>In attempting to conform to the ideal body type, various surgical procedures
>have become commonplace. In certain executive type positions, the expense of
>cosmetic surgery supposedly repays itself quickly since people generally
>associated certain types of good looks with intelligence.
i know a couple of folks doing research on cosmetic surgery. one woman has compiled a fascinating display of advertisements over two decades, documenting the changes in the target audience and how those adverts conceive of those to whom they peddle their message. obvously, part of her point is that it's become cosmetic surgery for the masses [there was a show on brazil not too long ago re cosmetic surgery. highest percentage of cos. surgeons and surgeries in the world. interestingly enough, the ideal images of women's bodies in brazil is quite different from that in the US. i've heard plenty of white men gross out over the jiggling thighs and round wide hips featured in almost all the footage of brazil. anyway, there cos surgeons participate in a program to provide surgery for those with medical problems and/or the poor. 100s line up as the most famous surgeon in the world --name escapes--bequeaths his humaneness on random members of the population. reminded me of footage from the price is right when they pick the pool of contestants]
anyway, another woman was a student in a qualitative methods course i taught last year. she wanted to do research on cos surgery from a sex positive feminist position, looking at the ways in which women derive pleasure from cos surgery-- that it's not necessarily a bad thing. this woman is not well-to-do, works for 6bucks an hour at a social service agency. [florida is such a lovely right to work state ain't it?!] she's had cosmetic surgery from one of the more prominent surgeons in florida -- he offers convenient payment plans that extend to ten years! she's planning on having 10 surgeries. guess what the guy does routinely during the initial consultation? he has them strip and stand in front of a mirror and tell him what they don't like about themselves. she told him, "everything"
obviously, as carrol hints, part of our "desire" here is all about the changing conditions of our labor. the ex beau was a truck driver/did lawn maint. when in florida. he hardly needed to work out -- and i sho'nuf did appreciate the effects myself. :-P but, of course, it was pretty awful to watch him sweat in the florida heat for 6.50an hour trimming hedges and pruning trees. interesstingly enough, though, whenever i suggested that he might go to work for a bookstore or music store --as those were his hobbies--he couldn't see himself doing such work because it wasn't Manly --even though the humiliation and degradation he often experienced from clients/employees often made him miserable.
anyway, one of the first things i noticed about florida were the ubiquitous nail salons [what's that about??? i heard a paper not too long ago suggesting it was rather ethnic in its origins--south east asian, latina cultures she argued] and the ubiquitous ads for chest, back and arm hair removal -- geared toward men! and the commercials for eliminating or staving off baldness. oh my! if those things don't trigger a massive anxiety attack for a guy i can't imagine what would.
kelley