Chapter Talk shows and 'tanorexia'

Overview & Synopsis

The rise in melanoma skin cancer rates from the 1950s in mostly fair-skinned populations, such as in Britain, triggered a global panic on skin cancer in the 1990s. Some countries tightened restrictions on sunbeds to lower these rates, eventually leading to outright bans. However, the British government, medical experts, and the media could not deter sunbed operators and instead focused on discouraging sunbed users. Soon, the media, endorsed by psychologists, confirmed a widespread ‘condition’ across Britain, termed either ‘sunbed addiction’ or ‘tanorexia’. This ‘disorder’ became a hot topic on new women-centred talk shows in mid-1990s Britain. As this talk show genre originated in the United States of America, it encouraged an ‘American style’ of public confession culture. Although ‘American’ openness did not resonate with expectations of the British ‘stiff upper lip’, audience members aggressively contributed when topics touched on motherhood. This reflected the unanimous consensus that mothers should be ‘selfless’ and act in the best interests of their children. As such, debates on motherhood-related topics on talk shows were double edged: mothers, as talk show guests, received both intense support and scrutiny from the public. By focusing on ‘tanorexia’, this chapter therefore demonstrates how new television genres linked to third wave feminism continued a long-standing tradition of pathologising women’s pleasure – especially if it deterred them from maternal responsibilities. By historicising and contextualising talk shows, this chapter also offers novel approaches for health historians to build on, including how to evaluate the rhetorical and emotional reactions of their subjects and audience members.