ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the universe of medically enhanced makeover reality TV shows through narrative analysis. Fairytale tropes are embedded in the narrative arc of the shows and in the contestants' stories. At first the participants may be seen as passive subjects of the TV producers and of the medical authority; they are put in the hands of the surgeons who create beauty and consequently prepare the patients for a successful life. All the makeover shows tap into a globalised format that has at its foundation the narrative of transformation through surgical metamorphosis. The chapter concentrates on three narrative threads and how they pertain to Korean women's hopes of transformation, of overcoming their social background: familial ties; femininity; and professional aspirations. The makeover TV shows' plastic surgeon is a strange creature. He is an active agent in the surgical metamorphosis and contestants' stories of transformation; he disseminates medical knowledge and teaches participants and the audience to see surgically.
