‘When I lose the weight, we’ll go on a date’ – fatness, singleness and liminality in Fat Chance

ABSTRACT In contemporary Western culture, fatness and singlehood are constructed as requiring change: from fat to thin, from single to coupled. Makeover shows with a dating theme that focus on both aspects in connection to each other have become increasingly widespread, aiming for the makeover of one’s life and relationship status through the makeover of one’s body. I analyze the makeover show Fat Chance in the theoretical context of rites of passage applying the concept of liminality to fatness and singlehood. Fatness and singlehood are constructed as undesirable temporary states, with the diet being presented as the rite of passage toward the acceptable states of thinness and being coupled. In Fat Chance, overcoming the liminal states of fatness and singlehood is constructed as proof of successful adulthood and appropriate progression and consequently the precondition for and key to an acceptable, fulfilling, and happy life.


Introduction
A person's outward appearance is extremely important in the modern Western society and fatness is despised and seen as unattractive (LeBesco, 2004).Makeover shows offer the solution, proposing weight loss as a means of improving the body, which in turn improves one's life, status, and relationships.The makeover television show Fat Chance (Drollette, Pinvidic, & Riches, 2016) from the US reflects these sentiments.Here, five female and three male participants set out on a weight-loss journey, trying to lose as much weight as possible in three months, to be able to confess their feelings to their crush.Approaching the show in the theoretical context of rites of passage, specifically liminality (Turner, 1967;Van Gennep, 1960), I draw upon theories of fatness, weight loss and singlehood in connection to liminality (e.g., Harjunen, 2007Harjunen, , 2009;;Hass, 2018;Lahad, 2012;LeBesco, 2004) to examine how fatness and singlehood are constructed in the context of impermanence and change.I subsequently argue that dieting is constructed as a rite of passage on the way from one stage of life (fat/single) to the other (thin/coupled), and, in extension, to a normative life.
The concepts of rites of passage and liminality (Turner, 1967;Van Gennep, 1960) help to explore "marginalized experiences, social statuses and subjectivities that fall between classifications" (Kyrölä & Harjunen, 2017, p. 5).While there is previous research on the liminal aspects of fatness (Gailey & Harjunen, 2019;Harjunen, 2007Harjunen, , 2009;;Kyrölä & Harjunen, 2017;LeBesco, 2004), and on the liminal aspects of singlehood (Lahad, 2012), there is little research on the intersection of fatness and singlehood.Hass (2018) has researched fat temporality in the makeover show I Used to be Fat, but there is a lack of research that explores specifically the representation of the diet as passage from not only one bodily state to the other, but at the same time from one relationship status to the other.I examine the importance of a thin body for both social and relationship status expressed in Fat Chance, which facilitates a broader discussion on how relationship normativity becomes entangled in body normativity in ways that enforce both at the same time.

Fatness and singlehood in makeover shows
As part of reality television, makeover shows play a role in dispersing cultural norms and imperatives (Weber, 2009).They follow strict narrative structures (Weber, 2009(Weber, , 2014) ) and express the "imperative of individual responsibility" (Dovey, 2000).This translates to the imperative of working on the self (Skeggs & Wood, 2014) and emphasizes the importance of transforming the body (Frith, Raisborough, & Klein, 2010).Makeover shows construct certain bodies as desirable and "normal," and certain bodies (e.g., fat bodies) as deviant, drawing on the "cultural appeal of both dieting and the makeover" (Kyrölä, 2021, p. 107); continuous improvement and weight loss are constructed as the way for the participants to be themselves and live life to the fullest (Kyrölä, 2014).Participants exist as before-bodies waiting to be changed and are thus in a state of liminality, which can be understood as an "interstructural situation" (Turner, 1967, p. 93) on the way to a more acceptable state.
