.
Major points highlighted in the study:
(1) Producing a feminized, skinny body rather than a healthy body;
(2) Defining clear boundaries between normal and abnormal body by clothing size;
(3) Re-generating dominant female body discourse via a group of lifestyle designers;
(4) Labeling female bodies that have failed in body-care.
Keywords: governmentality, media discourse, neo-liberalism, self-body care, weight-loss reality TV.
Context: Korean body discourse and media culture
The New Balance Seoul Run (2017) controversy illustrated how Korean society represents women’s bodies within a neo-liberal framework: clothes sizes and body shape are political and cultural signals.
About 60% of Korean women's clothing manufacturers produce only small sizes, reinforcing slenderness as a cultural norm.
Self-body care is framed as a ‘rite of passage’ for ordinary women to become good citizens by fitting their bodies into smaller clothes.
Female-targeted weight-loss reality shows contribute to a dominant discourse of slenderness and skinniness as a personal duty.
Diet War and Diet Master are selected as main subjects because they target only females and include expert groups; all participants on these shows are not overweight or obese.
Distinctiveness of Korean experts on these shows: they are viewed as supreme authorities due to Korea’s cultural context where professionals are highly regarded.
The shows’ messages converge on the idea that being slender is a key pathway to social acceptance as a good female citizen.
Literature review and theoretical framing
Foucault (governmentality): governance as invisible control of citizens, encouraging individuals to manage their own issues within constructed political/economic systems; governing at a distance via personal responsibility.
Gap identified: Foucault’s neglect of mass media’s significant role in elaborating governmentality; media, especially TV, can deliver governing at a distance.
Ouellette & Hay (2008a, 2008b): TV as a cultural technology that produces a form of citizenship training; reality TV provides practical skills (dress, exercise, makeup) and can function as public pedagogy.
Reality TV as a disseminator of neo-liberal ideas; techniques of governmentality circulated through schools, medical establishments, social institutions.
Silk, et al. (2009): weight-loss reality TV can produce good, responsible citizens through a public pedagogy that disseminates neo-liberalism.
Sender & Sullivan (2008): lifestyle shows train citizens in rules of good behavior.
Rich (2012): diet reality TV can shape societal views on health and self-care, influencing policy-like governance at a distance.
Korean scholarship: Lee (2008), Kim (2010) on governance-at-a-distance in Korean contexts; Nam & Koh (2011), Lim & Kim (2012) on how Korean weight-loss shows propagate neo-liberal governance and problematize obesity; Bordo (1993, 2004) on the body as a site of social control and normalization.
Gap addressed by this study: while prior work analyzed discourse surrounding the Korean female body, less attention was given to the body as a cultural subject trained toward self-care to become a good citizen within neo-liberalism; this study foregrounds the body itself as a cultural object under governance.
Method
Theoretical framework: Foucault’s governmentality applied to content analysis of Korean diet reality shows.
Data sources: two popular Korean diet reality TV shows targeting females — Diet War and Diet Master.
Diet Master: first season aired in Summer 2007; last season (Season 6) ended August 2012.
Diet War format resembles The Biggest Loser (boot camp, strict schedules, weight loss within a fixed period).
Samples: 12 episodes of Diet War (latest season in 2012) and 10 episodes of Diet Master (2013); total of 22 episodes.
Procedure: episodes viewed three times each; focus on in-coded narratives, subtitles, dialogues, reactions from experts, participants, and hosts.
Analysis approach: interpretive content analysis to uncover ideological significance of female body and body-care within the shows; used to analyze how media texts empower and constrain meaning and how they control ideologies of self-care.
Distinctions between shows:
Diet War targets obese females; Diet Master includes normal-weight/normal-size participants.
Diet Master features an explicit culture of customized plans for each participant; Diet War emphasizes expert guidance as normative.
Expert roles differ from Western diet reality shows:
Western shows (e.g., The Biggest Loser) emphasize edutainment and standardized programs; Korean experts act as authorities with unique cultural legitimacy, offering customized plans and addressing individual needs.
Overall finding: Diet-related shows in Korea function as a female-centric pop culture that reinforces slenderness as the ideal body and positions self-body care as a personal duty under neo-liberal governance.
Self-body care as a rite of passage and the normal/abnormal body discourse
In Korean society, dieting is broader than a US-style obesity prevention; even women in the normal or low-weight category are pressured to diet.
Example: Diet Master Episode 3 theme - “getting a bikini body in two weeks”; experts explain why non-obese women still want to lose weight (Master 1: boxing training helps shape the waist, etc.; Master 2: wearing bikinis showcases femininity).
Diet War participants are all obese; external beauty and normalization are discussed; some participants report social/job discrimination due to obesity.
