Celebrity transformation in the wake of environmental and identity politics

This article, considering the transformation of the male celebrity chef, argues that the makeover story of male celebrity chefs has become an emblematic narrative. Starting with a case study of Turkish-Danish celebrity chef Umut Sakarya’s communication on Instagram, the article illustrates how the male celebrity chef’s transformation narrative, though varying in particulars, is generally framed as a unique, personal, life-changing experience. Based on the categorization of Instagram content, the article identifies eight themes that function as focal points, albeit in different ways, for propelling and communicating the male celebrity chef’s transformation narrative. The article concludes that adopting traits of ecomodern masculinity may be a way for male celebrity chefs to maintain an authentic, trustworthy professional persona following transformations in their personal lives. Concerning theory, the article contributes to food studies as well as masculinity studies that draw on the concept of ecomodern masculinity.