In the modern Western society, the ideal of the heterosexual couple and marriage prevails (DePaulo & Morris, 2005); singles face difficulties and discrimination (DePaulo, 2006;Koropeckyj-Cox, 2005).It remains important for both women and men to be part of a couple and still constitutes the norm.This is echoed in dating shows, for example Naked Dating (Smith, 2019), that highlight the need to find a partner (Kavka, 2008;McClanahan, 2007).Heteronormativity is central, as Taylor (2012, p. 108) argues; dating shows such as The Age of Love, Flavor of Love, and Rock of Love revolve around heterosexuality and mediate romantic relationships.At the heart of these shows is the "heterosexual imaginary and its underlying premise -heteronormativity" (Tropiano, 2009, p. 61).Roseneil, Crowhurst, Hellesund, and Santos (2020, p. 22) on the other hand argue that while it is no longer necessary to be in a heterosexual couple, "coupledom remains the privileged and normative form of intimate life" -this is visible in Fat Chance since finding a relationship is constructed as important regardless of sexual orientation.Singles being portrayed as needing intervention to rectify their single status (Taylor, 2012) can be seen as a parallel to fat individuals being portrayed as in need of intervention due to their weight (see for example Kyrölä, 2014;Weber, 2009).
Dating makeover shows such as Shedding for the Wedding (2011) and Love Handles (2011) (Kolehmainen, 2019;Zimdars, 2019) focus on couples; weight loss is shown as a tool to keep love and take the relationship to the next level through marriage.While existing in the same niche, Fat Chance more strongly constructs weight loss as the precondition for even considering the possibility to achieve love in contrast to keeping or furthering it.Here, fatness and singlehood are connected, and are both constructed as temporary, undesirable states.This highlights discourses about fatness and (un)desirability as well as different axes of discrimination that fat individuals face, which makes this show particularly interesting and important to analyze.
In Fat Chance, as in other makeover shows, the diet is constructed as a "journey" on the way to "betterment" and the happy (coupled) ending.What sets this show apart from other shows is that this journey does not only include the body or weight loss but is strongly connected to other spheres in the participants' lives such as career and social class.I argue that this is what makes analyzing Fat Chance helpful for uncovering underlying beliefs and discriminatory structures concerning fatness, relationships, and the body.While some makeover shows target only women (The Swan) or men (Rigtigte Maend (Real Men)) (Bruun Eriksen & Hvidtfeldt, 2021), Fat Chance features male as well as female participants, people of color as well as white participants, and hetero-as well as homosexual participants, implying that the assumption of "needing to be thin to be worthy of love" as well as the imperative of coupling are relevant for everyone, regardless of gender, sociocultural background, race, or sexual orientation.
Makeover shows would have the potential for a positive representation of fat, and the fat acceptance movement has recently gained traction (see for example Gordon, 2023;Williams, 2017).Fat acceptance aims at accepting the fat body as it is, instead of pushing ideas of weight loss and thinness, and fat activists have been fighting to end size-based discrimination (Cooper, 2016).There are shows that follow this premise, such as Big Sexy (2011), which resists the common narrative of having to be thin for the real life to start (Zimdars, 2015).However, the majority of body-focused makeover shows still reproduce the common narrative of the imperative of self-improvement through dieting -as does Fat Chance.

Liminality -rites of passage
Makeover shows such as Fat Chance are built around the construction of fat bodies as bodies in a liminal state of transformation; similarly, singleness is portrayed as a stage before the permanent state of being coupled.The makeover orchestrates a transition from one state to another, which corresponds to the idea that an individual must submit to ceremonies or rites to change their position in society (Van Gennep, 1960).
There are three types of rites (Van Gennep, 1960), all of which are also reproduced in makeover shows (Hass, 2018): rites of separation (preliminal rites), transition rites (liminal rites), and rites of incorporation (postliminal rights).Through these, the individual passes from one position to another -equally well defined (Van Gennep, 1960).States are stable conditions, social constancies like the condition of a person which is determined by their "culturally recognized degree of maturation," such as a married or single state (Turner, 1967, p. 93) as well as the condition (physical, mental, or emotional) that an individual is in at a certain time (Turner, 1967, p. 94).This includes for example good or bad health, and, as I suggest, an individual's body size and weight.In the case of Fat Chance, the states are defined through the participant's weight: they go from the well-defined state of fat (and all that it entails -unlovability, singleness, negativity) to the well-defined state of thin(ner).There is a clear transition and passage from the liminal stage of fatness to the (assumedly permanent) thin body and the incorporation into society as the "new" thin person.
