РУАЭСТ (RUAEST)
Negotiating Citizenship on Russian Makeover Television: Between Traditional and Neoliberal
Having being introduced to the Russian audience in the early 2000s, beauty makeover television – a lifestyle TV with the focus on ‘remaking’ the participants’ image, conduct and the self through the means of a wardrobe, makeup and hairstyle – has become widespread. Drawing from the concept of citizenship, this study uses data from the popular Russian makeover programs Modnyi Prigovor (Fashion Verdict) and Snimite Eto Nemedlenno! (Take It Off Immediately!) to examine the ways using which they transform women into ideal citizens by negotiating their relationships with and within public and private spheres. Via this examination, this study synthesizes two bodies of literature: citizenship studies and works on makeover TV. It is argued that on Russian makeover TV a speciёc type of citizen is suggested, created by two different yet connected discourses – (neo)traditionalist and neoliberal.