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Killer Looks: The Forgotten History of Plastic Surgery in Prisons
Killer Looks is the definitive story about the long-forgotten practice of providing free nose jobs, face-lifts, breast implants, and other physical alterations to prisoners, the idea being that by remodeling the face you remake the man. From the 1920s up to the mid-1990s, half a million prison inmates across America, Canada, and the U.K willingly went under the knife, their tab picked up by the government. In the beginning, this was a haphazard affair -- applied inconsistently and unfairly to inmates, but entering the 1960s, a movement to scientifically quantify the long-term effect of such programs took hold. And, strange as it may sound, the criminologists were right: recidivism rates plummeted. In 1967, a three-year cosmetic surgery program set on Rikers Island saw recidivism rates drop 36% for surgically altered offenders. The program, funded by a $240,000 grant from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, was led by Dr. Michael Lewin, who ran a similar program at Sing-Sing prison in 1953. Killer Looks draws on the intersectionality of socioeconomic success, racial bias, the prison industry complex and the fallacy of attractiveness to get to the heart of how appearance and societal approval creates self-worth, and uncovers deeper truths of beauty bias, inherited racism, effective recidivism programs, and inequality.
1 pages, Audio CD
Published January 25, 2022
17 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
About the author
Zara Stone
2 books17 followersZara Stone is an award-winning journalist who has written for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wired Magazine, Forbes, Cosmopolitan Magazine, VICE, OneZero, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The BBC, among other publications. She's worked as an on-air national correspondent for ABC News and Univision in America, and SKY News and BBC News in the U.K.
She specializes in reporting on the intersection of technology, subcultures, social justice, history, and business.
She was born in London, England, and after a few years of working in British media, she moved to New York for further study. She graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, and jumped into the U.S. media world, reporting for The Wall Street Journal, then transitioning into on-air reporting for ABC News. She has guest lectured about beauty bias in the criminal justice system at Stanford University and is regularly asked to moderate or present on the topics of women in STEM and prisoner rights.
Now a full-time freelance writer and author, she spends her spare time playing games in virtual reality, speed-reading (100 + books a year), hula hooping, and falling off her paddleboard. She lives in San Francisco and cares for three artificial houseplants.
Killer Looks: The Forgotten History of Plastic Surgery In Prisons (Prometheus, 2021) is her first adult book. The Future Of Science Is Female: The Brilliant Minds Shaping the 21st Century (Mango Media, 2020) is her first middle grade book.
She specializes in reporting on the intersection of technology, subcultures, social justice, history, and business.
She was born in London, England, and after a few years of working in British media, she moved to New York for further study. She graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, and jumped into the U.S. media world, reporting for The Wall Street Journal, then transitioning into on-air reporting for ABC News. She has guest lectured about beauty bias in the criminal justice system at Stanford University and is regularly asked to moderate or present on the topics of women in STEM and prisoner rights.
Now a full-time freelance writer and author, she spends her spare time playing games in virtual reality, speed-reading (100 + books a year), hula hooping, and falling off her paddleboard. She lives in San Francisco and cares for three artificial houseplants.
Killer Looks: The Forgotten History of Plastic Surgery In Prisons (Prometheus, 2021) is her first adult book. The Future Of Science Is Female: The Brilliant Minds Shaping the 21st Century (Mango Media, 2020) is her first middle grade book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
April 11, 2022
KILLER LOOKS by journalist and author Zara Stone is a fascinating look back at the history of plastic and cosmetic surgery in the last century, with a specific focus on procedures performed on inmates. Half a million inmates had cosmetic procedures done from the 1920s to the 1990s, something I was completely unaware of. The novel presented information in a very easy to read and relatable manner with individual stories and experiences shared. I especially connected with the story of Dr. Llewellyn and John, the baby who suffered meningitis and as a result had a nasal deformity causing his young parents to fear he would cause their family to be shunned in the community, and the resulting surgery that united their family. The history presented of the belief that certain unappealing physical attributes, deformities, scarring and characteristics believed to be more common in the prison population caused social rejection and that plastic surgery could help prevent recidivism was something I would never have thought about. I was further surprised (though perhaps I shouldn’t have been) that the theory turned out to be right and prisoners who received plastic surgery fared better once they reentered society. This was just a very interesting and well researched book and really caused me to think a lot about how societal bias about beauty and looks impacts one’s outlook, from a newly released prisoner on parole who might be given a second chance, or not because of looks, to a delightful baby whose parents refuse to take him home if his doctor won’t perform plastic surgery—entire futures swaying in the balance because humans are so caught up on looks. The author did an outstanding job weaving the stories together into a cohesive whole.
I received a complimentary ARC copy of Killer Looks from the author. This is my honest and voluntary review.
I received a complimentary ARC copy of Killer Looks from the author. This is my honest and voluntary review.
July 15, 2021
My thoughts: This is a fascinating book about the history of the little known plastic surgery that was performed in the prison system. This was done starting in the 1920s in order to help prisoners improve their appearance in order to be able to better obtain jobs and to boost their self-confidence. It included removing scars, fixing broken or flattened noses, repairing deformities, breast implants, among many others. It improved the rate of recidivism for many prisoners.
There was once a ditty posted by a reporter who was amused by the practice:
"Handsome does as handsome is becomes a newer guide. And criminals to be reformed must first be beautified."
The book goes into a lot of areas on lookism, showing bias toward black and brown skinned people when it comes to jobs and being convicted of crime. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Zara Stone, and the publisher.
September 16, 2022
This is a fascinating and well-written book about the 19th Century experiment to see if plastic surgery could help with recidivism. Would physical beauty help prisoners lead happier more productive lives after prison? Did being seen as undesirable or "ugly" (according to beauty standards of the time) cause or force some people into a life of crime?
Journalist Zara Stone took a deep dive in her thoroughly researched topic. We are immersed in the history. We become acquainted with many of the people involved in the experiment, including a famous plastic surgeon, a female judge and advocate, as well as the numerous lives of prisoners who received plastic surgery.
I was moved by the efforts of those whose wish was to seek out rebilitation and reform and reminded of how little focus we see of that today in regard to the lives of the incarcerated.
This is a deep and significant book.
Journalist Zara Stone took a deep dive in her thoroughly researched topic. We are immersed in the history. We become acquainted with many of the people involved in the experiment, including a famous plastic surgeon, a female judge and advocate, as well as the numerous lives of prisoners who received plastic surgery.
I was moved by the efforts of those whose wish was to seek out rebilitation and reform and reminded of how little focus we see of that today in regard to the lives of the incarcerated.
This is a deep and significant book.
September 22, 2021
A fascinating study of a time when prisons were offering free plastic surgery to inmates.
This was Meticulously researched by Zara Stone, and written in a style that will engage the reader from p.1.
Want to read
June 13, 2021>Go to sleep in my prison cell like normal
>MFW I wake up looking like James Charles
Will post real review once book drops
>MFW I wake up looking like James Charles
Will post real review once book drops
December 23, 2021
A superb investigation into the importance of being beautiful - but sadly overpriced
This is a very strange book exploring in-depth and with academic attention to detail, a very strange topic: the use of plastic surgery to improve rates of recidivism amongst convicts.
The author traces the story through a sort of 'docudrama' writing approach, taking the key characters in the progression of events and writing as if from their perspective and linking these 'stories' with thoroughly researched facts and figures and a broad, more typically academic style. It is an unusual approach and I think it works very well for this book, allowing the reader to develop greater empathy with those working in the field and their motivations than would otherwise be possible.
The prime thesis of the book is very simple and painfully true - painfully as we are all, every one of us, guilty as charged. Society favours the beautiful. There is no denying that, we all have experienced it either to our own benefit or detriment depending where we might be on that 'beauty scale'. But some of the people in this book had their lives destroyed before they started because of their looks.
And whilst I think this book tracing the brave attempts to change the lives and fortunes of those who become criminals due to being shunned by society and then being unable to ever escape their criminality as they are never offered the chances that their more attractive fellow criminals might be once released from prison.
Of course, this is not a 'one size fits all' thing. There will be beautiful criminals (although they are usually much more leniently treated by the courts than their ugly colleagues) and there will be ugly folk who are not criminals, but this book is looking specifically at those who were ugly and wound up in prison - and how a series of experiments allowed plastic surgeons to give them a more normal appearance and that, statistically, these interventions had a huge impact on those so treated not winding up back in prison compared with those who were not given such treatment.
Profound food for thought on many levels.
However, I am incredibly saddened to see it being placed behind such a high paywall which will severely restrict those who might wish to read it from being able to do so. I hope the publisher will reconsider the high price being asked and realise that selling for less would sell more and probably ultimately make more money for them.
I would recommend this book to anyone, in fact to everyone - but only if they can afford the high price being asked for it.
This is a very strange book exploring in-depth and with academic attention to detail, a very strange topic: the use of plastic surgery to improve rates of recidivism amongst convicts.
The author traces the story through a sort of 'docudrama' writing approach, taking the key characters in the progression of events and writing as if from their perspective and linking these 'stories' with thoroughly researched facts and figures and a broad, more typically academic style. It is an unusual approach and I think it works very well for this book, allowing the reader to develop greater empathy with those working in the field and their motivations than would otherwise be possible.
