<i>Absolutely Fabulous</i>
In this chapter I trace the concept of the satirical grotesque in AbsolutelyFabulous. I show how the female body as a materialization of the grotesque inAbsolutely Fabulous relates to the power of satire as an instrument of defacementand attack. Absolutely Fabulous is a comically revised sitcom, in its almostwomen-only cast and its subversion of gender roles. As ridicule of glamour,fashion, and design, one of the main issues in the series is consumption anddieting, incontinence and discipline. I analyze how the satirical grotesque manifestsitself in the two protagonists of the show, Edina and Patsy, in between thesesomatic extremes of incontinence and discipline. More specifically, I show howthe satirical grotesque works in Absolutely Fabulous as a disruption of carefullydesigned images of smooth and firm bodiliness in our culture: a disruption ofthe real.
