Sizing up Khloe’s ‘Revenge Body’
Motivation in reality star’s show
“WHO do you want to get revenge on?” Khloe Kardashian asks the participants of her new E! show Revenge Body.
The show features men and women aiming to get into shape after difficult points in their lives. Kardashian sets them up with a celebrity trainer, nutritionist and a team of “glam” experts to help them transform their bodies and build their self-confidence.
In many ways, Revenge Body follows the Kardashian family formula of putting it all out there – and then turning it into fodder for a reality show. When the Kardashians first rose to fame, the youngest Kardashian sister was often the focus of cruel headlines about her weight. After her very public estrangement from then-husband Lamar Odom, Kardashian found solace in the gym, and has since undergone a dramatic transformation.
In an Instagram post last year, Kardashian said she had turned to fitness as a form of therapy and as a stress reliever. “My workouts are not all about vanity,” she wrote. “They are about clarity for my mind and soul.”
But the ter m “revenge body” doesn’t exactly convey a search for inner peace. In the premiere, Kardashian met Will, a man hoping to get back together with his former boyfriend. On the verge of tears, Will told Kardashian that his ex had confessed to no longer being attracted to him.
“I knew I had gained weight, but I didn’t know it was that bad, like, I wasn’t attractive,” he says in the introduction as the show cuts to him bingeing on a greasy takeaway and cake.
Another par t i c i pant , Stephanie, proclaims herself a “duff ” (designated ugly fat friend) and wants to “get revenge” on a long-time pal who made frequent, derisive comments about her weight.
But is it healthy to use revenge as motivation to get in shape in the real world? “We all decide to better ourselves for a different reason,” said Lauren Imparato, owner of the New York City-based lifestyle brand and yoga studio I.AM.YOU. “Our entry points to wellness are all different.”
Revenge can be an entry point, Imparato said, but she cautioned against directing it at other people. Instead, the payback should be directed at “those voices in your head – whatever it was that allowed you to feel a certain way about yourself.”
On Thursday, Kardashian’s fans took to social media to say that they were inspired by the show, and praise how open the reality star has been about the benefits and challenges of her own fitness journey. Imparato said that open approach might be helpful to fans hoping to achieve a healthier lifestyle.
For transparency in Revenge Body, you sort of need to read between the lines. Most people don’t have access to Kardashian’s trainer, Gunnar Peterson, or her stylists. The good news is that Will and Stephanie end up reaching major personal goals by the end of the episode, and say they will continue their commitment to fitness. – Washington Post