The prime thesis of the book is very simple and painfully true - painfully as we are all, every one of us, guilty as charged. Society favours the beautiful. There is no denying that, we all have experienced it either to our own benefit or detriment depending where we might be on that 'beauty scale'. But some of the people in this book had their lives destroyed before they started because of their looks.
And whilst I think this book tracing the brave attempts to change the lives and fortunes of those who become criminals due to being shunned by society and then being unable to ever escape their criminality as they are never offered the chances that their more attractive fellow criminals might be once released from prison.
Of course, this is not a 'one size fits all' thing. There will be beautiful criminals (although they are usually much more leniently treated by the courts than their ugly colleagues) and there will be ugly folk who are not criminals, but this book is looking specifically at those who were ugly and wound up in prison - and how a series of experiments allowed plastic surgeons to give them a more normal appearance and that, statistically, these interventions had a huge impact on those so treated not winding up back in prison compared with those who were not given such treatment.
Profound food for thought on many levels.
However, I am incredibly saddened to see it being placed behind such a high paywall which will severely restrict those who might wish to read it from being able to do so. I hope the publisher will reconsider the high price being asked and realise that selling for less would sell more and probably ultimately make more money for them.
I would recommend this book to anyone, in fact to everyone - but only if they can afford the high price being asked for it.
October 3, 2021
On its surface, this book is about plastic surgery in prisons, but really it ends up being a much more thorough exploration into the research on effective rehabilitation practices in jails/prisons. At the end of the day, our prison systems are really just perpetuating the conditions that put people in prison in the first place, and this book has the receipts. Admittedly, there are a lot of asides into broader psychological perspectives on beauty and ugliness, which I personally could have lived without. The book tries to cover too much, and kind of loses its punchiness as a result.
March 4, 2022
I'm still reading this book, because I have found it commands all of my attention, and it's taking a lot longer than most. That is in no way a criticism, because a book has to be really good to do that to me.
So far I'm finding it absolutely fascinating, and had no idea this was a thing within our prisons. It's very well researched, and written in a way that is easy to understand.
A highly Interesting read, with some thought provoking subject matter.
Many thanks to Random Things Tours for my tour spot.
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
So far I'm finding it absolutely fascinating, and had no idea this was a thing within our prisons. It's very well researched, and written in a way that is easy to understand.
A highly Interesting read, with some thought provoking subject matter.
Many thanks to Random Things Tours for my tour spot.
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
November 13, 2025
The arts have long understood, probably unfairly, that one of the best ways to let an audience identify a villain is giving them an unappealing appearance. Witches are big-nosed and green skinned. Human beings desire simplicity and stereotyping is a way to achieve it. There are exceptions, T.H. White’s Lancelot du Lac was an ugly man but a well-meaning hero and Cyrano de Bergerac (who receives an honorable mention in the work) was an unattractive but brilliant and good person, but these are often ironic plot devices and not enough to overturn the stereotype.
We also assume beauty is synonymous with good. The hero is attractive, even when they are morally ambiguous, with few post-modern exceptions meant to mislead the audience. There have certainly been attractive criminals, though this has often allowed them to manipulate their victims more readily because they are inherently more trustworthy. Regardless, it is unequivocally clear that attractiveness provides advantages and opportunities those who are average or even unattractive do not receive in equal measure.
Deserving or not, people believe good people are attractive and bad people are ugly, and vice versa. Appearance is a manifestation of character.
So what is to be done about a criminal, or a justice system, intent on reform or reintroduction to society when the very appearance of some criminals give the impression of a villain? Change the appearance, of course.
This precludes an important question, however: how much of human criminality is caused by social pressures versus the nature of the individual? If it’s the former, and ugly people are treated with criminal suspicion, which leads to criminal behavior, then a “beautification program” might be part of a solution—it was believed so until the 70s and 80s, when politics changed to imply a criminal was innately so and the only solution was to incarcerate and remove the criminal from society.
This is one of the primary of conceits of Stone’s book.
A contemporary, progressive reader is likely to take a considerable amount of offense to this stereotyping—not everyone with a particular feature is considered unattractive and its presence certainly doesn’t make them a criminal. This includes features not only caused by genetic disfigurement or injury, but “flaws” deeply rooted in racism. Stone goes to great lengths to make this clear.
At the same time, however, sensitive readers have to understand that presumptions about appearance are something humans are hardwired to do. It’s absolutely unfair to presume phenotype has anything to do with character, but this form of cruelty is common enough that people develop neuroses and many attempt to fix flaws they perceive as disadvantageous, and mistreatment of imperfections have almost certainly driven some into a life of criminality they might never have considered had their fellow humans been more considerate. Or blind.
The book is a fascinating look at one of the ways the US attempted to resolve the problem of an overburdened prison system through rehabilitation: if individuals appeared less criminal, maybe society would better tolerate them, and perhaps they would be less inclined to behave criminally. It is a striking psychological experiment that seems wild enough to work in a superficial society where perception influences reality, and an implication that the criminal is often a product of an intolerant society.
The book is divided into numerous vignettes tracing the career of surgeon Michael Lewin, and other surgeons, and their work with individuals who possessed a deformity which had led to profiling, isolation, rejection, fewer opportunities, and criminal activity, and attempts to resolve the social inconvenience believed to be caused by appearance through surgical means. It also provides pseudoscientific and racist basis for the purported criminal proclivities in nationalities, races, and specific features (when often the cause is much simpler—the poor often need to find alternative means of income to survive), enabling what is known now as “profiling,” creating a conscious and unfair profile of what is attractive and unattractive, civil and criminal, and providing ammunition for eugenics.
Stone delivers these stories in visceral, compelling detail, with a palpable sense of empathy, and an explicitly stated belief that our for-profit prison system is failing prisoners and citizens alike, and disproportionately poor, minorities, and the unattractive. It's a sad reality in a nation that solicits itself as one of presumed equals, but is perfectly happy to pay lip service to an idea in exchange for superficial advantages granted to those who can afford them.
Stone’s work revolves heavily around the efforts of individuals attempting to fit the mold of an acceptable human. Not just disfigured criminals, but Michael Lewin himself, the Jewish surgeon escaping anti-Semitism in Europe only to change his name in the US to avoid it here as well. Everyone is forced to hide some perceived flaw in order to be accepted. In this respect Stone’s book is a collection of interweaving tragedies that deserves reading, as a means to acknowledge and accept our own imperfections, but also those of others, and that, most importantly, these flaws do not make us who we are, but our interpretation of others’ flaws can shape them for better or for worse.
A brilliantly well-written, well-researched, and touching book.
We also assume beauty is synonymous with good. The hero is attractive, even when they are morally ambiguous, with few post-modern exceptions meant to mislead the audience. There have certainly been attractive criminals, though this has often allowed them to manipulate their victims more readily because they are inherently more trustworthy. Regardless, it is unequivocally clear that attractiveness provides advantages and opportunities those who are average or even unattractive do not receive in equal measure.
Deserving or not, people believe good people are attractive and bad people are ugly, and vice versa. Appearance is a manifestation of character.
So what is to be done about a criminal, or a justice system, intent on reform or reintroduction to society when the very appearance of some criminals give the impression of a villain? Change the appearance, of course.
This precludes an important question, however: how much of human criminality is caused by social pressures versus the nature of the individual? If it’s the former, and ugly people are treated with criminal suspicion, which leads to criminal behavior, then a “beautification program” might be part of a solution—it was believed so until the 70s and 80s, when politics changed to imply a criminal was innately so and the only solution was to incarcerate and remove the criminal from society.
This is one of the primary of conceits of Stone’s book.
A contemporary, progressive reader is likely to take a considerable amount of offense to this stereotyping—not everyone with a particular feature is considered unattractive and its presence certainly doesn’t make them a criminal. This includes features not only caused by genetic disfigurement or injury, but “flaws” deeply rooted in racism. Stone goes to great lengths to make this clear.
At the same time, however, sensitive readers have to understand that presumptions about appearance are something humans are hardwired to do. It’s absolutely unfair to presume phenotype has anything to do with character, but this form of cruelty is common enough that people develop neuroses and many attempt to fix flaws they perceive as disadvantageous, and mistreatment of imperfections have almost certainly driven some into a life of criminality they might never have considered had their fellow humans been more considerate. Or blind.
The book is a fascinating look at one of the ways the US attempted to resolve the problem of an overburdened prison system through rehabilitation: if individuals appeared less criminal, maybe society would better tolerate them, and perhaps they would be less inclined to behave criminally. It is a striking psychological experiment that seems wild enough to work in a superficial society where perception influences reality, and an implication that the criminal is often a product of an intolerant society.
The book is divided into numerous vignettes tracing the career of surgeon Michael Lewin, and other surgeons, and their work with individuals who possessed a deformity which had led to profiling, isolation, rejection, fewer opportunities, and criminal activity, and attempts to resolve the social inconvenience believed to be caused by appearance through surgical means. It also provides pseudoscientific and racist basis for the purported criminal proclivities in nationalities, races, and specific features (when often the cause is much simpler—the poor often need to find alternative means of income to survive), enabling what is known now as “profiling,” creating a conscious and unfair profile of what is attractive and unattractive, civil and criminal, and providing ammunition for eugenics.
