Reshaping the Female Body: The Dilemma of Cosmetic Surgery

by Kathy Davis

Overview

Reshaping... looks at women's involvement in cosmetic surgery and raises the question of why women put themselves under the knife for operations which are painful, risky and expensive and often leave them in worse shape than before.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415906326
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/08/1994
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	220
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction: Cosmetic Surgery as Feminist Dilemma; Chapter 2 The Rise of the Surgical Fix; Chapter 3 Beauty and the Female Body; Chapter 4 Public Face/Private Suffering; Chapter 5 From Objectified Body to Embodied Subject; Chapter 6 Decisions and Deliberations; Chapter 7 Choice and Informed Consent Revisited; Chapter 8 Facing the Dilemma;

Editorial Reviews

"well-written analysis...powerful...fascinating...will intrigue medical sociologists and feminists alike." -- European Journal of Women's Studies

From the Publisher

Cosmetic surgery is a growth industry. Despite the expense and the risks of infection and unsatisfactory outcome, many women still choose to have their bodies altered. Davis, a professor of women's studies in the Netherlands, interviewed physicians, surgeons, and women before and after their operations to learn about their involvement in cosmetic surgery. She discovered that most of the women wanted to correct perceived defects so that they would appear ordinary and that they did this to please themselves, not men. Although she is a feminist, Davis argues against the traditional, politically correct stance that cosmetic surgery is oppression (found in works like Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth, LJ 4/1/91) and states that deciding to undergo a procedure is in fact an act of empowerment that improves the lives of these women. She considers cosmetic surgery a complex dilemma rather than an absolute evil. Not an essential purchase, but women's studies collections will want to add it for balance.-Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., Cal.

Library Journal