Popular Culture Review Vol. 20, No. 1, Winter 2009 | Page 45

_________ Buff Brides: Disciplining the Female Body_______41_ with myriad other mass media, these images further add to the notion that women must deny themselves the pleasure of food, lest they break the rules of femininity. In addition to their regular jobs and their personal lives that include their fiances, family, and friends, these women take on additional “shifts”—first, working out and going to the gym, and second, planning their weddings. The narrator mentions these women’s increased labor and work at the start of every episode and reminds viewers that not only are these brides trying to get buff, they also have big weddings to plan and “a million” or “a thousand” details to take care of. The narrator describes wedding plans as “chores” that brides must fit into their already hectic lives. Images of these women scurrying to and from the gym or to work on the busy streets of New York add to the impression that their lives are in constant motion. Stress becomes another enemy of these brides; they express their frustration not only with trying to lose weight, but having to deal with (selfimposed) wedding chores. While a few brides are shown shopping or at food tastings or even exercising with their fiances, the viewer senses that the planning of their special day is a one-woman operation. For example, Nadege and Greta complain that their fiances don’t understand the amount of time and worry required for the minutest wedding and reception details. “I think brides are put under pressure that grooms would never, ever, ever get it. Grooms just couldn’t pull it off,” says Greta. Vents Nadege, “I don’t think anyone else understands how tough it is to plan a wedding and do anything else.” This added stress is normalized by the voiceover narrator, who reminds viewers that brides will have to cope with strenuous workouts and “big responsibilities” of wedding planning. Comments such as, “Like many brides, Margaret is busy and exhausted most of the time, so it’s hard to find the time and enthusiasm for e xercise,” “Most brides find outside activities to alleviate stress,” and “It’s all work and no play—a relentless schedule that can trigger frustration and bridal burnout,” illustrate the daunting work these women have waiting for them every day once they finish their paying jobs. While being exhausted might serve as a common complaint among these brides, their reward for working out, denying themselves food, and juggling work, exercise, and wedding planning is the perfect wedding. Repeatedly, the voiceover narrator uses the word “perfect” throughout episodes: “Jessica has only seven weeks to become the perfect bride”; “In spite of the weather, this has turned out to be the perfect wedding that Greta was dreaming o f’; “The dress is a perfect fit, and Margaret is every inch the perfect bride.” This desire for perfection and the association of perfection with the bridal appearance emanates from the brides themselves. For instance, Melanie, who wanted to lose 30 pounds but had to settle for 12, summarizes this desire: “Everyone wants to look their best on their wedding day. You know, you always dream about the perfect dress. With the perfect dress goes the perfect hair, the perfect smile, and, naturally, the perfect body.”