Transition as a process, as a transformation (Turner, 1967, p. 94) is different from a state.Turner (1967) describes three rites of transition: the phase of separation (the detachment from the earlier state); the "intervening liminal period," in which the individual is free from most attributes of the past or coming state, and finally the reintegration of the individual into a stable state (p.94).This is expressed in the makeover through the before-body that signifies a state that should be left behind.The transitory state of dieting can then be understood as the intervening liminal period; in the end, the reveal and after-body express the successful completion of the process that integrates the participant into the new state as a thin person (Hass, 2018).

Liminality in fatness and singlehood studies
Based on anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep's (1960) study of the three rites of passage, anthropologist Victor Turner (1967) conceptualized the second stage -liminality -as a state of in betweenness, a position of transition (Lahad, 2012) between social statuses.The concept of liminality has been applied to the field of fat studies (Gailey & Harjunen, 2019;Harjunen, 2007Harjunen, , 2009;;Kyrölä & Harjunen, 2017;LeBesco, 2004) through the concept of liminal fat, drawing from a study exploring Finnish women's experiences of being fat (Kyrölä & Harjunen, 2017).The participants experienced fatness "as a liminal state that cannot be considered a permanent, valuable and identifiable part of or a base for subjectivity" (Kyrölä & Harjunen, 2017, p. 2) and considered their "real" bodies and real body size to be thin; fatness was "experienced as a nonpermanent and transitional condition", an "undesirable and temporally limited state, or a state in-between" (Kyrölä & Harjunen, 2017, p. 5).This is echoed in Fat Chance, where many participants state that they are working toward their "real self" that will emerge once they are thin, which points to fatness not being considered part of an individuals' "core-self" (LeBesco, 2004 as cited in Kyrölä & Harjunen, 2017, p. 5).Many fat individuals live in a permanent state of "when I am thin" (Harjunen, 2007, p. 206); they wait for their lives to begin when they have achieved their ideal body.This is the basic premise of Fat Chance, with the participants waiting to be thin before they confess their feelings to their crush and start living the life they want.
The concept of liminality as well as the idea of waiting for the real life to begin can also be applied to the status of being single, with temporality playing a "crucial role in the formation of singlehood" (Lahad, 2012, p. 164).Singlehood is generally framed as a "liminal, temporary state; a transitory stage on the way to couplehood" (Lahad, 2012, p. 177) and single women are depicted as waiting for this liminal period to end (Lahad, 2012).
Especially in American culture love can be seen as a rite of passage (Peele, 1988 as cited in DePaulo & Morris, 2005, p. 60) and being in a couple marks the successful "journey into adulthood" and maturity (DePaulo, 2006, p. 60).Becoming "unsingle," for example through marriage, is constructed as something that anyone can achieve (DePaulo, 2006).I suggest that this reiterates the idea that fat is controllable and "everyone can be thin" (Cain, Donaghue, & Ditchburn, 2021;Ekman, 2018), which puts the blame of failed coupling and failed weight loss entirely on the individual (see for example Ekman, 2018).This is echoed by coach Yari in Fat Chance, who states that participant Lucy has brought her fat body onto herself by eating too much; the fat body is Lucy's own fault and consequently she is also responsible for any negative aspect that comes with it (Fat Chance, episode six).Overall, the idea that prolonged singlehood is not a desired state of being corresponds to the idea that living in a fat body is not what people (should) want, and both states should be overcome to be able to start the real life.

