6533b852fe1ef96bd12ab94b
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Beauty and the Cosmetic Secret
Alessandra K. HeggenstallerAnne RyenAsta RauJan K. CoetzeeRia Smitsubject
LifeworldSelf-Empowermentmedia_common.quotation_subjectSocial realitylcsh:HM401-1281Psychology of selfSecrecyHuman physical appearanceFeminismBeautyEmbodiment0601 history and archaeologyNarrativeSociologyEmpowermentSocial constructivismmedia_commonSocial Constructivism060101 anthropology05 social sciencesGeneral Social SciencesCosmetic Surgery06 humanities and the artsFemininitylcsh:Sociology (General)050903 gender studiesAestheticsBeautyPhenomenology0509 other social sciencesdescription
Cosmetic surgery is often linked to the perception that women who resort to cosmetic interventions to alter their physical appearance are vain, superficial, and narcissistic. Few investigations have acknowledged and explored the individual’s personal motivations and experiences of her action and choice with regards to aesthetic surgery. By focusing on subjective experience, alternative insights can be gained on the cosmetic procedure(s) and on how their reshaped body influences an individual’s lifeworld experience. The article explores the perceived benefits and consequences of reshaping, enhancing, and/or reducing a perceived flaw or shortcoming of the body. From this exploration the focus moves to the individual’s subjective and intersubjective perceptions: how she motivates and justifies her physical transformation whilst keeping private, and at times hiding, her surgical intervention. Drawing on narratives from several women, we attempt to understand how they experience cosmetic surgery in terms of their personal sense of self and their everyday social reality. Dziekan Wydziału Ekonomiczno-Socjologicznego (B18112CZAS1175.01; MPK: 2122524000).
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-01-01 | Qualitative Sociology Review |