State socialist vs. (neo-)liberal governmentality? Weight loss TV shows and the fight against fatness in East and West Germany, 1970s–1980s

Even before the reality TV show The Biggest Loser became popular in the 2000s, similar weight loss formats already existed in the 1970s and 1980s – and not only in West Germany (FRG), but also in state socialist East Germany (GDR). In 1977, the popular West German show Practice Health Magazine ( Gesundheitsmagazin Praxis ) organised a six-month weight loss programme; 10 years later, in 1987, the East German show Man, Stay Healthy! ( Mensch, bleib gesund! ) followed suit. This article analyses both programmes and their ways of addressing fatness from a comparative perspective, while also considering transnational contexts and long-term developments. By asking how the programmes governed individuals classified as ‘overweight’ and how these individuals governed themselves, the article argues that both programmes were rooted in liberal governmentality. Nevertheless, significant differences emerge, raising the question of whether the GDR show articulated a distinct state socialist governmentality, while its FRG counterpart tended to manifest a neo-liberal mode of governing.