Surgery Junkies: Wellness and Pathology in Cosmetic Culture

by Victoria Pitts-Taylor

The ease of accessibility, improvements in safety and technology, media attention, growing acceptance by the public, or an increasingly superficial culture: whatever the reason, cosmetic surgery is more popular today than ever. In 2005, in the United States alone, there were nearly two million aesthetic operations--more than quadruple the number from 1984, along with more than eight million non-surgical procedures. Innovative surgical methods have also brought cosmetic improvements to new areas of the body, such as the ribs, buttocks, and genitalia.

Despite the increasing normalization of cosmetic surgery, however, there are still those who identify individuals who opt for bodily modifications as dupes of beauty culture, as being in conflict with feminist ideals, or as having some form of psychological weakness. In this ground-breaking book, Victoria Pitts-Taylor examines why we consider some cosmetic surgeries to be acceptable or even beneficial and others to be unacceptable and possibly harmful. Similarly, why are some patients considered to be psychologically healthy while others deemed pathological? When is the modification of our appearance empowering and when is it a sign of weakness?

Drawing on years of research, her personal experience with cosmetic surgery, analysis of newspaper articles and television shows, and in-depth interviews with surgeons, psychiatrists, lawyers, judges, and others, Pitts-Taylor brings new perspectives to the promotion of "extreme" makeovers on television, the medicalization of "surgery addiction," the moral and political interrogation that many patients face, and feminist debates on the topic.

While many feel that cosmetic surgery is a deeply personal choice and that its pathology is rooted in the individual psyche, Pitts-Taylor makes a compelling argument that the experience, meanings, and motivations for cosmetic surgery are highly social. A much needed "makeover" of our cultural understanding of cosmetic surgery, this book is both authoritative and thoroughly engaging.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Victoria Pitts-Taylor is Professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Wesleyan University and the author of Surgery Junkies: Wellness and Pathology in Cosmetic Culture.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a polemic for or against plastic surgery, this is not your book. Which is why I enjoyed it.

Victoria Pitts-Taylor stakes out an unusual position on this debate. She is a women's studies scholar and as such, she regularly interacts with feminist thinkers who believe all plastic surgery is bad, victimizing women who are manipulated into meeting patriarchal beauty standards. But she also has had a rhinoplasty herself, which gave her nuanced insights into what it can mean to want to look better and what forces might be at work in making that decision.

She makes it clear that she is not setting out to condemn or praise plastic surgery, but to show how our society had put the burden of plastic surgery on the patient, either as someone who is the tool of patriarchal standards, or someone who is an active agent in shaping her image for her betterment, or even as someone who has a mental illness or pathology that creates her desire for body shaping. And, she concludes, far too little attention has been paid to the societal forces at work -- the plastic surgery industry, the psychiatrists who promote the fast-growing diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder or the media and fashion industry, among others.

A thoughtful book (you'll have to tolerate some discussion of post-modernist philosophers, btw) that explores several fascinating facets of this debate.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Victoria Pitts-Taylor aims an icepick-sharp intellect at a complex and possibly controversial issue. Rigorously intellectual, the text demands at least passing familiarity with several fields of study, including sociology, pop culture studies and pyschology, but Pitts-Taylor guides us through with candor and expertise, implicating both psychological disorders and the media at large.

[♥ Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great insight on different feminist perspectives regarding various attitudes toward cosmetic surgery in popular culture, mainstream society, and cosmetic surgery addiction in general. Examines the pathologization of cosmetic surgery patients, socio-economic implications, media influence, and briefly touches upon the notion of self v. body. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is discussed under a critical lens, and the lawsuit between the surgeon and the woman with supposed BDD was the highlight of the book for me, personally.

Beauty culture, radical feminism, within the framework of hegemonic- patriarchal control are, in a nutshell, my personal beliefs regarding cosmetic surgery. So, I didn't necessarily like the fact that Pitts-Taylor presents radical feminists in the "essentialist" category, whereby victimizing and homogenizing all cosmetic surgery patients as without agency. I just don't believe that to be the case.

Otherwise, very insightful and well-researched.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros:
This book took on the discussion around cosmetic surgery, rather than cosmetic surgery itself. This is one of the greatest strengths of the book, because it allows the author to remain (mostly) unbiased in her analysis. She made a number of insightful discoveries about the nature of this discussion, including medical, feminist, academic and legal fields.

Cons:
The writing is very dense throughout most of the book. At certain points, I found myself losing interest halfway through a sentence. This is a weakness of the book, because it makes otherwise very interesting points overly confusing.

Overall, a very interesting book, if you can look past the overblown language.