Critical Viewing Log
2: Lifestyle Cookery Shows
Simply Nigella (2015) is a British
lifestyle-cookery show presented by the celebrated host, Nigella Lawson.
It is traditional cookery programme that aims to inform and educate
its audience about what, and how, we might cook for our
friends and family from a wide variety of sweet and savoury recipes from around
the world. This series aims to make the audience feel excited about cooking
food and enthusiastic about trying to recreate her delicious dishes and also become
a 'domestic goddess' like herself.
I will undertake a critical textual analysis of this lifestyle-cookery show, highlighting the critical and generic conventions of its genre. I will be concentrating on the scenes from episode 5 that was broadcasted on 30th November 2015 at 8:30pm, as part of the 7-part series.
I will undertake a critical textual analysis of this lifestyle-cookery show, highlighting the critical and generic conventions of its genre. I will be concentrating on the scenes from episode 5 that was broadcasted on 30th November 2015 at 8:30pm, as part of the 7-part series.
Lifestyle-cookery programmes often use production
techniques such as specific camera angles and specialist sets to “create
the fantasy of closeness and the pleasure of audience intimacy.” (Ketchum,
2005, p. 224) This is evident throughout Simply Nigella as both
the host and the recipes she makes seduce the audience. For example, there are
many close-up shots of her face, hands as she takes us through the
methods of making her new recipes. As a spectator, we are placed in a
comforting position as we sit facing Lawson at chest level, as if we’re a
friend sat in her actual kitchen observing her cook. This careful positioning
of host and viewer reinforces this close connection between both.
Another example of how Simply Nigella creates fantasy of closeness and an intimate bond between the cook and spectator is through the manipulation of direct address. Lawson constantly breaks the ‘fourth wall’ in the show to engage spectators in her activities and this acknowledgment of her audience pulls us deeply into the action. She also directly addresses her audience through her dialogue. For example, just before Lawson reveals to her audience how not to not get syrup stuck on cookware, she says, “I am going to show you my magic trick.” She also has a glint in her eyes as she is about to reveal a trade secret, again making the viewer feel that she is forming an even closer bond. This relationship offers the potential reward of being part of Lawson’s sophisticated, culinary world and creates a 'synthetic’ friendship between host and audience. This relationship is so close that we even refer to the host on a first name basis.
Another example of how Simply Nigella creates fantasy of closeness and an intimate bond between the cook and spectator is through the manipulation of direct address. Lawson constantly breaks the ‘fourth wall’ in the show to engage spectators in her activities and this acknowledgment of her audience pulls us deeply into the action. She also directly addresses her audience through her dialogue. For example, just before Lawson reveals to her audience how not to not get syrup stuck on cookware, she says, “I am going to show you my magic trick.” She also has a glint in her eyes as she is about to reveal a trade secret, again making the viewer feel that she is forming an even closer bond. This relationship offers the potential reward of being part of Lawson’s sophisticated, culinary world and creates a 'synthetic’ friendship between host and audience. This relationship is so close that we even refer to the host on a first name basis.
With regards to its mise-en-scene, Simply
Nigella is mainly set in Lawson’s kitchen at her home in west London.
It is a very expensive house, full of quality furnishings and fixtures as well
as expensive cooking utensils, gadgets and cookware. Her kitchen is
illuminated in very soft light and painted and decorated in an extravagant, yet
homely, manner. In this episode we even go out into her
neighbourhood and visit her local Middle-Eastern deli as she acquires niche
ingredients for her chicken shawarma dish. This aligns with Wright and Sandlin
research on celebrity lead cooking shows since it’s "promoting an
upper-middle-class lifestyle enhanced by the appropriation of goods and
commodities." (Wright and Sandlin, 2009, p.406)
Furthermore, this also agrees with Laurie Ouellette's work on lifestyle television conventions for female-lead cookery program as these shows “are usually more practical in nature and are often set inside the home [or on a studio set designed to resemble a home kitchen].” (Ouellette, 2016, p. 103) In fact, we rarely see Lawson wield sharp knives or cut up large pieces of meat from animals whilst she constructs her dishes. She is a very feminine cook and her approach makes the method look simple, easy and accessible for any cook to tackle.