Korea’s obesity rate among females has remained stable, but appearance-based discrimination remains influential; BMI-based distinctions are culturally salient but Asians’ BMI cutoffs are stricter than in the US.
Internet esthetic weights illustrate the gap between BMI-based health criteria and culturally demanded “desirable” weights; esthetic weights can be far below medically healthy ranges (e.g., for a 160 cm tall woman, esthetic weight often cited as under 47.4 kg, compared to a healthy BMI-based weight around 56.3 kg).
The marketable body becomes a social currency; slenderness is equated with better employment prospects, social acceptance, and life opportunities.
The discourse legitimates self-control and self-discipline as pathways to normality; self-body care is framed as a personal duty that aligns with broader neo-liberal norms of individual responsibility.
The body becomes a site of governance: the self is trained to monitor, regulate, and improve body size and shape according to social expectations.
The logic of size, normalization, and neoliberal subject formation
Since the 1930s Korea’s consumer-capitalist society has used numerical metrics to regulate female bodies; sizes and weight become social currency and markers of ethical behavior.
Size reduction is framed as an achievement corresponding to ethical self-discipline; smaller sizes become signs of success in a capitalist, gendered market.
The shows depict a spectrum where “size 44” is represented as ideal and “size 66” as abnormal/reparable; this binary reinforces a moral economy around body management.
A shift occurs where “normal” BMI categories and Western health ideals intersect with local beauty norms; the goal expands from weight loss for health to achieving an idealized body shape that signals social status.
Examples shown in Diet Master Episode 1: a comparison of size (ideal) and size (unacceptable) with visual demonstrations of the difficulty of wearing clothes; the narrative frames size 44 as the mark of social success and fashionability, while size 66 is shown as a failure requiring repair.
The discourse acknowledges the WHO categorization but notes Korea’s stricter, culturally specific standards; the result is a more aggressive normalization of slenderness.
The “marketable body” concept frames body metrics as social capital, linking physical appearance to economic and social opportunities.
The “lifestyle designer” figure emerges as a key agent in producing neo-liberal subjects (see next section).
Emergence of the 'lifestyle designer' and gender disciplines
Experts on Diet Master and Diet War function as more than instructors; they act as lifestyle designers who shape viewers’ and participants’ self-regulation.
On Diet Master, experts use professional titles but also adopt symbolic nicknames (e.g., “the diet planner who reads women’s minds,” “secret body coach,” “miracle hand that finds the hidden body line,” “S line maker,” “queen of destroying fat”).
These nicknames imply that experts can reconstruct or rebuild bodies, presenting their guidance as sacred and authoritative.
The host and expert interactions reinforce cues about ideal body shapes (e.g., emphasis on feminine forms and slender waists).
The use of nicknames helps viewers identify the type of body that Korean society wants women to have and reinforces slenderness ideologies.
The “public pedagogy” effect: experts’ advice and attitudes function as fundamental principles for viewers to emulate in pursuit of a slender, feminine body.
The experts are framed as ambassadors of neo-liberal self-management: they provide recipes for diet, exercise, and daily routines, guiding self-improvement as a personal duty.
This regime reproduces and normalizes the slender female body and gendered expectations of physical appearance.
Labeling, categorization, and the construction of ‘failure’
Diet War and Diet Master introduce each participant with labels tied to body size, such as “size 99 celibate,” “pretty face behind fat,” “huge size nurse size XXXL,” and “a 0.1 ton girl who dreams of becoming a hotelier.”
The use of body-size labels rather than names personalizes and stigmatizes participants, marking them as abnormal and in need of repair.
In Diet Master Episode 1, a label compares size to size , illustrating the societal valorization of slimmer bodies and the marginalization of larger bodies.
A non-obese participant is labeled “60 kg Cho, Yuhjeong,” connecting personal identity to a publicized body-related label and making appearance a central social criterion.
In Diet Master Episode 3 (bikini body within two weeks), other labels include “working mom who loses S line” and “a body in short of 2% of perfect bikini line.”
These labels suggest that female bodies are often framed as occurrences of success or failure, with social consequences attached to every body type.
The labeling reinforces the idea that normal-sized bodies are still in need of repair if they do not meet perceived cultural standards, thereby expanding the scope of normalcy and normalizing constant body regulation.
The labeling of female bodies as failures supports the broader neo-liberal goal of maintaining hegemonic standards of female beauty and self-discipline.
Implications for citizens, health, and social ethics
The shows function as a micro-politics of the body, where governance operates through everyday practices of self-surveillance and self-regulation.
Self-body care is presented as a personal duty that yields social advantages, reinforcing a morality of disciplined femininity.
The representation of the female body as malleable through expert guidance and self-discipline constructs an ideal citizen who negotiates social standing through appearance.
