Nip+Tuck

Nip/Tuck Kristin Reents

**Quick Summary The television show Nip/Tuck features two plastic surgeons Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon who co-owned a successful practice in Miami, which moved to LA after a few years on the air. The show was created by Ryan Murphy and began airing on FX in 2003 (Nip/Tuck: show. 2011). ** **Opinions of the show** There are many different opinions floating around about the show Nip/Tuck. Opinions of the show range from those who are in support of what the show brings to television media to those with incredible concern of what precedents may be set by the show the messages the show relays to the public. Those with stronger positive opinions of the show include regular viewers of the show and celebrity magazines Some rave reviews were, “ ’Cable's most addictive show,’ declares In Touch magazine. It's an ‘amazing slice of life,’ gushes Us magazine. It ‘pulls no punches,’ says the New York Daily news. It's the ‘Coolest Show on TV,’ boasted TV Guide” (Bozell, 2011) Reviews like this focus on the appeal of the show. Many of these magazines target a youthful audience who are interested in entertainment with a lot of sexual content. The creator of the show, Ryan Murphy, also supports the high amounts of sexual content stating, “It's tough to get that sexual point of view across on television. Hopefully I have made it possible for somebody on broadcast television to do a rear-entry scene in three years. Maybe that will be my legacy" (Bozell, 2011). By elements of this show becoming more acceptable in television culture, those who oppose the show have become worried about the effects of the show. The Parents Television Council said, “The content on //Nip/Tuck// lowers the standards for all television programming by desensitizing viewers and putting pressure on other networks to follow its lead” (Nip/tuck: it’s, 2011). The show features many scenes with sexually explicit content as well as profane language. Those who oppose the show worry about the effects the show could have as standards for what is deemed appropriate are slowly lowered.

**Visual Media Messages: Episodes and Advertising** Not only do the issues discussed in the show have heavy sexual themes, but the visuals in the episodes and advertisements for the shows have a strong sexual message as well. Martha Gever of the University of Califoria in her study on moralism in “Nip/Tuck” states, “Almost all scenes of [showy technical know-how] occur in the operating room, the site of the series’ most sensational moments – attention-grabbing close-ups of anesthetizing, cutting, implanting, removing, rearranging, suctioning and suturing. Gory close-ups of scalpels slicing through skin and fingers poking around in bloody tissue underneath may provoke either rapt fascination or aversion of the eyes in disgust” (Gever, 2010, p. 116).  These types of images are very frequent throughout the show. A strong sexual appeal is created when visually stimulating images include parts of bodies that are being operated on. The feeling of a sterile medical operating room is quickly lost when body parts are artistically focused on with energizing music in the background bringing the viewer into a sexualized environment. While it is important to note that there are some procedures on the show that are not overly sexualized and are not done for sexual reasons, many of the procedures include women who are trying to reach society’s idea of perfection. In the midst of the visual images of the show, women’s bodies are objectified. In a documentary titled Killing Us Softly (2000), Jean Kilbourne discusses women’s bodies in advertising and media saying their bodies are “not only an object, but one part of that object” (Kilbourne 2000). Whether just a leg, just a breast, or just a stomach is shown, viewers are seeing parts of the body in the most stimulating scenes without association to the person as a whole. Many of the advertisements for “Nip/Tuck” also include sexual images of women. Advertisements feature women in seductive poses with the doctors around them. Some sense of male dominance is shown in these images as women lay in helpless states on operating tables. Sexual body parts, such as breasts are covered by either lacy bras or nude colored bras, make the body appear even more naked. These advertisements for Nip/Tuck illustrate the concept of the “thin ideal.” Kilbourne (2000) says, “ In regards to the “thin ideal” our society had adopted, it is very true that the main message women are getting today is that the more you subtract, the more you add.” This type of message is found in many television shows and can affect heavy viewers of the show. When the audience continually sees a standard of perfection in the form of physical characteristics, viewers begin to seek that for themselves. The advertisements reflect the opinion Christian shares on Nip/Tuck when he tells a potential patient, "When you stop striving for perfection, you might as well be dead." ** Nip/Tuck’s Effects on Thought ** “Nip/Tuck” may provoke many different thoughts on viewers. One episode features Joan Rivers. Joan begins by wishing she had never gotten plastic surgery. When she realizes what she would really look like without plastic surgery, however, she asks to schedule her next procedure. Martha Gever argues that Joan Rivers’ contrasting opinions is not simply her changing her mind, but a presentation of both sides of the controversial topic of plastic surgery. Gever says, “Since cosmetic surgery often generates fierce disagreements, a television show that refuses to settle the issue becomes an intriguing cultural artifact” (Gever, 2010, p. 106). While the show has moments when it shows superficial procedures, “Nip/Tuck also features some reconstructive post-accident surgeries. Heavy viewers of “Nip/Tuck” will get a mix of these elements and will be forced to come to a conclusion for themselves of what opinion they hold. Viewers are also exposed to the way culture treats aging. “ We are directed to consider both the way in which the culture pathologises female aging and the folly in attempting to address a psychological problem with a surgical cure” (Tait, 2007, p. 131). There is a tension presented between desiring to be young and how ridiculous the measures people will take to retain youth can be. Another possible effect Nip/Tuck could have on viewers is their thoughts and perceptions on the risks involved in becoming beautiful through plastic surgery. Mass media has been painting a picture of true beauty being a necessity no matter the cost. In one episode of Nip/Tuck, a patient tries to slander the practice because of some complications from her procedure. We find out eventually that it was patient irresponsibility that caused the complication. According to Sue Tait (2007), “A graphic depiction of the violence of surgical intervention becomes about the failed patient rather than the brutal procedure” (p. 131). When the show begins to draw attention away from the risks of a procedure, it can communicate only the end result of having plastic surgery and neglect the risks stemming from how violent many plastic surgeries are to the human body. Overall, “Nip/Tuck” has caused viewers to form many different opinions of the show since airing in 2003. While some people find the show to be fascinating and addictive, others find the content offensive and unnecessary. Because of the heavy use of visually stimulating images and high amounts of sexual content, “Nip/Tuck” causes viewers to think about the content presented on the show and the controversies that come with it. References Bozell, L. Brent III. //"Nip/Tuck" Knows No Bounds//. Retrieved April 9, 2011 from http://www.parentstv.org/ptc Gever, Martha. (2010). The trouble with moralism: Nip/Tuck. //Media, Culture & Society, Vol. 32 No. 1, 105-122.// doi: 10.1177/0163443709350100 Jean Kilbourne (Producer). (2000). //Killing us softly 3// [Motion picture]. Northampton, MA: Media Education Foundation.  Natividad, Angela. //'Cause in the End, What You Really Need is More Nip/Tuck in Your Life.// Retrieved April 9, 2011 from http://www.adrants.com/2008/04/cause-in-the-end-what-you-really-need.php // Nip/tuck: it’s not my choice! // Retrieved April 9, 2011 from http://www.parentstv.org/ptc // Nip/Tuck: Show Description, Cast & Crew. // Retrieved April 9, 2011, from http://tv.yahoo.com/show/35161  Tait, Sue. (2007) 'Television And The Domestication Of Cosmetic Surgery', //Feminist Media Studies//, 7: 2, 119 — 135 <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.5in;">// TV Crunch. // Retrieved April 9, 2011 from http://tv.popcrunch.com/category/niptuck/