“It takes work ethic to get two-piece ready”: Neoliberalism, postfeminist healthism, and aesthetic labor in U.S. pageantry

Abstract

Although research has documented neoliberalism's influence on pageantry in myriad ways, there has been less discussion about women's experiences of pageant preparation in the United States, particularly as cultural beauty norms shift and larger bodies are given space to be considered beautiful. At the same time, the ideology of healthism, which implores self-investment in individual health to be considered a good citizen, permeates American society. Using a social constructionist framework that centralizes the concepts of neoliberalism, aesthetic labor, and postfeminist healthism, I examine the preparation practices of pageant women. During preparation for the stage, pageant women strive to embody conventional ideals of gender and femininity through their outward appearances, becoming “entrepreneurial subjects” who devote numerous hours and material resources to researching and purchasing wardrobe and accessories to become pageant ready. They also devote countless hours to diet and exercise routines that are informed by supposed experts in these fields. I argue that pageant participants' explanations of their aesthetic labor reflect an internalization of the neoliberal logics of self-improvement and an adoption of healthist ideologies, which consequently can result in an idealized pageant body. My research contributes to the existing literature by uncovering and critiquing how pageant competitors enact a postfeminist sensibility in their pageant preparation practices.