The phenomenon contributes to social capital accumulation for those who attain slender, toned bodies, while stigmatizing those who do not conform.
The content analysis highlights how media discourses can shape viewers’ beliefs about health, weight, and normalcy in a neo-liberal context.
Conclusion: core findings and broader relevance
Central claim: reality TV can be a powerful form of governing at a distance, shaping ordinary people’s self-regulation and perceptions of normalcy through media narratives.
The study identifies four major discourses generated by Diet War and Diet Master:
The production of a narrow ideal body (slender, feminine) as the standard for being a good citizen in a neo-liberal society.
The use of body size as a measurable criterion to classify normal vs abnormal bodies.
The emergence of lifestyle designers (experts) who provide authority and ‘sacred’ guidance to pursue ideal body shapes and self-care practices.
The practice of labeling bodies that fail self-care as abnormal or failed subjects deserving censure.
The discourses function to transform the concept of body care from a health-oriented activity into a social-duty that reinforces normative gendered beauty standards and neo-liberal subjectivity.
The shows expand the category of abnormal to include normal-weight women, thereby intensifying pressure on women to maintain a slender ideal.
The experts’ advice and behavior influence viewers and participants alike, contributing to a culture where good female citizenship is equated with ongoing body regulation, self-discipline, and achievement in slenderness.
Although the study focuses on the Korean context, the findings offer broader insights into how female-targeted media cultures worldwide may reproduce neo-liberal ideas about self-governance, body image, and citizen formation.
Numerical references, sizes, and comparisons (selected examples)
Size indicators used on the shows include , , and (Korean sizes); translations to US sizes are given as follows: (US $0/2$), (US $4$–$6$).
An observed contrast: “size 55” (Korean size) corresponds to US size ; “size 44” is ideal; “size 66” is in need of repair.
The article notes that in Korea, a BMI-based obesity threshold differs from the US: in the US, obesity is generally defined as BMI > $30$, while in Korea (Asian criteria) obesity is considered at BMI > . This is represented as: $$ ext{BMI}{US} > 30 ext{ vs. } ext{BMI}{Korean} > 25.
The study references that the US obesity rate threshold is higher than Korea’s, reflecting divergent health criteria and social norms around body size.
Ethical, philosophical, and practical implications
The study highlights ethical concerns about media-produced norms that pathologize normal bodies and create unrealistic beauty ideals.
It raises questions about gendered expectations, the commodification of female bodies, and the societal costs of stigma associated with non-conforming bodies.
It points to potential real-world consequences: employment discrimination, social exclusion, and pressure on women to engage in strenuous self-regulation routines.
The research underscores the power of media as a public pedagogy that can shape health-related attitudes and behaviors, for better or worse, in a neo-liberal framework.
Funding and references
Funding: The research was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2017S1A5B8067020).
Key references cited in the study include: Blaszkiewicz (2009); Bordo (1993, 2004); Foucault (2000); Ouellette & Hay (2008a, 2008b); Silk et al. (2009); Sender & Sullivan (2008); Rich (2011, 2012); Nam & Koh (2011); Lim & Kim (2012); Lee (2008, 2017); Kim (2010); Krippendorff (2004); Krippendorff (2004); Murray & Ouellette (2004); Wimmer & Dominick (2005).
Reference: Based on Foucault’s concept of governmentality, this study examines how media discourses reproduced and spread in Korea’s neo-liberal society through weight-loss reality TV shows.
Type: Empirical Paper
Main argument: Weight-loss reality programs with strong neo-liberal characteristics have risen in popularity among ordinary Korean women.
Key points:
Producing a feminized, skinny body rather than a healthy body
Defining clear boundaries between normal and abnormal body by clothing size
Regenerating dominant female body discourse via a group of lifestyle designers
Labeling female bodies that have failed in body-care.
Your comments:
The study highlights ethical concerns about media-produced norms that pathologize normal bodies and create unrealistic beauty ideals.
Raises questions about gendered expectations, the commodification of female bodies, and the societal costs of stigma associated with non-conforming bodies.
Points to potential real-world consequences: employment discrimination, social exclusion, and pressure on women to engage in strenuous self-regulation routines.
Underscores the power of media as a public pedagogy that can shape health-related attitudes and behaviors, for better or worse, in a neo-liberal framework.
To read:
Key references cited in the study include: Blaszkiewicz (2009); Bordo (1993, 2004); Foucault (2000); Ouellette & Hay (2008a, 2008b); Silk et al. (2009); Sender & Sullivan (2008); Rich (2011, 2012); Nam & Koh (2011); Lim & Kim (2012); Lee (2008, 2017); Kim (2010); Krippendorff (2004); Krippendorff (2004); Murray & Ouellette (2004); Wimmer & Dominick (2005).