Stone delivers these stories in visceral, compelling detail, with a palpable sense of empathy, and an explicitly stated belief that our for-profit prison system is failing prisoners and citizens alike, and disproportionately poor, minorities, and the unattractive. It's a sad reality in a nation that solicits itself as one of presumed equals, but is perfectly happy to pay lip service to an idea in exchange for superficial advantages granted to those who can afford them.
Stone’s work revolves heavily around the efforts of individuals attempting to fit the mold of an acceptable human. Not just disfigured criminals, but Michael Lewin himself, the Jewish surgeon escaping anti-Semitism in Europe only to change his name in the US to avoid it here as well. Everyone is forced to hide some perceived flaw in order to be accepted. In this respect Stone’s book is a collection of interweaving tragedies that deserves reading, as a means to acknowledge and accept our own imperfections, but also those of others, and that, most importantly, these flaws do not make us who we are, but our interpretation of others’ flaws can shape them for better or for worse.
A brilliantly well-written, well-researched, and touching book.
July 23, 2023
moral of the story: giving non-addict prisoners plastic surgery can help reduce recidivism rates but we don't do it nowadays because felons don't deserve taxpayer-funded cosmetic surgery.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2022
The premise is that Lookism, (discrimination based on looks – appearance bias), is a major cause of criminal activity and leads to poor cultural and economic outcomes for those deemed ugly, unique looking, or with an ethnic appearance. The book goes on to detail the history of plastic surgery in U.S. prisons as a quick fix to turn criminals into productive citizens. I find this proposed solution disturbing.
Lookism is a term that came from the fat acceptance movement of the 1970s. Bodies remain the same, but body types go in and out of style. In the era of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, (1485-1487), and the Rubenesque period of the 1500s-1900s, a round body was considered ideal visually and sociologically. Thinness was seen as weak, sickly, and unliberated. In the 1950s, curves were in. A thin Twiggy-type body became the rage in the 1960s. Now with various societal influences including reality TV shows, dangerous trends like liposuction with fat transfers to the buttocks are popular. These procedures are fraught with risk, including death.
Is surgery a solution for appearance fads and racial bias in or out of prison? What is being done to educate people about nutrition, fitness, self acceptance, and BMI? "Plus-Size: A Memoir of Pop Culture, Fatphobia, and Social Change," is an excellent book that covers these topics. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09S3CRHLM/...
The Breast Implant Illness movement is so strong that in 2021 the FDA took action to strengthen breast implant risk communication. This is just the start of what needs to be done to protect the public.
Liposuction is done as part of many procedures. Removal or destruction of fat cells causes long-term health and aesthetic problems. With the innovation of liposuction, the cosmetic aspect of fat was targeted; the systemic health impact ignored. Removal of SubQ fat causes increase in disease producing visceral fat. Remaining fat cells increase in size regardless of diet and exercise.
Much harm occurs in years following liposuction as the body struggles with losing part of an organ that plays a role in metabolism and affects every aspect of health. Killer Looks does not mention this. https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php...?
In prison programs, students performed surgery to make noses conform to a Western image to supposedly lessen recidivism. I know many people suffering from pain and structural problems and identity issues post-rhinoplasty or facial surgery. At times in history, an aquiline (Roman) nose was considered stronger than and superior to a snub nose rather than something to be fixed.
Having doctors tap into vulnerable populations to direct societies' view on attractiveness is troublesome. Prisoners of African decent may have broad, flat noses. This population was targeted by the prison plastic surgeons as if operations instead of racial bias awareness is a viable answer for humankind.
The prisoners signed up surgery. The program focused on removing unwanted facial tattoos or improving facial scars and altering noses. I support people being comfortable in how they look, but is prison the place to do this? What is the cost when surgery harms instead of heals?
Surgery has risks. Victoria Meppen had a mole removed from her forehead and was left in untenable nerve pain. After years of suffering with no relief, she committed suicide. Reports about her life were sensationalized; gossip newspapers twisted her story and blamed her. Victim blame is common. I know many people in situations like Victoria Meppen's due to plastic surgeons.
Physical attractiveness has benefits and downsides; beauty can lead to unwanted attention and increased sexual abuse. Narcissists are often physically attractive and charismatic or believe they are. By that token, should society take it upon themselves to mar the appearance of narcissists to hamper malignant tendencies?
Doing surgeries on a vulnerable prison population has ethical considerations. In the 2020 documentary Belly of the Beast (BOTB), filmmaker Erica Cohn details the fight attorney Cynthia Chandler and her team took on to stop involuntary, illegal sterilizations on female prisoners in California. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11454670/
Some doctors believe women in prison or on welfare shouldn’t have kids; this incarcerated population is treated as if their lives and futures do not matter. Dr. JH, (who has a history of settled lawsuits from cases that involve permanent deformity to women and children), was insistent that females get their tubes tied.
A whistleblower sent Cynthia minutes of a CDC meeting that discussed “cost effectiveness” of sterilizing women during labor and delivery even though federal and state laws prohibit prisons from sterilizing women for birth control; this is Eugenics.
In BOTB I learned that 92% of women are incarcerated not due to lookism, but due to domestic violence. Kelli Dillon, (a remarkable woman), was a young, black mother of two in prison for that very reason when she was sterilized and castrated via hysterectomy and didn’t even know it; a doctor in prison told her she had abnormal cervical cells, but she never had cancer.
Afterwards, Kelli had panic attacks, weight loss, night sweats, which are classic symptoms of surgical menopause. When there’s a big drop in estrogen, women may have hot flashes, mood changes, and menses ceases. These hormonal problems can happen with fat removal (that is done for supposed medical or cosmetic reasons) because fat is an endocrine organ.
In 1931, the American Medical Association (AMA) guidelines stated that surgeons who performed elective cosmetic surgeries were unethical. In 2022, there are many people that still consider cosmetic surgeons quackish, dangerous, and disreputable, but the propaganda machine has had time to lure people in via groupthink.
Beginning in 1932, cosmetic surgery was done for free in prisons. Cosmetic surgeons earned a six-figure salary. Residency programs were in high demand. Operating on prisoners became a valuable recruiting tool for universities, especially in Texas and Utah. Surgeries were also done in Sing Sing and on Rikers Island. Inmates were fed an unhealthy diet, but hey, they got plastic surgery.
As part of the rehabilitation studies in a Texas prison, doctors performed liposuction and skin removal on Fred Marshall. “His whole body ached, like he’d been run over by a truck. Even his arms and legs were tender—and the doc hadn’t even touched those! He tried to sit up straight and gasped; it felt like he was being pulled apart.” Nurses referred to him as "grumpy and demanding." Well, sure - he was in pain.
Dr. Martin Lewin assured patients in prison, “The operation in of itself will not be a painful experience, however, it’s likely that you will feel some discomfort after the procedure and may be sore and tender.” He mentioned bruising. Bad to tragic aesthetic and health outcomes are customarily minimized or denied by surgeons.
Cosmetic surgery often worsens the look of the subject in their own and subjective viewpoints. The internet is filled with gossip magazine listings of actresses who “ruined their careers and their looks via plastic surgery.” People get procedures because they trust the medical profession. No one chooses to get ruined.
Powerful doctors’ lobbies, tort law, and failure of medical boards allows physicans to get away with bad practices. I did searches on the doctors thanked or mentioned in this book. Within minutes I found desperate reviews by former patients of some of these doctors. This is consistent with what I find in my studies about the plastic surgery field and is of concern in the push for surgeries.
In some of the referenced studies there was slight improvement in recidivism rates; these were not longitudinal. In other studies, there was no improvement or an increase. The research in this book only goes so far. It fails to portray the truth about the cosmetic field or the damage plastic surgery may cause to individuals and society.
Medical malpractice is a lead cause of death in the United States. Plastic surgeons cause death and bodily harm to healthy people. What is the definition of a criminal? Inmates locked up at Sing Sing, or a con in a white coat and those that protect them?
Lookism is a term that came from the fat acceptance movement of the 1970s. Bodies remain the same, but body types go in and out of style. In the era of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, (1485-1487), and the Rubenesque period of the 1500s-1900s, a round body was considered ideal visually and sociologically. Thinness was seen as weak, sickly, and unliberated. In the 1950s, curves were in. A thin Twiggy-type body became the rage in the 1960s. Now with various societal influences including reality TV shows, dangerous trends like liposuction with fat transfers to the buttocks are popular. These procedures are fraught with risk, including death.
Is surgery a solution for appearance fads and racial bias in or out of prison? What is being done to educate people about nutrition, fitness, self acceptance, and BMI? "Plus-Size: A Memoir of Pop Culture, Fatphobia, and Social Change," is an excellent book that covers these topics. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09S3CRHLM/...
The Breast Implant Illness movement is so strong that in 2021 the FDA took action to strengthen breast implant risk communication. This is just the start of what needs to be done to protect the public.