Material and methods
One season of Fat Chance was aired, all of which I watched and transcribed in its entirety.I asked how dieting, fatness and singlehood can be understood in the context of liminality and how fatness and singlehood are connected in terms of impermanence.Furthermore, I explored which themes emerged in connection to fatness/thinness, love, and relationships.I watched each episode closely while paying attention to what was visible on screen and what was said by the participants, coaches, friends, and family.I analyzed the contents of the episodes with the help of critical discourse analysis (Lazar, 2005), which is useful to theorize the relationship between social practices and discourse structures and helps to analyze systemic inequalities.I approached the analysis from a feminist point of view, enabling a critical view on discourse and social inequalities.
Each 43-minute-long episode of Fat Chance was aired on the American channel TLC in 2016 and features one participant each.All five female participants are heterosexual; one of the three male participants (Brian, episode two) confesses his crush to another man.Two of the female participants (Vanessa, episode four, and Ta'Tiana, episode eight) are women of color.Each participant sets out on a three-month "weight-loss journey," during which they try to lose as much weight as possible, with the numbers ranging from about 50 to 100 pounds.They are coached by one personal trainer each (one male, Joey, one female, Yari, alternating from episode to episode).Joey introduces himself as a "transformation specialist" who deals with "people who are on the margins of health;" his goal is to "bring them back into a healthy, happy lifestyle" (Fat Chance, episode one).This strongly implies that fat people are neither healthy nor happy and are clearly on the margins (of health and society); they do not take care of themselves, and they need a specialist to help them "transform" their life.The idea of a "transformation" and the notion that the fat person turns into a completely different person once they are thin and only then can start their real lives are typical for weight-loss makeover shows (see for example Palmer, 2014;Zimdars, 2015).
The structure of the show is highly formulaic, and each episode follows the same narrative structure, which is typical for makeover shows (Weber, 2009).In the beginning of each episode, the sentiment of fat people being neither happy, nor healthy or attractive, is expressed through shots of the participants in their underwear, jiggling and pinching body parts, expressing how disappointed they are in themselves and their choices.The camera pans up and down, we see body parts in close-up; the audience is led to intensively observe the participant's "inappropriate" body parts.These shots are typical for makeover shows (see for example Weber, 2009) and serve to highlight the participant's desperation as well as their body's deviance, and thus legitimate the extreme procedures they are about to go through.A text on screen then introduces the participant, stating their name, weight, and who their crush is, and why they have not been able to confess their feelings yet.The introductory scenes mark the participant's body as the before-body that must be changed to achieve a better life (Kent, 2001;Weber, 2009), constructing the fat body and consequently the individual as unlovable; to overcome this unlovability, one must lose weight.In the end, the participants are presented in new clothes and full make-up, and their family gets to see them again after a long time.This typical reveal of the "new" thin body reinforces the "before-body-bad" and "after-body-good" sentiments that are typical for makeover shows as well as for dieting as a whole; the slim after-body is always better than the fat before-body (Weber, 2009).

The diet as a rite of passage
The three stages of a rite of passage -separation, transition, and incorporation (Van Gennep, 1960) -become visible in Fat Chance.The separation happens in the beginning when the participant lets go of their old habits and old life; the transition is expressed through the transformation of the body; and the reveal in the end signifies the incorporation back into society, into the new stage of life (Hass, 2018).
In Fat Chance, there is more to the diet than merely altered eating habits; the transitional period of weight loss includes "processes of self-discovery and transformation" (Heyes, 2006, p. 142).The diet is thus constructed not only as the pursuit of the "ideal" body, but also as a procedure of working on the own self, which contributes to the understanding of the diet as a rite of passage on the way to a "better" self and "better" place in society (Heyes, 2006).
The first confession in front of friends and family before the beginning of the weight loss marks the initiation part of the transitory rite.While eating a "last meal" of fast food, the soon-to-be dieters inform their family of their decision, marking at the same time the end of their old life and the beginning of their transitory period.The family play an important role in makeover shows, representing the community at large and serving as a source of motivation and accountability (Palmer, 2012).They are also important for the reveal, which serves as a signifier for the end of the rite and the participant's introduction back into society -incorporation.The participants earnt membership into a certain part of society (fit, sexually mature adults), which is signified by their bodies, as well as by them overcoming the hurdle of the confession of the crush.Together with their lower weight and slim body, this serves as proof of the successful transition they undertook.This becomes evident in episode two, when Brian travels to see his family for the first time after a year (after his weight loss).He was too ashamed to show himself in his fat body but is accepted back into the circle of family and friends in his new body.
