by Laurie Ouellette
about Laurie Ouellette
Laurie Ouellette is Professor of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature and Communication Studies at the University of Minnesota. She has written about television and other topics for Cultural Studies, Television and New Media, Cinema Journal, European Journal of Cultural Studies, and other journals. Her most recent books include Lifestyle TV and the co-edited volume with Jonathan Gray Keywords for Media Studies.
America’s Next Top Model
Abstract: Reality competitions have emerged as one of the most popular and prevalent formats on contemporary television, typified here by America’s Next Top Model. Laurie Ouellette argues that through the lens of social theory, we can see how such programs enact a version of contemporary labor practices, helping to train viewers as workers within new economic realities.