Liposuction is done as part of many procedures. Removal or destruction of fat cells causes long-term health and aesthetic problems. With the innovation of liposuction, the cosmetic aspect of fat was targeted; the systemic health impact ignored. Removal of SubQ fat causes increase in disease producing visceral fat. Remaining fat cells increase in size regardless of diet and exercise.
Much harm occurs in years following liposuction as the body struggles with losing part of an organ that plays a role in metabolism and affects every aspect of health. Killer Looks does not mention this. https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php...?
In prison programs, students performed surgery to make noses conform to a Western image to supposedly lessen recidivism. I know many people suffering from pain and structural problems and identity issues post-rhinoplasty or facial surgery. At times in history, an aquiline (Roman) nose was considered stronger than and superior to a snub nose rather than something to be fixed.
Having doctors tap into vulnerable populations to direct societies' view on attractiveness is troublesome. Prisoners of African decent may have broad, flat noses. This population was targeted by the prison plastic surgeons as if operations instead of racial bias awareness is a viable answer for humankind.
The prisoners signed up surgery. The program focused on removing unwanted facial tattoos or improving facial scars and altering noses. I support people being comfortable in how they look, but is prison the place to do this? What is the cost when surgery harms instead of heals?
Surgery has risks. Victoria Meppen had a mole removed from her forehead and was left in untenable nerve pain. After years of suffering with no relief, she committed suicide. Reports about her life were sensationalized; gossip newspapers twisted her story and blamed her. Victim blame is common. I know many people in situations like Victoria Meppen's due to plastic surgeons.
Physical attractiveness has benefits and downsides; beauty can lead to unwanted attention and increased sexual abuse. Narcissists are often physically attractive and charismatic or believe they are. By that token, should society take it upon themselves to mar the appearance of narcissists to hamper malignant tendencies?
Doing surgeries on a vulnerable prison population has ethical considerations. In the 2020 documentary Belly of the Beast (BOTB), filmmaker Erica Cohn details the fight attorney Cynthia Chandler and her team took on to stop involuntary, illegal sterilizations on female prisoners in California. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11454670/
Some doctors believe women in prison or on welfare shouldn’t have kids; this incarcerated population is treated as if their lives and futures do not matter. Dr. JH, (who has a history of settled lawsuits from cases that involve permanent deformity to women and children), was insistent that females get their tubes tied.
A whistleblower sent Cynthia minutes of a CDC meeting that discussed “cost effectiveness” of sterilizing women during labor and delivery even though federal and state laws prohibit prisons from sterilizing women for birth control; this is Eugenics.
In BOTB I learned that 92% of women are incarcerated not due to lookism, but due to domestic violence. Kelli Dillon, (a remarkable woman), was a young, black mother of two in prison for that very reason when she was sterilized and castrated via hysterectomy and didn’t even know it; a doctor in prison told her she had abnormal cervical cells, but she never had cancer.
Afterwards, Kelli had panic attacks, weight loss, night sweats, which are classic symptoms of surgical menopause. When there’s a big drop in estrogen, women may have hot flashes, mood changes, and menses ceases. These hormonal problems can happen with fat removal (that is done for supposed medical or cosmetic reasons) because fat is an endocrine organ.
In 1931, the American Medical Association (AMA) guidelines stated that surgeons who performed elective cosmetic surgeries were unethical. In 2022, there are many people that still consider cosmetic surgeons quackish, dangerous, and disreputable, but the propaganda machine has had time to lure people in via groupthink.
Beginning in 1932, cosmetic surgery was done for free in prisons. Cosmetic surgeons earned a six-figure salary. Residency programs were in high demand. Operating on prisoners became a valuable recruiting tool for universities, especially in Texas and Utah. Surgeries were also done in Sing Sing and on Rikers Island. Inmates were fed an unhealthy diet, but hey, they got plastic surgery.
As part of the rehabilitation studies in a Texas prison, doctors performed liposuction and skin removal on Fred Marshall. “His whole body ached, like he’d been run over by a truck. Even his arms and legs were tender—and the doc hadn’t even touched those! He tried to sit up straight and gasped; it felt like he was being pulled apart.” Nurses referred to him as "grumpy and demanding." Well, sure - he was in pain.
Dr. Martin Lewin assured patients in prison, “The operation in of itself will not be a painful experience, however, it’s likely that you will feel some discomfort after the procedure and may be sore and tender.” He mentioned bruising. Bad to tragic aesthetic and health outcomes are customarily minimized or denied by surgeons.
Cosmetic surgery often worsens the look of the subject in their own and subjective viewpoints. The internet is filled with gossip magazine listings of actresses who “ruined their careers and their looks via plastic surgery.” People get procedures because they trust the medical profession. No one chooses to get ruined.
Powerful doctors’ lobbies, tort law, and failure of medical boards allows physicans to get away with bad practices. I did searches on the doctors thanked or mentioned in this book. Within minutes I found desperate reviews by former patients of some of these doctors. This is consistent with what I find in my studies about the plastic surgery field and is of concern in the push for surgeries.
In some of the referenced studies there was slight improvement in recidivism rates; these were not longitudinal. In other studies, there was no improvement or an increase. The research in this book only goes so far. It fails to portray the truth about the cosmetic field or the damage plastic surgery may cause to individuals and society.
Medical malpractice is a lead cause of death in the United States. Plastic surgeons cause death and bodily harm to healthy people. What is the definition of a criminal? Inmates locked up at Sing Sing, or a con in a white coat and those that protect them?
February 8, 2023
I found this book really fascinating. It's about a little-known topic: plastic surgery in prison to improve the convicted person's appearance to lower recidivism rates. Apparently, it works.
Written in a narrative style, the book provides biographies of some of the convicted people who received surgeries and some of the surgeons. The author also discusses how cultural attitudes toward beauty and ugliness can affect people's lives.
That part of the book--the wider issue of cultural attitudes about beauty and ugliness and how that affects people-didn't get as much coverage as I would have liked, but it was the background, not the focus of her text. I think the topic deserves a book of its own, given how weight can marginalize people, how reactions to skin color can literally be a risk to a person's life, and how influential appearance is to how a child experiences school.
An interesting read.
Written in a narrative style, the book provides biographies of some of the convicted people who received surgeries and some of the surgeons. The author also discusses how cultural attitudes toward beauty and ugliness can affect people's lives.
That part of the book--the wider issue of cultural attitudes about beauty and ugliness and how that affects people-didn't get as much coverage as I would have liked, but it was the background, not the focus of her text. I think the topic deserves a book of its own, given how weight can marginalize people, how reactions to skin color can literally be a risk to a person's life, and how influential appearance is to how a child experiences school.
An interesting read.
November 12, 2021
I received a review copy of this book, and I was not sure what to expect. However, as soon as I began to read it I was fascinated. It is a well-researched, sublimely structured text, filled with thought provoking content. The author is a skilled writer and her attention to detail makes this a great read. I learned a lot, but this book also provokes the reader to explore their own privilege and makes us reflect beyond the subject matter. Great work.
November 13, 2025
Amazing very well researched and a strange but brilliant topic. Well done. It is about plastic surgery on American prisoners… oh you may think scandalous and turn up your nose … but you will be surprised
Don’t judge give it a go… however it is not an easy read it is didactic and informative and a bit heavy going
Don’t judge give it a go… however it is not an easy read it is didactic and informative and a bit heavy going
July 27, 2022
A part of history I had never heard of! Fascinating!
Stone does an incredible job of walking her reader through the history of plastic surgery in our prison systems. A behind-the-scenes look at a dark subject with beautiful prose.
Highly recommend.
Stone does an incredible job of walking her reader through the history of plastic surgery in our prison systems. A behind-the-scenes look at a dark subject with beautiful prose.
Highly recommend.
July 25, 2022
This was a truly fascinating and well-researched book about the history of plastic surgery in prisons--a topic I knew truly nothing about beforehand. Stone manages to make the topic of great interest, as her work goes to the deep questions of beauty, crime, recidivism, and politics while also including great storytelling. I was particularly interested in the psychological questions around self-worth and the way she discusses the progressivism of these programs--a worthy read!
November 15, 2021
We typically associate plastic surgeries with image obsessed entertainment/influencer industry. Who would know they are also provided and even sought after in prison? The author documents the fascinating history of prison plastic surgeries and discusses the circumstances where looking good is a necessity rather than luxury. It's related to deeper issues such as identity, racism, justice, equality and upward mobility. Well researched / written book about an under reported topic.
June 17, 2022
Sad but true.
Looking at such a provocative book cover, I tend to be wary of these books, as I suspect the authors mix fact with fiction to generate sensationalism. Any doubts I had, quickly evaporated after going through the first pages. This is a compelling, well-researched socio-political history of plastic surgery. It is factual, and comprehensive and is the go-to seminal book on this topic. No other book can outperform it, and it would make an intriguing subject for a TV documentary.
What do Kinsey, Sanger, Nietzsche, Machiavelli and Marx have in common? No, they’re not just the influencers in Benjamin Wiker’s book, “Ten books that screwed the world”. It has something to do with man’s astounding penchant for social engineering. Or maybe, it is about the dehumanization of man into a chess pawn piece for life’s powerplay. Or maybe, man is the screen icon whose personality can be rebooted and programmed with a few taps on a keyboard.
