Buff Brides: Disciplining the Female Body
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course; there seem to be no real consequences should they not follow their
training regime, because they’ll get their dream wedding anyway.
When considered in the context of women’s health, certainly an
important concern for all women and for feminists, the program’s emphasis on
the cosmetic trivializes the seriousness of this issue. This program excludes any
medical expertise regarding (1) what is medically considered overweight and (2)
the actual consequences of being overweight (blood pressure and other health
risks) aside from noting that certain body fat percentages are “unhealthy.”
Instead, the sole reason for these women to incorporate exercise and healthy
eating into their hectic lifestyles is to create the spectacle of the perfect bride. At
the same time, one can consider this program as in a sense incorporating
feminist ideals by way of including mention of these women’s occupations—
some are executives and managers—and the portrayal of these women being
able to manage several roles at once. However, it gives no indication of these
women’s other achievements, such as education, which would take only a few
seconds to mention.
In addition to gendered differentiation regarding bodily appearance,
Buff Brides includes aspects of gender inequality regarding the concept of
“work.” The amount of unpaid labor and time devoted to the “chore” of wedding
planning, which results in only a temporary escape from their habitus of work
and home (Herr), reaffirms that, in the end, women’s lives are defined as not a
man’s. “Women, like everyday life, have often been defined as negation. Their
realm has not been that of war, art, philosophy, scientific endeavor, high office,”
noted Felski (80). Buff Brides further endorses femininity through the
importance it places on the task of wedding planning and fulfilling the role of
bride. As a mode of discipline, Buff Brides combines with other bridal media to
instruct female viewers on how to discipline the female body in order to fit a
gendered garment, a symbolic “Iron Maiden” that forwards hegemonic
femininity in the guise of wedding bliss.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Erika Engstrom
Notes
1 Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com) serves in a similar capacity as
Wikipedia, in that it provides an online, every-changing source for slang terms.
2 For this analysis, 1 recorded at random, during early 2007, five one-hour episodes
featuring the stories of 10 brides. As of mid-2008, episodes rerun once every several
weeks, with the series taking months to recycle. Thus, this sample is one of convenience.
Episode titles, airdates, and copyright dates are as follows: “Margaret and Tiffany,” Feb.
14, 2007 (copyright 2003); “Colleen and Nadege,” Feb. 21, 2007 (copyright 2003);
“Linxiu and Melanie,” March 2, 2007 (copyright 2003); “Jessica and Madhu,” March 21,
2007 (copyright 2003); “Greta and Justine,” March 21, 2007 (copyright 2004).
3 Recall the scene from Gone with the Wind in which Mammy chastises Scarlett for
planning to eat at the Wilkes’s barbeque picnic.