The passage from one social position to another is often identified with a "territorial passage" (Van Gennep, 1960, p. 192).This is interesting in terms of the "weight-loss journey" the participants set out on: they become symbolic passengers in the transitional journey from one state to the other; in their transitional state they are free from the characteristics of either body (not as fat as before, not as thin as they want to be) until the goal has been reached and the passage comes to an end.Brian (episode two) states that the weight loss has been the "craziest journey" he has ever been on, culminating in the confession of his crush on his friend Mike.Regardless of gender or sexual orientation, weight loss is clearly positioned as a precondition for as well as a journey toward the confession and confrontation.
In some cases, the symbolical weight-loss journey is a literal journey.Meagan (episode one) and Ta'Tiana (episode eight) travel to different cities to see their crushes and confess their feelings; Brian (episode two) travels to present his new body to his family; his literal journey comes after the symbolic journey of the diet.Brian is elated that he finally fits into the seat on the airplane -here, weight loss is presented as the literal precondition to be able to go on the journey.This is emphasized by the camera focusing on his seat belt closing easily.
In episode eight, Ta'Tiana goes through a territorial passage enabled by her diet and subsequent weight loss, when she moves to a new apartment; she lived on her sister's sofa, but now has her own place.Here, a change of social category involves a change of residence (Van Gennep, 1960).Furthermore, weight loss is associated with an improvement of social class, which feeds into the American dream of being able to improve one's life through hard work; weight loss thus constitutes the possibility of upwards mobility (Banet-Weiser & Portwood-Stacer, 2006, p. 267; see also Heyes, 2006).Dieting thus works not only to change the body but to transcend "one's roots in an undesirable class and body" (Palmer, 2014, p. 306).Ta'Tiana is Black, and in the show, the diet and subsequent weight loss lead to an improvement of social class only for her.The fact that she was fat and poor (before) and then is thin(ner) and in a better place economically, and that she has achieved this through dieting and hard work is, in the narrative of the makeover, a reflection of the rhetoric of personal responsibility, which underlines the idea that transformation and thus a better life depend only on the will of a person, not on structural barriers or racism (Thompson, 2015).The other participant of color, Vanessa (episode four), is not constructed as undergoing a change in terms of place or sociocultural situation; for her, as for the other participants, weight loss is first and foremost important for achieving (self)love.This constructs weight loss as crucial no matter a person's background, ethnicity, gender, race, or status.
(Un)worthy of Love -The Passage from Singlehood to Being Coupled While being fat is stigmatizing to both men and women (for research on fat men, see Gilman, 2004), especially women need to adhere to "standards of physical attractiveness" (Dworkin, 1989, as cited in Rothblum, 2021, p. 264; see also Fahs, 2017), and fatness is excluded from normative femininity and feminine norms (Taylor, 2021, p. 2).Fat Chanceparticipant Vanessa's female friend in episode four states: "I've struggled with my weight too . . .and we're women, so you know, we're constantly being told that we're good or bad based on our weight", which reflects the pressure for a thin body.In episode six, Lucy makes a clear connection between fatness and unworthiness of love.Standing in front of the mirror, there are close-ups of her pinching her belly, while she states that this version of her is not worthy of love.This reflects the construction of the thin body as a precondition for being desirable and coupled (Gailey, 2014;Gordon, 2023), and corresponds to the findings that fat women are often believed to be unworthy of heterosexual desire (Gailey, 2014;Gullage, 2014).
The diet is constructed as the rite of passage to self-love, which is equated with the capability of loving another person.Due to his weight, Brian (episode two) is not confident enough to confess his feelings to his friend Mike.Brian states that his weight is holding him back from love; because he only loves himself "50%" and is not attracted to himself, he does not have anything to give to the other person.After having lost 100 pounds, he loves himself more than ever and can finally "go out into the world and love more honestly, and more unconditionally."Derik (episode seven), after having lost more than 100 pounds, states that he is more inclined to pursue dating now that he is happy with who he is.This equates thinness with happiness and constructs the slim body as proof of the true state of happiness (Bruun Eriksen & Hvidtfeldt, 2021).
