In 2004, roughly 25 makeover-themed reality shows aired on U.S. television. By 2009, there were more than 250, from What Not to Wear and The Biggest Loser to Dog Whisperer and Pimp My Ride. In Makeover TV, Brenda R. Weber argues that whether depicting transformations of bodies, trucks, finances, relationships, kids, or homes, makeover shows posit a self achievable only in the transition from the “Before-body”—the overweight figure, the decrepit jalopy, the cluttered home—to the “After-body,” one filled with confidence, coded with celebrity, and imbued with a renewed faith in the powers of meritocracy. The rationales and tactics invoked to achieve the After-body vary widely, from the patriotic to the market-based, and from talk therapy to feminist empowerment. The genre is unified by its contradictions: to uncover your “true self,” you must be reinvented; to be empowered, you must surrender to experts; to be special, you must look and act like everyone else. Based on her analysis of more than 2,500 hours of makeover TV, Weber argues that the much-desired After-body speaks to and makes legible broader cultural narratives about selfhood, citizenship, celebrity, and Americanness. Although makeovers are directed at both male and female viewers, their gendered logic requires that feminized subjects submit to the controlling expertise wielded by authorities. The genre does not tolerate ambiguity. Conventional (middle-class, white, ethnically anonymous, heterosexual) femininity is the goal of makeovers for women. When subjects are male, makeovers often compensate for perceived challenges to masculine independence by offering men narrative options for resistance or control. Foregoing a binary model of power and subjugation, Weber provides an account of makeover television that is as appreciative as it is critical. She reveals the makeover show as a rich and complicated text that expresses cultural desires and fears through narratives of selfhood.

Life is very much a project in the United States--but not a straightforwardly individual one. A duality of individual free choice and disciplinary institutional governance is the grand national paradox. Simply being--leading life without a bumper sticker avowing one's elective institutional affinities--seems implausible in a country consumed by the makeover--the idea that what you were born as need not define you forever. As Toby Miller writes in his introduction: "I come neither to bury the makeover nor to praise the makeover, but to criticize it, even as I stand alternately bewildered, amused, appalled, and attracted by it." In Makeover Nation he does just that in a witty, no-holds-barred style. Miller looks at the power of various forms of knowledge about people and their emotions as they have been applied to the US population, from talk therapy to drug treatment. He is particularly interested in young people--in examining how childhood is constructed--and pays close attention to the much-favored (and overused) diagnosis and treatment of ADHD/ADD. He also focuses his attention on metrosexuals and right-wing Christians to disclose how these opposing groups manifest their drive toward self-creation. Miller believes that we must question the pleasures of reinvention even as we embrace them.

The Great American Makeover is a collection of essays that explore the American makeover mythos that has been recently repackaged in the form of popular makeover television programs such as Extreme Makeover, The Swan, Supernanny, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

This new in paperback edition includes a new afterword written specifically for this volume. Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais review the developments of the 2008 presidential election and demonstrate how the coming of age of a millennial generation and the expansion of a new communication technology produced another realignment, just as these twin forces of change have done throughout U.S. history.

The Bible is widely distributed in Africa, where nearly half of the population identifies with Christianity. The Bible has many solutions for the continent's problems. Christ told his followers that they are the light of the world. Every person who confesses Jesus Christ is called to be light. Therefore, every believer has a responsibility in shaping our world. Christians have the potential to foster true positive change in Africa. Nevertheless, Christian influence is not very visible in African society. Discover how you can have a Biblical impact on your country and your continent.

Demography is far more important than destiny. By tracing connections between a population’s past and present, demographers can foresee its future. The true wonder of demography, though, is not its ability to predict the future but to shape it. With energy and passion, demographer Liz Allen sets out the potential paths to make Australia better. Bold, fearless and revealing,The Future of Usdoes more than help you find your inner statistician. Looking beyond births, deaths and marriages, Allen takes apart inequality, migration, tax and home ownership. She also dissects how the word ‘population’ became so charged, daring to ask what Australia might look like in 20 years if we had zero immigration. The Future of Us gives demography a makeover and sets out future possibilities for a better us … just like a Choose Your Own Adventure, but for the nation. ‘Liz Allen’s romp around Australia’s demography is highly readable, and makes a compelling case for the benefits of immigration and the need for a comprehensive population policy.’ — Michelle Grattan ‘Put on that superpower cape. Liz Allen’s heartfelt study of how Australians live, die and migrate takes you from now to tomorrow and makes a plea for rethinking how we talk about migration and a renewed Australia. Forget the hate and hyperbole and replace it with hope.’ — Jenna Price

MORAL MAKEOVER This book is for every person who is tired of the moral decline in our Nation, and is willing to help turn the tide- beginning with an inner examination! Drawing from the wisdom found in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, seven major principles are examined: Righteousness Humility Absolute Truth Inner Initiative Generosity Commitment Equal Justice Peace As current as the news headlines, these issues are put on display in an insightful way. Each chapter contains notable quotes, key Proverbs, interesting stories, and a checklist for personal diagnosis. While not a commentary on Proverbs, this book will deliver a renewed appreciation for this often-overlooked section of the Bible. This is recommended reading for everyone from politicians to pastors; from professors to people of all ages who desire to live a principled lifestyle in era of moral decline. John M. Johnson is an ordained pastor in the Church of the Nazarene. He received his M. Div. at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He served as a pastor in two churches in Pennsylvania, and has been engaged in prison ministry around the country since 1992. He currently resides near Scranton, PA, with his wife Becky, daughter Abigail, and two sons - Joel and Philip.

Buchanan, former U.S. treasurer and sister of former presidential nominee Pat Buchanan, takes Hillary Clinton to task in this unapologetically partisan biography. Buchanan outlines how Clinton's personality and character changed after she was elected to the Senate, casting mock sympathy as she goes: "It must be a terrible thing to be as deeply insecure as Hillary. It has made her so incredibly susceptible to the ideas of others." Subsequent chapters criticize the senator's positions on hot-button issues, including healthcare, same-sex partnerships and the war in Iraq. Buchanan backs up many of her points with outside scholarship and Clinton's own interviews and records (both as senator and student).

Dan Well's Extreme Makeover is a satirical new suspense about a health and beauty company that accidentally develops a hand lotion that can overwrite your DNA. Lyle Fontanelle is the chief scientist for NewYew, a health and beauty company experimenting with a new, anti-aging hand lotion. As more and more anomalies crop up in testing, Lyle realizes that the lotion's formula has somehow gone horribly wrong. It is actively overwriting the DNA of anyone who uses it, turning them into physical clones of someone else. Lyle wants to destroy the formula, but NewYew thinks it might be the greatest beauty product ever designed--and the world's governments think it's the greatest weapon. New York Times bestselling author Dan Wells brings us a gripping corporate satire about a health and beauty company that could destroy the world in Extreme Makeover. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Inspired by bridal organizers, "The Menopause Makeover" helps women create a personalized makeover plan and stay motivated to beat belly bulge, tone up, and get off the mood-swing roller coaster for good.