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An application of theory to various reality television shows in order to discuss the emergence and encouragement of the false self in our society is the focus of this work. Toddlers and Tiaras, Hoarders and Sister Wives are the three television shows that will be analyzed by using content analysis in order to examine the effects of consumerism, narcissism and the emergence of the false self. The limitless character of the economy coupled with narcissism and an increased focus on the self contributes to the development of the false self within the individual. People may not even be aware of the push to be narcissistic, focused on our own biographies and self-promotion, yet people are aware of their suffering and unhappiness. Many individuals are left questioning why it is that they are never completely satisfied even as they accumulate notoriety, success, material wealth and possessions. An ideology of greatness and being the best is found in so many avenues of our daily lives, and at times it can be overwhelming, and if we do not possess these skills and qualities we are encouraged to just fake it.

The aim of this thesis is to study how gender, race, and nation are represented in Miss Universe Japan 2015. I investigate how the top five participants are represented in relation to Japanese ideal femininity and what these representations contribute to. Furthermore, I examine how global ideals have impacted the outcome of the pageant. The material consists of recordings of the Miss Universe Japan 2015 pageant, which is available on YouTube. The material is analyzed using a context focused textual analysis. Stuart Hall’s theories of representation are used to understand how representations work. Judith Butler’s theory of performative gender and Floya Anthias’ and Nira Yuval-Davies’ theories of how gender relates to nation are used to understand how the construction of the nation intersects with the construction of gender. Michael Billig’s theory of banal nationalism is used to illustrate that beauty pageants are nationalistic practices. Lastly, theories of whiteness, both in the West and Japan, are applied to understand how race and national values interact. The top five participants in Miss Universe Japan 2015 are analyzed one by one and their representations are contrasted to the ideals of the Japanese woman. Moreover, the impact of global ideals on the pageant is discussed. I find that the representation of the top five participants both reproduces and challenges the ideal femininity in Japan, thus widening the limits for the Japanese womanhood. On the other hand, these challenges, and also the reproductions, largely follow global ideals, which leads to an essentialization of global beauty.