A modern-day re-run of Shakespeare’s “As you like it” opens with the lines: All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players, they have their exits and their entrances….
Act I: It always starts with a misplaced idea, that is always tried on the vulnerable, the disenfranchised, and the minorities.
Kinsey studied the sexual habits of insects and applied them to humans. He used prisoners as subjects for his much-lauded but flawed, unscientific studies.
Darwin studied animal species with his theory of natural selection. Nietzsche applied Darwin’s theories to humankind. His social Darwinism created the theory of the overman, a concept embraced by the Nazi party, and put it into practice on a national scale. Sanger was so impressed by the Nazi eugenic policy that she adopted it, through her brainchild, Planned Parenthood. Like Kinsey, she advocated it for the minorities, low-lifers, and the disenfranchised.
Act II: In comes, Machiavelli with his twin diktat, ”One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived”, and, “Politics have no relation to morals”, with his three-headed prince. The unholy trinity of 1) sanctimonious politicians and the pliant judiciary, 2) the media spearheaded by Hollywood, and 3) the market forces (the pharmaceutical companies, the medical profession, the powerful porn industry, the cosmetic companies, etc ). The three-headed prince craves power—the politician, power of votes; the fourth estate, power over man’s emotions; the market forces, power over man’s purse. All three heads treat man as an object—a ballot paper, a lump of plasticine, and a consumer respectively.
Act III: In comes the author of “Das Capital”, another end-product of the German enlightenment. His economic idea is applied to human behaviour, and it thereby morphs into a politics of envy with the socialist aim of equality. The three-headed prince enforces this politics of envy in daily life. A demi-god is held up as a role model, whom people aspire to equal because they envy the god and want to be his equal. The prince preys upon and exploits man’s weaknesses, vulnerabilities, passions, and vanities in the interest of power. They gaze upon the caged mouse happily spinning in his vicious circle of supply and demand. They look down smugly because man is happy with his Panem et circenses. The votes keep coming in for the politicians, the media’s influence increases through population mind control, and the money keeps rolling in for the market forces. They have a common cause, and all players are happy, though enslaved by the fire of their passions. The prince delights in fanning these flames.
Act IV: All the actors come together for the rousing finale.
What follows is the apotheosis of Kinsey and Sanger by the fourth estate. Hollywood leads the charge tugging at the heartstrings by creating a cause celebre out of an exception. The secular high priests and priestesses of the government misquote scripture and beatify sexual perversions into sex education, and the eugenics of the feminine overman into reproductive rights. Then, the parents of the sexual revolution are canonized as the father of sex education and the mother of feminism. With the help of the judiciary, the exception is turned into the rule, and national policy is turned on its head. That is the signal for the media to unleash their measures to oversexualize the people, thereby increasing the demand to satisfy the multi-headed prince. That includes the demand for plastic surgery in both males and females to improve their sexual attractiveness, and to engender even more envy. And on it goes…
Reading this book, the strategy for the promotion of plastic surgery is the same. A bizarre idea by Levin/ Maltz; experimentation on the low-lifers; fake, unscientific studies; Judge Kross spearheads the policy; the politicians misquote scripture to define beauty and ugliness; Glitzy Hollywood takes up the cause of corrective surgery; the politicians support the policy and fund it; Revlon butts in to reap the profits….
I see uncanny parallels with the abortion story, as life is sacrificed in honour of the goddess Aphrodite. Maybe the West will contracept themselves out of existence, like the ancient pagan civilizations offering human sacrifices to appease the insatiable appetite of their demanding gods.
The author has done a sterling job with this opus. Imagine the time and determination to collate and verify this mass of data. it’s a pity she didn’t write this book in the twenties. Maybe, we could have averted the tragedy of the sixties. But, would it have done so?
Didn’t Mark Twain say,” History doesn’t repeat itself. It rhymes”. And then, from across the pond, Bismarck replied, “What we learn from history is that no one learns from history.” And Margaret Sanger’s Hitler agreed, “Who remembers the Armenians…”
What I particularly like about the author is her writing style. From time to time, she actually “shows not tells” through the use of dialogue, giving her script a personal feel, even though she is dispassionate throughout. The story speaks for itself, and the pictures help bring it alive, adding an element of authenticity. She concentrates on stating the facts as they are and respects the reader so much, that she allows him to draw his own conclusions. Even if they may be those of a narrow-minded, dastardly bigot like me. It’s a welcome relief from the incessant brainstorming by her colleagues in the media with a self-serving agenda.
Looking at such a provocative book cover, I tend to be wary of these books, as I suspect the authors mix fact with fiction to generate sensationalism. Any doubts I had, quickly evaporated after going through the first pages. This is a compelling, well-researched socio-political history of plastic surgery. It is factual, and comprehensive and is the go-to seminal book on this topic. No other book can outperform it, and it would make an intriguing subject for a TV documentary.
What do Kinsey, Sanger, Nietzsche, Machiavelli and Marx have in common? No, they’re not just the influencers in Benjamin Wiker’s book, “Ten books that screwed the world”. It has something to do with man’s astounding penchant for social engineering. Or maybe, it is about the dehumanization of man into a chess pawn piece for life’s powerplay. Or maybe, man is the screen icon whose personality can be rebooted and programmed with a few taps on a keyboard.
A modern-day re-run of Shakespeare’s “As you like it” opens with the lines: All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players, they have their exits and their entrances….
Act I: It always starts with a misplaced idea, that is always tried on the vulnerable, the disenfranchised, and the minorities.
Kinsey studied the sexual habits of insects and applied them to humans. He used prisoners as subjects for his much-lauded but flawed, unscientific studies.
Darwin studied animal species with his theory of natural selection. Nietzsche applied Darwin’s theories to humankind. His social Darwinism created the theory of the overman, a concept embraced by the Nazi party, and put it into practice on a national scale. Sanger was so impressed by the Nazi eugenic policy that she adopted it, through her brainchild, Planned Parenthood. Like Kinsey, she advocated it for the minorities, low-lifers, and the disenfranchised.
Act II: In comes, Machiavelli with his twin diktat, ”One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived”, and, “Politics have no relation to morals”, with his three-headed prince. The unholy trinity of 1) sanctimonious politicians and the pliant judiciary, 2) the media spearheaded by Hollywood, and 3) the market forces (the pharmaceutical companies, the medical profession, the powerful porn industry, the cosmetic companies, etc ). The three-headed prince craves power—the politician, power of votes; the fourth estate, power over man’s emotions; the market forces, power over man’s purse. All three heads treat man as an object—a ballot paper, a lump of plasticine, and a consumer respectively.
Act III: In comes the author of “Das Capital”, another end-product of the German enlightenment. His economic idea is applied to human behaviour, and it thereby morphs into a politics of envy with the socialist aim of equality. The three-headed prince enforces this politics of envy in daily life. A demi-god is held up as a role model, whom people aspire to equal because they envy the god and want to be his equal. The prince preys upon and exploits man’s weaknesses, vulnerabilities, passions, and vanities in the interest of power. They gaze upon the caged mouse happily spinning in his vicious circle of supply and demand. They look down smugly because man is happy with his Panem et circenses. The votes keep coming in for the politicians, the media’s influence increases through population mind control, and the money keeps rolling in for the market forces. They have a common cause, and all players are happy, though enslaved by the fire of their passions. The prince delights in fanning these flames.
Act IV: All the actors come together for the rousing finale.
What follows is the apotheosis of Kinsey and Sanger by the fourth estate. Hollywood leads the charge tugging at the heartstrings by creating a cause celebre out of an exception. The secular high priests and priestesses of the government misquote scripture and beatify sexual perversions into sex education, and the eugenics of the feminine overman into reproductive rights. Then, the parents of the sexual revolution are canonized as the father of sex education and the mother of feminism. With the help of the judiciary, the exception is turned into the rule, and national policy is turned on its head. That is the signal for the media to unleash their measures to oversexualize the people, thereby increasing the demand to satisfy the multi-headed prince. That includes the demand for plastic surgery in both males and females to improve their sexual attractiveness, and to engender even more envy. And on it goes…
Reading this book, the strategy for the promotion of plastic surgery is the same. A bizarre idea by Levin/ Maltz; experimentation on the low-lifers; fake, unscientific studies; Judge Kross spearheads the policy; the politicians misquote scripture to define beauty and ugliness; Glitzy Hollywood takes up the cause of corrective surgery; the politicians support the policy and fund it; Revlon butts in to reap the profits….
I see uncanny parallels with the abortion story, as life is sacrificed in honour of the goddess Aphrodite. Maybe the West will contracept themselves out of existence, like the ancient pagan civilizations offering human sacrifices to appease the insatiable appetite of their demanding gods.
The author has done a sterling job with this opus. Imagine the time and determination to collate and verify this mass of data. it’s a pity she didn’t write this book in the twenties. Maybe, we could have averted the tragedy of the sixties. But, would it have done so?
