Cosmetic surgery can be conceptualized as part of a spectrum of contemporary body projects whereby the individual uses body work to achieve some social and personal goal. In this article I examine individual motivations for undergoing cosmetic surgery as well as assessments of the outcomes of those surgeries. Drawing on in-depth interviews, I explore how cosmetic surgery patients understand and ascribe meaning to their own experiences and discover how the respondents evaluate their surgeries in both personal and social contexts. I found that motivations for undergoing surgery are often articulated in both physical and psychosocial terms, with the expectation that physical alterations will facilitate social or emotional changes. Additionally, outcomes are assessed in a similar fashion, with interviewees expressing not only their evaluations of the aesthetic changes to their bodies, but also how these changes made them feel about themselves and their relationships with others.
Adams, G., Turner, H., & Bucks, R. ( 2005). The experience of body dissatisfaction in men. Body Image, 2, 271-283.
2.
Adams, J. ( 2009). Bodies of change: A comparative analysis of media representations of body modification practices. Sociological Perspectives , 52(1), 103-129.
3.
American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (2008 a). 2007 average surgeon/physician fees: Cosmetic procedures [Fact sheet]. Retrieved August 7, 2009, from http://www.plasticsurgery.org/Documents/Media/2007-Average-Surgeon-Physician-Fees.pdf
4.
American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (2008 b). 2007 quick facts: Cosmetic and reconstructive surgery trends [Fact sheet]. Retrieved August 7, 2009, from http://www.plasticsurgery.org/Documents/Media/2007-Cosmetic-and-Reconstructive-Surgery-Trends.pdf
5.
American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (2008 c). 2007 gender quick facts: Cosmetic plastic surgery. Retrieved August 7, 2009, from http://www.plasticsurgery.org/Documents/Media/2007-Gender-Quick-Facts.pdf
6.
American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (2008 d). Elective cosmetic surgery: Examination of the patient experience . Retrieved August 7, 2009, from http://www.plasticsurgery.org/Documents/Media/Full-Survey.pdf
7.
Arney, J., & Rafalovich, A. (2007). Incomplete syllogisms as techniques of medicalization: The case of direct-to-consumer advertising in popular magazines, 1997 to 2003. Qualitative Health Research , 17, 49-60.
8.
Atkinson, M. ( 2008). Exploring male femininity in the "crisis": Men and cosmetic surgery. Body & Society, 14, 67-87.
9.
Atkinson, R., & Flint, J. ( 2001). Accessing hidden and hard-to-reach populations: Snowball research strategies. Social Research Update, 33, 1-7.
10.
Babbie, E. ( 2001). The practice of social research (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth .
11.
Balfe, M. ( 2009). The body projects of university students with type 1 diabetes. Qualitative Health Research, 19, 128-139.
12.
Balsamo, A. ( 1996). Technologies of the gendered body: Reading cyborg women . Durham, NC: Duke University Press .
13.
Berg, B. ( 2001). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences (4th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
14.
Bolton, M.A., Pruzinsky, T., Cash, T.F., & Persing, J.A. ( 2003). Measuring outcomes in plastic surgery: Body image and quality of life in abdominoplasty patients. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 112, 619-625.
15.
Brooks, A. ( 2004). Under the knife and proud of it: An analysis of the normalization of cosmetic surgery. Critical Sociology, 30, 207-239.
16.
Cheek, J. ( 2008). Healthism: A new conservatism? Qualitative Health Research, 18, 974-982.
17.
Crockett, R.J., Pruzinsky, T., & Persing, J.A. ( 2007). The influence of plastic surgery "reality TV" on cosmetic surgery patient expectations and decision making. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 120, 316-324.
18.
Darisi, T., Thorne, S., & Iacobelli, C. ( 2005). Influences on decision-making for undergoing plastic surgery: A mental models and quantitative assessment. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 116, 907-916.
19.
Davis, K. ( 1995). Reshaping the female body: The dilemma of cosmetic surgery . New York: Routledge.
20.
Davis, K. ( 2002). A dubious equality: Men, women and cosmetic surgery. Body & Society, 8, 49-65.
21.
Davis, K. ( 2003). Dubious equalities and embodied differences: Cultural studies on cosmetic surgery. New York: Rowan & Littlefield.
22.
Delinsky, S. ( 2005). Cosmetic surgery: A common and accepted form of self-improvement ? Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 35, 2012-2028.
23.
