AVVIKANDE KROPPAR I DET SAMTIDA TV-UTBUDET
AvvikandeKropparSamtidaTVOsundaSexuellaExtremaSociologisktKulturelltVoyeurismKlassIcke-fiktionFreakshowOutsidersDu är vad du äter
This thesis discusses the representation of bodies in todays non-fiction television in Sweden. I have chosen to focus on deviant bodies (sexual, deformed or unhealthy) on display in reality-shows and documentaries on SVT, TV4 but especially on the commercial channels TV3 and Kanal5. Also discussed are the viewers emotional and bodily reactions. Altough these shows are different from one another in many respects, I argue that there is also a common thread between them. From a sociological and cultural perspective, and with help of some historical examples, I try to illustrate how we view these shows and what their function is. I conclude that the body is a site of powerstruggle and that these shows have many different levels of meaning. We cathegorize and value these deviant bodies but also our own. It is about making creating a ?us and them? and in the long run it has to do with making class and identity. The voyeuristic pleasure in watching these people displayed on TV is made possible from the safe distance of our livingroom.