“You’re like my twin soul”: postfeminist neoliberalism in Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian

Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian premiered in 2017, adding a makeover show to the Kardashians’ already extensive media portfolio. This article contextualises the series in feminist media scholarship on postfeminism, neoliberalism and makeover TV. It argues that Revenge Body’s depiction of “experts” as potential sites of intimacy that facilitate inner and outer transformation furthers a postfeminist over-relation between bodily change and emotional wellbeing. By considering the show’s presentation of “experts” – both Kardashian and otherwise—this article contends that the bespoke matching of trainer and trainee plays into neoliberal conceptions of contemporary citizenship where subjects are instructed to transform and manage their own body in relation to the hegemonic expectations of their immediate social circle. Through various means, the series presents holistic lifestyle change as achievable through obedience, self-surveillance, and constant performative resilience.