Didn’t Mark Twain say,” History doesn’t repeat itself. It rhymes”. And then, from across the pond, Bismarck replied, “What we learn from history is that no one learns from history.” And Margaret Sanger’s Hitler agreed, “Who remembers the Armenians…”
What I particularly like about the author is her writing style. From time to time, she actually “shows not tells” through the use of dialogue, giving her script a personal feel, even though she is dispassionate throughout. The story speaks for itself, and the pictures help bring it alive, adding an element of authenticity. She concentrates on stating the facts as they are and respects the reader so much, that she allows him to draw his own conclusions. Even if they may be those of a narrow-minded, dastardly bigot like me. It’s a welcome relief from the incessant brainstorming by her colleagues in the media with a self-serving agenda.
July 23, 2021
I did not know about the practice, through most of the 20th century, of offering plastic surgery to over half a million (mostly male) inmates in order to rehabilitate them/make it easier for them to reintegrate after release. That’s about what I can say for this book, which is roughly chronological, occasionally anachronistic (there were no “red states” and “blue states” in the 1950s), and somewhat digressive though understandably so in its discussion of the evidence of how physical attractiveness—both racialized and within racial categories—affects how a person is treated. Stone attributes the elimination of most programs to a combination of punitiveness/anti-“free stuff” for prisoners attitudes; unwarranted denigration of rehabilitation as a concept; and concerns about experimentation on prisoners, since many surgeons practiced on inmates. I did learn that prisoners have almost five times as many head injuries as nonprisoners, and that facial trauma accounts for 1/3 of inmate ER visits, compared to 0.7% for the general population.
February 13, 2022
I was recommended this book by a friend who is involved in criminal justice reform and I was wowed from the beginning. This book has given me insights into the minds' of those who are incarcerated and the challenges they face trying to fit into a society that prioritized the white and the rich. I never considered how attractive somebody was would have much sway in their prisons sentencing or in their behavior, but I can see how this plays a huge factor.
A very thoughtful read. It has made me consider my own privilege and how as a society we need to focus on prevention rather than punitive measures to create any real change going forwards,I believe this should somehow be required reading for every person who knows someone behind bars or is involved in the criminal justice sphere.
A very thoughtful read. It has made me consider my own privilege and how as a society we need to focus on prevention rather than punitive measures to create any real change going forwards,I believe this should somehow be required reading for every person who knows someone behind bars or is involved in the criminal justice sphere.
July 30, 2022
Zara Stone uses her vast talents as a journalist to explore the history of plastic surgery in the prison system, as well as prison reform, racism, privilege and more. One of the many things that fascinates me about KILLER LOOKS and our culture is that recidivism rates dropped parallel to the amount of plastic surgery that was performed. Yes, beautiful people really do have it easier than unattractive people--"lookism" is real. There is something in this book for every kind of reader!
February 27, 2024
Very interesting book on plastic surgery programs I didn’t even know existed. Extremely well researched and full of stories about the lives of the surgeons, researchers, prison staff, and inmates.
Also provided context about how the misuse of data was used to justify awful and detrimental federal policy changes in the 80s and 90s.
Also provided context about how the misuse of data was used to justify awful and detrimental federal policy changes in the 80s and 90s.
December 20, 2021
I have to start this review by saying that I am not the intended audience for such a topic. I typically do not read nonfiction, though if I find one about a topic that interests me, I’ll give it a try. Plastic surgery in prison was such a strange subject matter for me.
Early into this book, I got stuck thinking about it: “Ugly” criminals are more likely to have repeat offenses and get harsher sentences or longer jail time? So if we fix their faces surgically, that will help rehab or reform their behaviors? I guess it makes sense. We all know how vanity runs the world. It’s sadly true that those who aren’t considered pretty or good looking, get treated differently than those that are more attractive. On the other hand, in today’s world, there’s such a negative stigma that surrounds plastic surgery: You get your face lifted or your breasts fixed and people take it and run with it, laughing in your face. Can’t imagine what ridicule, if any, a criminal who has had surgery would experience. So it’s a negative on both fronts.
It definitely got my mind wandering off track quite a bit, as I am an overthinker of all things.
Like, let’s look at Ted Bundy: Here’s one of the most notorious criminals in American history, and he was by no means considered unattractive, quite the opposite in fact. He used his good looks to his benefit over and over and over … but what if he’d been “ugly”? I even wondered if the author would mention Bundy in her historical content. She breezed right on by the time period that Bundy was most active, and that was that.
Or if we go the other direction and consider Adam Lanza, Seung-Hui Cho, Dylan Klebold, and Eric Harris-all school shooters that have all become household names. All subject to bullying throughout their childhood for this reason or that. Though no two school shooters have everything in common, the socially awkward, unattractive, or developmentally delayed ones tend to stick out in our minds. If Adam Lanza had been handsome and popular, would he have caused the Sandy Hook shooting? He might have. Not all school shooters were social outcasts. (As a psychology major, I read a lot about teenage angst and bullying-some of the nonfiction I’d seek out)
Then my mind wondered, what exactly classifies someone as “ugly”? Who are we, as a society, to deem someone as attractive or unattractive? Because a person was born with a cleft lip, they’re ugly? Because a person stutters, he’s dumb? What’s wrong with society?
The author seems to highlight most cosmetic and corrective surgeries such as cleft lip as well as nose and chin corrections, little things that cause people with such attributes to be treated so differently throughout their lives that they turn to crime and reckless behaviors. I can see it being very true. Though can corrective cosmetic surgeries really change a criminal’s behaviors?
Let’s pretend good ol’ Ted had a crooked nose and a receding chin. If Ted Bundy had remained alive, and been offered corrective surgery to make his face more attractive, would he have been less of a serial killer?
I digress.
Throughout, there was data proving a slight correlation between corrective surgeries and reformed behaviors, but not enough to satisfy my questioning brain. Many parts of the book were not even on subject, or I just didn’t follow along well enough, and hung onto some bits of historical racism, the growth of plastic surgery as a common practice in the world, and the never ending goal of prison reform.
This book was full of thought provoking lines and information, though there was so much information involved, at times, I felt like I was reading an essay and got a little lost. Those that enjoy nonfiction and topics such as this one, should have no problem getting through everything. The author stated her case in simple, but knowledgeable and intelligent words, making it easy to read as some nonfiction authors are wordy and hard to understand. I appreciate the extreme amount of time that must have gone into writing this book, because the presentation is impressive, regardless if this was the book for me or not.
Early into this book, I got stuck thinking about it: “Ugly” criminals are more likely to have repeat offenses and get harsher sentences or longer jail time? So if we fix their faces surgically, that will help rehab or reform their behaviors? I guess it makes sense. We all know how vanity runs the world. It’s sadly true that those who aren’t considered pretty or good looking, get treated differently than those that are more attractive. On the other hand, in today’s world, there’s such a negative stigma that surrounds plastic surgery: You get your face lifted or your breasts fixed and people take it and run with it, laughing in your face. Can’t imagine what ridicule, if any, a criminal who has had surgery would experience. So it’s a negative on both fronts.
It definitely got my mind wandering off track quite a bit, as I am an overthinker of all things.
Like, let’s look at Ted Bundy: Here’s one of the most notorious criminals in American history, and he was by no means considered unattractive, quite the opposite in fact. He used his good looks to his benefit over and over and over … but what if he’d been “ugly”? I even wondered if the author would mention Bundy in her historical content. She breezed right on by the time period that Bundy was most active, and that was that.
Or if we go the other direction and consider Adam Lanza, Seung-Hui Cho, Dylan Klebold, and Eric Harris-all school shooters that have all become household names. All subject to bullying throughout their childhood for this reason or that. Though no two school shooters have everything in common, the socially awkward, unattractive, or developmentally delayed ones tend to stick out in our minds. If Adam Lanza had been handsome and popular, would he have caused the Sandy Hook shooting? He might have. Not all school shooters were social outcasts. (As a psychology major, I read a lot about teenage angst and bullying-some of the nonfiction I’d seek out)
Then my mind wondered, what exactly classifies someone as “ugly”? Who are we, as a society, to deem someone as attractive or unattractive? Because a person was born with a cleft lip, they’re ugly? Because a person stutters, he’s dumb? What’s wrong with society?
The author seems to highlight most cosmetic and corrective surgeries such as cleft lip as well as nose and chin corrections, little things that cause people with such attributes to be treated so differently throughout their lives that they turn to crime and reckless behaviors. I can see it being very true. Though can corrective cosmetic surgeries really change a criminal’s behaviors?
Let’s pretend good ol’ Ted had a crooked nose and a receding chin. If Ted Bundy had remained alive, and been offered corrective surgery to make his face more attractive, would he have been less of a serial killer?
I digress.
Throughout, there was data proving a slight correlation between corrective surgeries and reformed behaviors, but not enough to satisfy my questioning brain. Many parts of the book were not even on subject, or I just didn’t follow along well enough, and hung onto some bits of historical racism, the growth of plastic surgery as a common practice in the world, and the never ending goal of prison reform.
This book was full of thought provoking lines and information, though there was so much information involved, at times, I felt like I was reading an essay and got a little lost. Those that enjoy nonfiction and topics such as this one, should have no problem getting through everything. The author stated her case in simple, but knowledgeable and intelligent words, making it easy to read as some nonfiction authors are wordy and hard to understand. I appreciate the extreme amount of time that must have gone into writing this book, because the presentation is impressive, regardless if this was the book for me or not.