Furthermore, this also agrees with Laurie Ouellette's work on lifestyle television conventions for female-lead cookery program as these shows “are usually more practical in nature and are often set inside the home [or on a studio set designed to resemble a home kitchen].” (Ouellette, 2016, p. 103) In fact, we rarely see Lawson wield sharp knives or cut up large pieces of meat from animals whilst she constructs her dishes. She is a very feminine cook and her approach makes the method look simple, easy and accessible for any cook to tackle.
To strengthen this idea, the traditional feminine colour of pink used the most frequently within the mise-en-scène. For example, her kitchen walls, some of her kitchen appliances and her outfit all use the same colour palette. However, Simply Nigella does attract a male audience too as it provides visual pleasure of not only the food but of the host too! In my opinion the show is filmed with a male gaze. “Women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness.” (Mulvey, 1975, p. 62) Unlike other celebrity chefs, Lawson has a strong sex appeal. The show captures her body language, which can be cheeky at times as she pouts, gives wry grins and makes a few intimate comments about the food. The creative use of camera angles captures her voluptuous body and lips very well. The fact she doesn’t even wear an apron in the show exaggerates that importance of her appearance over her cooking skills.
The
weekly late peak time slot for the show suggest it is intended for a mature
audience, Simply Nigella may not appeal to all ages of
audience. Lawson to some people is like the
metaphor she uses about liquorish in the episode. You’ll either love her or
loathe her. For example, some viewers would feel put off watching her show
because Lawson has such a posh public school accent and upper class
lifestyle. On the other hand, others are seduced by the whole event of being
invited into her life and share the lifestyle package of a beautiful host
with a mesmerising, coquettish voice showing us how easy it is to impress
diners with simple comfort food of high quality. Some people will wallow in
the beauty of her kitchen; the intimacy of her own home; the ability to feel
they have been allowed to share some of her intimate tips and stories and
will love the feeling of thinking she is talking to, and cooking for just them.
I
agree with Lewis and Martin's findings on television programs of this genre as “while
these shows vary considerably in terms of generic conventions and content, we
can argue that they all share a concern with teaching audiences how to
reflexively shape and optimise their personal lifestyles.” (Lewis and Martin, 2010,
p. 320) Lawson empowers the audience into feeling they will be able to cook as
well as her, be as happy as her and be as impressive to their family and
friends as her through the nature of her intimate episodes. They often end with wealthy friends
arriving to eat her menu and gather around her table and eat, chat and drink
together. The show aims
to transform our consumerist’s tastes and lifestyle habits when it comes to
what we eat through Lawson’s seduction, or should I say
Nigella’s?
Word Count: 1092
Bibliography
Ketchum, C.
(2005) "The Essence of Food Cooking Shows: How the Food Network Constructs
Consumer Fantasies." Journal of Communication
Inquiry 29: p. 217-234
Lawson, N.
(2015) “Simply Nigella: Feel Good Food.” United
Kingdom: Chatto & Windus.
Lewis, T. and
Martin, F. (2010) 'Learning modernity:
lifestyle advice television in Australia, Taiwan and Singapore', Asian
Journal of Communication, 20(3), pp. 318-336.
Mulvey, M. (1975)
‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ in “Visual
And Other Pleasures” (2009). Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire [England]:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Ouellette, L.
(2016) “Lifestyle TV”. United
Kingdom: Routledge
Wright, R.
R., and Sandlin, J. A. (2009)"You
are What You Eat!?: Television Cooking Shows, Consumption, and Lifestyle
Practices as Adult Learning". Adult Education Research Conference.
Paper 70. p. 402-407
Simply Nigella (2015). TV program, British Broadcasting
Corporation, BBC Two, 20:30, 30th November. [Accessed online 08/04/16: http://bobnational.net/record/334226
]
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