Dull, D., & West, C. ( 1997). Accounting for cosmetic surgery: The accomplishment of gender. In D. Kendall (Ed.), Race, class, and gender in a diverse society (pp. 90-107). Boston : Allyn & Bacon.
24.
Featherstone, M. ( 1987). Lifestyle and consumer culture. Theory, Culture, & Society, 4, 55-70.
25.
Fraser, S. ( 2003). Cosmetic surgery, gender and culture. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
26.
Gavin, J., Rodham, K., & Poyer, H. ( 2008). The presentation of "pro-anorexia" in online group interactions . Qualitative Health Research, 18, 325-333.
27.
Gimlin, D. ( 2000). Cosmetic surgery: Beauty as commodity. Qualitative Sociology, 23, 77-98.
28.
Gimlin, D. ( 2002). Body work: Beauty and self-image in American culture . Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
29.
Glassner, B. ( 1992). Bodies: Overcoming the tyranny of perfection. Los Angeles: Lowell House.
30.
Glatt, B.S., Sarwer, D.B., O’Hara, D.E., Hamori, C., Bucky, L.P., & LaRossa, D. ( 1999). A retrospective study of changes in physical symptoms and body image after reduction mammaplasty. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 103, 76-82.
31.
Green, S., & Pritchard, M. ( 2003). Predictors of body image dissatisfaction in adult men and women. Social Behavior and Personality, 31, 215-222.
32.
Haiken, E. ( 2002). The history of cosmetic surgery. In M. Kaminer, J. Dover , & K. Arndt (Eds.), Atlas of cosmetic surgery (pp. 1-18). Philadelphia: Saunders.
33.
Hesse-Biber, S. ( 2007). The cult of thinness. New York: Oxford University Press.
34.
Holliday, R., & Cairnie, A. ( 2007). Man made plastic: Investigating men’s consumption of aesthetic surgery. Journal of Consumer Culture, 7, 57-78.
35.
Little, M.O. ( 1998). Cosmetic surgery, suspect norms, and the ethics of complicity . In E. Parens (Ed.), Enhancing human traits: Ethical and social considerations (pp. 162-176). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
36.
Lofland, J., & Lofland, L. ( 1995). Analyzing social settings: A guide to qualitative observation and analysis (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
37.
Maguire, J. ( 2002). Body lessons: Fitness publishing and the cultural production of the fitness consumer. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 37, 449-464.
38.
Millsted, R., & Frith, H. ( 2003). Being large-breasted: Women negotiating embodiment. Women’s Studies International Forum, 5, 455-465.
39.
Negrin, L. ( 2002). Cosmetic surgery and the eclipse of identity. Body & Society, 8, 21-42.
40.
Pitts-Taylor, V. ( 2007). Surgery junkies: Wellness and pathology in cosmetic culture . Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
41.
Sarwer, D., Bartlett, S.P., Bucky, L.P., LaRossa, D., Low, D.W., Pertschuk, M.J., et al. (1998). Bigger is not always better: Body image dissatisfaction in breast reduction and breast augmentation patients. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 101, 1956-1961.
42.
Sarwer, D., & Crerand, C. ( 2004). Body image and cosmetic medical treatments. Body Image, 1, 99-111.
43.
Sarwer, D., Grossbart, T., & Didie, E. ( 2002). Beauty and society. In M. Kaminer, J. Dover, & K. Arndt (Eds.), Atlas of cosmetic surgery (pp. 48-59). Philadelphia: Saunders.
44.
Sarwer, D., Wadden, T., Pertschuk, M., & Whitaker, L. ( 1998). The psychology of cosmetic surgery: A review and reconceptualization . Clinical Psychology Review, 18, 1-22.
45.
Savolainen, J. ( 1994). The rationality of drawing big conclusions based on small samples: In defense of Mill’s methods. Social Forces , 72, 1217-1224.
46.
Shank, G. ( 2006). Qualitative research: A personal skills approach (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
47.
Shilling, C. ( 2003). The body and social theory (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage .
48.
Stofman, G., Neavin, T., Raminei, P., & Alford, A. ( 2006). Better sex from the knife? An intimate look at the effects of cosmetic surgery on sexual practices. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 26, 12-17.
49.
Sullivan, D. ( 2001). Cosmetic surgery: The cutting edge of commercial medicine in America. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
50.
Swidler, A. ( 1986). Culture in action: Symbols and strategies. American Sociological Review, 51, 273-286.
51.
Young, I. ( 1992). Breasted experience: The look and the feeling. In D. Leder (Ed.), The body in medical thought and practice (pp. 215-229). Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Press.
