The commendable man: an anthropological experience of self-slimming based on health TV journalism

Abstract

This article presents the results of an ethnographic research about food, a theme that has gained prominence in Brazilian TV. The author of this work followed feeding tips from the Bem Estar program, Rede Globo; slimmed 25 kg in four months, and noted the sensations he had and the reactions of others. The study considers that Brazilian TV propagates the idea of lean body as "normal" and as a model to be followed. The work uses observant participation. It is an ethnographic research technique in which the researcher not only observes the phenomenon, but also participates in it (in this case, noting changes in the body itself). The manuscript uses an interdisciplinary technique to associate themes from Anthropology to Social Communication. He concludes that the television message in favor of thinness transforms the one who slims into a commendable man.