Love does not only mean romantic love; Lucy feels like she has never been loved by her family, who used to bully her due to her weight.The thin body is thus not only constructed as a precondition for romantic love, but even for parental/family love; no matter the type of love, fat bodies do not deserve it and a fat body puts the individual on the margins of any kind of loving interaction.After the diet, Lucy has found the strength to confront her mother and family about her feelings, and they make up.Finally, she gets the validation she has craved all along, when her mother and family state that she looks great now and is the "skinniest" in the family.The mother asks what she wants more in life, since now she is beautiful and skinny, does she want a rich husband?After having completed the rite of passage into the thin and acceptable stage of life, not only has Lucy gained the validation of her family and the love she was desperately longing for, but there is also a new kind of love on the horizon -that of a (rich) husband -which emphasizes the importance of marriage as well as the subsequent potential for the improvement of one's social status (Illouz, 2012;Ingraham, 2008).
The participants mention the topic of marriage frequently.Marriage as a stage comes after the transitional stage of adolescence (Van Gennep, 1960; see also McFarland, Slothouber, & Taylor, 2018), and in this example after the transitional stage of dieting; the rite of the diet is what makes marriage possible, since in a fat, unlovable body, this would not have been possible at all.Rites of passage include "entry into a new achieved status" (Turner, 1967, p. 95), admitting people into a specific group or qualifying them for a position or duty.In episode five, Cheyanne states that after having lost the weight, she is finally ready to be a wife, emphasizing the mutual exclusiveness of fatness and marriage (McFarland, Slothouber, & Taylor, 2018) and the idea that the weight loss qualifies her for the role of a wife.
In certain cases, the diet also serves as a rite of passage from sexual inactivity toward sexual maturity, which reflects rites of adolescence (Van Gennep, 1960).Cheyanne (episode five) states that she is a virgin and intends to wait for marriage, which is commented on by coach Joey as "being the most beautiful thing" about her.This statement is problematic since it positions a woman's virginity as her most prized possession, which is a very restrictive view on female sexuality.Dieting is thus not only a process on the way to a relationship and marriage, but it is the rite of passage toward being a complete woman and reaching full womanhood, which is often seen as beginning with being sexually active.This emphasizes the lack of sexuality that fat bodies and individuals are often associated with; as LeBesco (2004) argues, fat bodies are rarely seen as sexy and fat individuals are often positioned as sexually inactive.This is implied also by Daniel (episode three) who speaks about being "friendzoned" due to his fat appearance, alluding to the sexual superiority of the thinner body.

From fat to thin -the passage to a new body
Fat Chance emphasizes the journey toward one's true self -the thin body represents the true self that has been hidden beneath the layers of fat, and once they are shed, the true thin self can finally emerge (Jutel, 2005;Kyrölä, 2021).This is a common trope in connection with fatness and points to the fat body being a liminal state, a state of non-permanence that the participants want to leave behind (Harjunen, 2009).Furthermore, this highlights the idea of a thin person being hidden underneath the fat, which is common in connection with fat people (Jutel, 2005).
In episode five, Cheyanne states that the weight has held her back from living up to her potential.We see her pinching her stomach and thighs, stating that "this is not who I am supposed be . . .this isn't the end-result, I want more."Fatness is not considered the "normal," permanent state of the body, and something must be done to overcome this state -literally overcome, not only to the "other side" in terms of being the same, but it must be surpassed to reach the "next level," which is achieved by means of the rite of passage of the diet.
