Mama June (real name: June Shannon) is coming back to TV. Shannon, who became famous from the TLC hit Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, about her daughter Alana, a.k.a. Honey Boo Boo, will undergo a total transformation on a new show, Mama June: From Not To Hot.
A press release from WE tv describes her journey on the seven-episode reality show as "a physical and emotional metamorphosis that will leave one of America’s most recognizable personalities virtually unrecognizable." Shannon — whose first show Honey Boo Boo was cancelled following reports that she got back together with a registered sex offender who did 10 years for molesting Shannon's daughter, Anna, who was 8 at the time — will take viewers along on "a quest of self-discovery that will redefine who she is as a woman, mother, lover and celebrity."
Shannon will diet and exercise her way to "hotness" with the help of a drill sergeant-style trainer, described as a "no-nonsense fitness and nutrition guru." Not only that, but Shannon, who also starred on Marriage Boot Camp, will undergo a series of extensive plastic surgeries.
Ambitious? Yes. A healthy message to be sending viewers? Debatable. While the press release does not make the time frame of the show clear, the talk about putting the 37-year-old through an extreme physical transformation is troubling for Shannon and her fans alike. Extreme-dieting, for example, could do more harm than good.
It also sounds like From Not To Hot is buying into the problematic idea of the "revenge body" epitomized on Khloé Kardashian's new show, Revenge Body. In the premiere, titled "Thin-Tervension," Shannon is spurred into drastic action after finding out that her ex Sugar Bear is getting married.
All of this aside, there's the question of whether we should be giving Shannon more screen time at all — we'd rather see what Honey Boo Boo is up to.
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