July 26, 2022
Racism is a word we all know. “Lookism,” not so much. The world is full of “ugly ducklings,” and most of them never turn into swans. Who is beautiful and who is not can be very subjective, but if you are not one of the Beautiful People, you most likely will not get the same advantages and opportunities. What to do about this? I would say let us all change our attitudes and stop judging others based on big noses, eyes too small or close together, weak chins, Dumbo ears, acne, scars, and other superficial traits. However, a growing number of social engineers and surgeons have topped the cosmetics industry in trying to level the playing field for the unattractive. For years, prisoners were part of a social experiment to see if cosmetic surgery, Botox, and boob jobs would reduce criminal activity among the “ugly.” I first heard about this project years ago after meeting a felon whose good looks and wholesome upbringing did not keep him out of trouble. He said the project didn't work and never would. When I saw "Killer Looks" at Book Sirens, I had to snag an Advance Review Copy to see if this social experiment had shown any success at reducing crime by improving the physical appearance of a felon. I would send him a copy of this book, but he knows too many criminals who use their charm and good looks to keep fleecing others, and most of them have never spent even one night behind bars. Ministers, drug traffickers, money launderers, rapists, pedophiles: the one thing "Killer Looks" does not do is account for the alarming number of wolves in sheep skin prowling among us.
Still. This is an amazing account of the efforts some pioneers of social justice have made, using cosmetic surgery to (hopefully) spare the unattractive from being judged solely by their looks.
Zara Stone has conducted an incredible quantity of research with this book. She writes with great compassion and conviction. If anyone can inspire a nation to abandon racism and lookism and start treating others with kindness and empathy, it would be this journalist and author.
I cannot even imagine how many hours of her life were spent reading clinical studies, interviewing people, sorting news headlines and photos, and synthesizing all this information into one volume. Stone brings story after story to life with biographical details and sensory descriptions of every place and time, such as the notorious Rikers Island prison, and the grungy offices of the public employees who tried to inspire prison reforms and social justice. A big, “ugly” guy cannot get anyone to hire him for a job, so he turns to a life of crime. Attractive people are less likely to be arrested and more likely to get a lighter sentence. What if we offer free surgery and cosmetic procedures to felons–will we reduce recidivism? How does anyone conduct a scientific study on this? The whole book is heartbreaking. The prison industry is in horrible need of reform. So is the entire human race. Our attitudes, the standards by which we judge others, and the utter inequality of it all: it’s beyond the scope of one book, but this one is a good starting place.
For me, there were more anecdotes and pages of detail than I wanted, but it was easy enough to skim descriptions of what someone was wearing (who wouldn't love the hat lady) or what the weather was like. Those who want such detail will find it in abundance here.
Coincidentally, my son-in-law serves on the State Board of Corrections. He says the subject of cosmetics and surgery to beautify felons and reduce recidivism has not come up at their meetings. Most people today have never even heard of the life’s work of the people highlighted in “Killer Looks.” I'd offer to buy books for members of the board, but at twenty dollars just for an ebook, I'll wait on that idea. Whatever happened to buying paperbacks at a bulk rate so as to get a book into as many hands as possible? This one is too long for the average reader, but the message is too timely and relevant to ignore.
NOTE: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Still. This is an amazing account of the efforts some pioneers of social justice have made, using cosmetic surgery to (hopefully) spare the unattractive from being judged solely by their looks.
Zara Stone has conducted an incredible quantity of research with this book. She writes with great compassion and conviction. If anyone can inspire a nation to abandon racism and lookism and start treating others with kindness and empathy, it would be this journalist and author.
I cannot even imagine how many hours of her life were spent reading clinical studies, interviewing people, sorting news headlines and photos, and synthesizing all this information into one volume. Stone brings story after story to life with biographical details and sensory descriptions of every place and time, such as the notorious Rikers Island prison, and the grungy offices of the public employees who tried to inspire prison reforms and social justice. A big, “ugly” guy cannot get anyone to hire him for a job, so he turns to a life of crime. Attractive people are less likely to be arrested and more likely to get a lighter sentence. What if we offer free surgery and cosmetic procedures to felons–will we reduce recidivism? How does anyone conduct a scientific study on this? The whole book is heartbreaking. The prison industry is in horrible need of reform. So is the entire human race. Our attitudes, the standards by which we judge others, and the utter inequality of it all: it’s beyond the scope of one book, but this one is a good starting place.
For me, there were more anecdotes and pages of detail than I wanted, but it was easy enough to skim descriptions of what someone was wearing (who wouldn't love the hat lady) or what the weather was like. Those who want such detail will find it in abundance here.
Coincidentally, my son-in-law serves on the State Board of Corrections. He says the subject of cosmetics and surgery to beautify felons and reduce recidivism has not come up at their meetings. Most people today have never even heard of the life’s work of the people highlighted in “Killer Looks.” I'd offer to buy books for members of the board, but at twenty dollars just for an ebook, I'll wait on that idea. Whatever happened to buying paperbacks at a bulk rate so as to get a book into as many hands as possible? This one is too long for the average reader, but the message is too timely and relevant to ignore.
NOTE: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 9, 2022
Not for the faint of heart, this exhaustively researched, beautifully presented historical analysis on a very complex and controversial subject is rich with detail and incredibly compelling.
If “un-attractiveness” can be “linked” as one factor that may contribute to criminality, can corrective surgery be demonstrated to play a role in its mediation?
Or, to put it more crudely,
Will transforming “ugliness” reduce crime?
Set in the early 1960’s, as correctional facilities buckle under the strain of exponential and unprecedented inmate growth, teeming with the fallout of systemic racism, addiction, violence, disease, and overcrowding - NY Corrections Commissioner Anna Kross, aided by Dr Michael L Lewin, an up-and-coming local plastic surgeon, and a number of graduate students in both psychology and criminology, turn their attention to a historical undertaking - a meticulously planned research experiment to be held in Sing Sing Correctional facility, Ossining, New York.
Underlying the study, two grounding tenets, the first, a fact that few people would challenge: the recognition that beauty, a product of genes as well as social and economic status, wields enormous power in our society (labeled the “beauty bias”, there are a multitude of studies cited that demonstrate this).
The reverse, unfortunately, is also true.
As one experiment, headed by psychologists Masters and Greaves and labeled the “Quasimodo complex”, definitively outlined, “hostile social attitudes to aesthetic deformity”, (which could range from scars, to large ears, needle track marks, broken noses, weak or recessive chins - really anything deemed by society as “ugly” or disfiguring) are linked, as one factor in a complex interplay of many, with a statistically staggering forty-percent bump in criminality overall, exhibited by the “disfigured” as compared to the general population.
The second tenet is a statistic : 68% of ex-cons, overall, reoffend within three years of release.
For the research team, the looming and critical question became: would “beautification”, through plastic surgery, offered at no charge to carefully selected prisoners, aid in their rehabilitation, helping to set them on a path more aligned to that exhibited by their attractive peers - resulting in calculable improvements to employment and relationship success, increased self esteem and ultimately, a lowered rate of recidivism.
The trajectory of this controversial study, - eventually funded, and carried out amidst a staggering backdrop of politics, inter (and intra) -agency “snafus”, possibly-unintentional sabotage instigated by various prison guards, budgetary horrors, unexplainable prisoner drop-outs and continuously demoralizing staffing nightmares, - is not only fascinating and illuminating, but as laid out skillfully in this book, represents a remarkable true-life story with all the elements of suspense, hope and pathos typically found in the best of fiction.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read - a first-rate analysis, packed with history, insights, incredible detail, and ultimately, more questions than answers, as the reader is forced to consider the underpinning of a criminal justice system, batted back and forth over the decades between politically-opposed administrations (pushing punitive or rehabilitative policies) that can perhaps agree on one conclusion - regardless of which social and political agenda is driving, we are long overdue for yet another overhaul.
A great big thank you to the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.
If “un-attractiveness” can be “linked” as one factor that may contribute to criminality, can corrective surgery be demonstrated to play a role in its mediation?
Or, to put it more crudely,
Will transforming “ugliness” reduce crime?
Set in the early 1960’s, as correctional facilities buckle under the strain of exponential and unprecedented inmate growth, teeming with the fallout of systemic racism, addiction, violence, disease, and overcrowding - NY Corrections Commissioner Anna Kross, aided by Dr Michael L Lewin, an up-and-coming local plastic surgeon, and a number of graduate students in both psychology and criminology, turn their attention to a historical undertaking - a meticulously planned research experiment to be held in Sing Sing Correctional facility, Ossining, New York.
Underlying the study, two grounding tenets, the first, a fact that few people would challenge: the recognition that beauty, a product of genes as well as social and economic status, wields enormous power in our society (labeled the “beauty bias”, there are a multitude of studies cited that demonstrate this).
The reverse, unfortunately, is also true.
As one experiment, headed by psychologists Masters and Greaves and labeled the “Quasimodo complex”, definitively outlined, “hostile social attitudes to aesthetic deformity”, (which could range from scars, to large ears, needle track marks, broken noses, weak or recessive chins - really anything deemed by society as “ugly” or disfiguring) are linked, as one factor in a complex interplay of many, with a statistically staggering forty-percent bump in criminality overall, exhibited by the “disfigured” as compared to the general population.