Before her diet, Cheyanne felt weak and defeated; "I felt like I was wearing a fat suit."This positions fat as something separate from the real self; a layer around the real self that can be shed and taken off like a suit, as a characteristic that does not belong to the body but is separate from it, as well as an "undesirable form of embodiment" (Gullage, 2014, p. 186).Similarly, Brian in episode two states that he could be so much more if he didn't have his fat -clearly, fat is not something that he is, but something that he has, something separated from his true being.This corresponds to the idea of fat as liminal, since it is not seen as the body's usual state, not an inherent characteristic of the body or the individual, but as something that does not belong (Kent, 2001); "fat is only 'surface,' not an identity" (Kyrölä, 2021, p. 109).After the weight loss, Brian states that "I don't know if I've ever felt more myself than I do today" and that he can finally be who he wants to be, a "real" person.Pointing to his thin body, Brian explains that he has always felt that this is who he was, but his exterior never showed it.Now, however, "this is the true me."Similarly, Derik (episode seven) states "I feel like the person that I felt has been inside all along is finally coming out."This supports the idea that the thin person is the "real" me, whereas the fat is just an obstacle to be overcome on the way to the real me (Kyrölä, 2021).
The passage from the wrong to right, false to true self, is often expressed in direct relation to love and relationships.The text on screen in episode five states that Cheyanne has had feelings for her friend for the last 12 years, but has never had the confidence to ask him out; now, she wants to lose 62 pounds in three months to be able to confront him; "can a new body help her get the man she always wanted?"This shows the importance of a thin body to "get the man" and implies that a thin body is a new body, that the old fat body can be exchanged for a new body, and that with a new body, everything will change.The idea of a new body is repeated by coach Joey (episode one) who states that Meagan will be "a whole new person" by the end, as well as by Derik in episode seven, who states that after the weight loss, he feels like he is "a new guy;" the complete change of the self is often presented as necessary for fat people to start their "real" lives (Tovar, 2012).

Conclusion -the diet as the "right" of passage
Fatness as a liminal state means that it is a state (usually) before a transition.While LeBesco (2004) suggests that "the experience of being fat" (p.26) can be seen as a rite of passage, I suggest that in Fat Chance, it is specifically the diet that can be seen as a rite of passage, a rite of transition, a liminal rite that enables the individual's transition from one state to the other.It is constructed as a process on the way to a thin body, which, in turn, is the precondition for milestones such as marriage or children (McFarland, Slothouber, & Taylor, 2018) and a happy, fulfilling life (Hass, 2017).
The diet and weight loss are furthermore constructed as the prerequisite for confidence and love; Derik (episode seven) states that "there are many reasons why people choose to lose weight.But a lot of times it comes back to someone that you're interested in.And someone that you want to ask out, but you just don't have the courage to."Weight loss overall is presented as proof of the successful completion of the journey of the rite of passage, a literal "right" of passage, that marks the individual as qualified for the next steps in life.Understanding the diet as a "right" of passage points to the notion that without the diet -and weight loss -is impossible to develop as a human being, which in turn strengthens the idea of the thin body as a precondition for a fulfilling life.The passage is not only from one bodily state to another, but at the same time between the stages of being single and being coupled, being unloved and loved, and in the end the precondition to achieving one's "real" self.
While being fat has "profound and complex structural determinants" (Palmer, 2014, p. 301), the responsibility and fault are often put on the individual.In Fat Chance, the participant's gender, race, background, and sexual orientation are glossed over, and potentially limiting socioeconomical and structural factors are not mentioned.This is visible with Vanessa and Ta'Tiana, whose potential struggles regarding racism and economic disadvantages are not addressed at all.In the case of Ta'Tiana, who lives on her sister's couch and cannot afford a flat because she cannot get a job (due to her weight, according to her), the structural difficulties she faces as a fat, Black, poor woman are not addressed, but it is rather emphasized that she could get herself out of this bad situation if she just tried harder.The focus on personal responsibility and the rhetoric of choice implies that acknowledging structural struggles that individuals may face is no longer necessary (Banet-Weiser, 2007).This individualistic approach hides power structures -racialized, classed, and gendered -that in fact have a strong influence on individuals' bodies and lives, such as the bodies and lives of poor or working-class Black women (Kyrölä, 2021;Thompson, 2015).