The purpose of this study is to better understand the ways in which scientific discourse contributes to the individualization and moralization of obesity, through reality television. Popular reality television programs emphasize the importance of lifestyle to health and wellness, often focusing on participant weight loss. Within this research, I describe the ways in which the obesity epidemic is approached in popular reality television, specifically in NBCs The Biggest Loser, and identify how the discourse of obesity is tied to issues of individualization, surveillance, and morality. Specifically, I undertake a laboratory study of The Biggest Loser to illustrate how this methodology can be extended from the traditional laboratory into a space of science that has no formal walls. With a focus on the seventh season of The Biggest Loser, I argue that the program is based on a human experiment that illustrates the interconnectedness of science and society, while perpetuating individualized and moralized obesity discourse. By conducting a laboratory study of a popular television program, I offer a new way to address obesity discourse

The purpose of this study is to better understand the ways in which scientific discourse contributes to the individualization and moralization of obesity, through reality television. Popular reality television programs emphasize the importance of lifestyle to health and wellness, often focusing on participant weight loss. Within this research, I describe the ways in which the obesity epidemic is approached in popular reality television, specifically in NBCs The Biggest Loser, and identify how the discourse of obesity is tied to issues of individualization, surveillance, and morality. Specifically, I undertake a laboratory study of The Biggest Loser to illustrate how this methodology can be extended from the traditional laboratory into a space of science that has no formal walls. With a focus on the seventh season of The Biggest Loser, I argue that the program is based on a human experiment that illustrates the interconnectedness of science and society, while perpetuating individualized and moralized obesity discourse. By conducting a laboratory study of a popular television program, I offer a new way to address obesity discourse

Den här studien använder sig av en Multimodal Kritisk Diskursanalys (MCDA) för att undersöka hur reality-showen Biggest Loser Sverige 2018 framställer överviktiga. Syftet med studien är att analysera hur seriens finalister framställs när dem är överviktiga respektive när dem är normalviktiga, samt undersöka ifall viktstigmatiserade attityder kommer till uttryck i programmet. Studiens teoretiska ramverk utgår från fältet hälsokommunikation, med fokus på stigmatiseringsteorin och stigmatiseringsprocessen. I analysen undersöks utvalda delar av Biggest Loser Sverige 2018 utifrån olika analysbegrepp hämtade från MCDA. Analysresultatet visar att programmet innehåller viktstigmatiserade attityder genom att finalisterna som överviktiga framställs som olyckliga och lata, iklädda för tighta kläder och ätandes ohälsosam mat. Dessutom filmas de utifrån kameravinklar som gör att deras kroppar ser större ut, samtidigt som ljussättningen är mörk och dyster. När finalisterna är normalviktiga framställs dem som lyckliga, självsäkra och iklädda figursydda kläder. De filmas dessutom utifrån kameravinklar som gör att deras kroppar ser mindre ut, tillsammans med en ljus ljussättning som framhäver deras kroppar på ett exklusivt sätt. Avslutningsvis i studien diskuteras hur den stora skillnaden i framställandet av finalisterna skapar viktstigmatiserade attityder genom att ge en diskriminerande bild av överviktiga människor. / This study uses a Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) to investigate how the reality-show Biggest Loser Sweden 2018 presents obesity. The purpose of the study is to analyze how the finalists of the series are presented as obese and non-obese, as well as investigate if weight-stigmatized attitudes are being expressed in the program. The theoretical framework of the study is based on the field of health communication, focusing on the stigmatization theory and the stigmatization process. The analysis examines selected parts of Biggest Loser Sweden 2018 based on various analytical concepts. The analysis results shows that the program contains weith stigmatized attitudes, by portaying the finalists as miserable and lazy, dressed in inappropriately fitting clothing and eating unhealthy food. Additionally, they are being filmed from unflattering wiews that makes their bodys look bigger, with a dark lightning. When the finalists are normalweighted, they are being presented as happy, confident and with close-fitting clothes. They are also being filmed from angles that make their bodys look smaller, and with a lightning that emphasizes their bodies in an exclusive way. In conclusion, the study discusses how the big difference in the presentation of the finalists may promote weight-stigmatized attitudes by giving a discriminatory picture of overweight people.

Healthy lifestyle is a phenomenon that is inseparably connected to the current society - to people's everyday life, to habits, culture and last but not least to the media. This master thesis is focused on how media comprehend not only healthy lifestyle but also how they present individuals who do not respond to current beauty ideal - individuals suffering from overweight and obesity. First part of the thesis theoretically describes obesity as a medicinal and social problem. It shows broad spectrum of aspects connected with the diagnosis of obesity taken from medicinal view. It also points out the so called idealization of slenderness, or cult of slenderness, which in a certain way makes obesity discriminative element. Part of the text is an original Michael Foucault interpretation, who considers health to be a disciplinary power technology. Following is the description of health communication (communication in the area of health), description of the basics of fat studies, media as a healthy lifestyle platform and also the media genre reality show. In practical part, based on the theoretical foundation, the thesis applies quantitative content analysis and frame analysis of two television shows - Czech "Jste to, co jíte" and American "The Biggest Loser." Through mutual comparison are presented...