The second tenet is a statistic : 68% of ex-cons, overall, reoffend within three years of release.
For the research team, the looming and critical question became: would “beautification”, through plastic surgery, offered at no charge to carefully selected prisoners, aid in their rehabilitation, helping to set them on a path more aligned to that exhibited by their attractive peers - resulting in calculable improvements to employment and relationship success, increased self esteem and ultimately, a lowered rate of recidivism.
The trajectory of this controversial study, - eventually funded, and carried out amidst a staggering backdrop of politics, inter (and intra) -agency “snafus”, possibly-unintentional sabotage instigated by various prison guards, budgetary horrors, unexplainable prisoner drop-outs and continuously demoralizing staffing nightmares, - is not only fascinating and illuminating, but as laid out skillfully in this book, represents a remarkable true-life story with all the elements of suspense, hope and pathos typically found in the best of fiction.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read - a first-rate analysis, packed with history, insights, incredible detail, and ultimately, more questions than answers, as the reader is forced to consider the underpinning of a criminal justice system, batted back and forth over the decades between politically-opposed administrations (pushing punitive or rehabilitative policies) that can perhaps agree on one conclusion - regardless of which social and political agenda is driving, we are long overdue for yet another overhaul.
A great big thank you to the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.
April 10, 2022
KILLER LOOKS The Forgotten History of Plastic Surgery in Prisons by Zara Stone
Killer Looks is well-written and an interesting read, educating the reader to the role of one’s appearance in effecting success in life: attractive individuals tend to get a lot of breaks that elude the less attractive. Examples include better pay, improved chances of obtaining a job, more promotions, more likely to receive lighter sentences at trial, and so on. Included in the power of lookism is unconscious discrimination against blacks and Hispanics, who are often made out in the media, including the entertainment world, to be equated with evil. For example, the villain in many movies is presented as scarred or otherwise disfigured, and/or with ugly features such as large ears or noses, crooked noses, or otherwise repulsive in some fashion. Although it is said you can’t tell a book by its cover, Killer Looks makes the convincing case that most of us unconsciously relate to beauty as if it equates with goodness, and to ugliness as if it equates with badness. This book was informative in these regards, presenting in detail the history of lookism as it effects prison populations and recidivism and the history of plastic surgery in the attempt to lower recidivism. There appears to be substantial research indicating that it in fact does, which subsequently reduces the prison population and the costs to the government of housing non-violent offenders. Killer Looks goes into detail about the political infighting and short-sightedness that pervades our politics to this day.
That said, this reader had two major issues with Killer Looks. First, the formatting was horrendous, the lettering appeared in different size fonts and many sentences were compressed from above or below, creating a visually demanding read.
Secondly, Killer Looks went on far too long. I believe it could benefit from developmental editing. Though the stories were interesting, having to read story after story that made very similar points proved trying. I kept thinking, “Ok. I get it. Let’s move on.”
That said, Killer Looks tells a tale of the US penal system that is well worth knowing about.
Killer Looks is well-written and an interesting read, educating the reader to the role of one’s appearance in effecting success in life: attractive individuals tend to get a lot of breaks that elude the less attractive. Examples include better pay, improved chances of obtaining a job, more promotions, more likely to receive lighter sentences at trial, and so on. Included in the power of lookism is unconscious discrimination against blacks and Hispanics, who are often made out in the media, including the entertainment world, to be equated with evil. For example, the villain in many movies is presented as scarred or otherwise disfigured, and/or with ugly features such as large ears or noses, crooked noses, or otherwise repulsive in some fashion. Although it is said you can’t tell a book by its cover, Killer Looks makes the convincing case that most of us unconsciously relate to beauty as if it equates with goodness, and to ugliness as if it equates with badness. This book was informative in these regards, presenting in detail the history of lookism as it effects prison populations and recidivism and the history of plastic surgery in the attempt to lower recidivism. There appears to be substantial research indicating that it in fact does, which subsequently reduces the prison population and the costs to the government of housing non-violent offenders. Killer Looks goes into detail about the political infighting and short-sightedness that pervades our politics to this day.
That said, this reader had two major issues with Killer Looks. First, the formatting was horrendous, the lettering appeared in different size fonts and many sentences were compressed from above or below, creating a visually demanding read.
Secondly, Killer Looks went on far too long. I believe it could benefit from developmental editing. Though the stories were interesting, having to read story after story that made very similar points proved trying. I kept thinking, “Ok. I get it. Let’s move on.”
That said, Killer Looks tells a tale of the US penal system that is well worth knowing about.
January 23, 2022
Well documented.
I love reading and finding out new things through books. First, let me start by admitting that I’m not at all a connoisseur of the US criminal justice system. Maybe this topic doesn’t come with the ‘wow’ effect to others as it came to me. However, I believe that the tremendous amount of historical events, the administrative changes, and overall, the studies around free plastic surgeries in prisons are well consolidated that this book may present an exciting read even to the very well-versed on the subject.
It is a work of non-fiction and provides an interesting idea based on actual events. It speaks about the situation in the criminal justice system and the plastic surgeries performed in the prisons, starting in the 1930s. It began as a program to boost the convict’s self-confidence and broader acceptance to stand a chance when released. On the one hand, as a help to the person, on the other hand to the system/society, by preventing the same person from re-commit a crime/recidivism.
I’m always amazed by how many things I still don’t know. It never crossed my mind that looks may have anything to do with criminal behavior. Although, I am all aware that a good-looking person will succeed easier in life, will be treated more indulgently or friendlier because of their looks. The fact that an ex-convict would have a criminal record and certain disfigurations that could put them at a higher disadvantage of getting a job was an eye-opener.
The book is a well-constructed and documented work that not only presents facts but links together the right amount of information, people, and events to make us know, understand, and form our opinion on this topic. I can’t even imagine the amount of research it took to make this book possible.
As a final note, I would like to quote the author: “This wasn’t about beautification; it was about transformation.”
I love reading and finding out new things through books. First, let me start by admitting that I’m not at all a connoisseur of the US criminal justice system. Maybe this topic doesn’t come with the ‘wow’ effect to others as it came to me. However, I believe that the tremendous amount of historical events, the administrative changes, and overall, the studies around free plastic surgeries in prisons are well consolidated that this book may present an exciting read even to the very well-versed on the subject.
It is a work of non-fiction and provides an interesting idea based on actual events. It speaks about the situation in the criminal justice system and the plastic surgeries performed in the prisons, starting in the 1930s. It began as a program to boost the convict’s self-confidence and broader acceptance to stand a chance when released. On the one hand, as a help to the person, on the other hand to the system/society, by preventing the same person from re-commit a crime/recidivism.
I’m always amazed by how many things I still don’t know. It never crossed my mind that looks may have anything to do with criminal behavior. Although, I am all aware that a good-looking person will succeed easier in life, will be treated more indulgently or friendlier because of their looks. The fact that an ex-convict would have a criminal record and certain disfigurations that could put them at a higher disadvantage of getting a job was an eye-opener.
The book is a well-constructed and documented work that not only presents facts but links together the right amount of information, people, and events to make us know, understand, and form our opinion on this topic. I can’t even imagine the amount of research it took to make this book possible.
As a final note, I would like to quote the author: “This wasn’t about beautification; it was about transformation.”
December 17, 2021
Zara Stone is a journalist and her book Killer Looks is her well-documented story of the use of plastic surgery in U.S. prisons—from the 1930s through the Obama administration—to reduce inmate recidivism. Stone tells her story well, supplementing coverage of the major relevant studies with accounts of individual prisoners, often illustrated with before and after photos. She builds a strong case that face and body sculpting to improve looks by reducing stigmata like scars, track marks and receding chins can reduce social friction for inmates, upping their chances to make it in an American society that judges us all on our appearance, rewarding the attractive and penalizing the unattractive.
As she takes us through the decades, we see the popularity and acceptance of prison plastic surgery increasing as more U.S and foreign prisons as well adopt such programs. Then Richard Nixon and his war on crime reverse the trend. Prison plastic surgery decreases through his administration and those that follow until Obama reintroduces an enlightenment that reverses the downward trend. Stone also shows us the victories and defeats of the individual sociologists and surgeons committed to prisoner body modification. It is a largely uplifting and heroic struggle she unfurls, and I defy anyone with an open mind who follows it to question her conclusion that plastic surgery on cons works well to reduce recidivism and augment human happiness.
This book needed better proofing, but that’s the only significant weakness I found. This is the kind of writing that can have a resounding social impact—and I much hope it does. After the commitment of our country’s leadership to pounding the convicted into the dirt for most of the last half century, we need as much light as possible reintroduced into our prisons. Stone’s book can be a beacon in that worthy cause.
As she takes us through the decades, we see the popularity and acceptance of prison plastic surgery increasing as more U.S and foreign prisons as well adopt such programs. Then Richard Nixon and his war on crime reverse the trend. Prison plastic surgery decreases through his administration and those that follow until Obama reintroduces an enlightenment that reverses the downward trend. Stone also shows us the victories and defeats of the individual sociologists and surgeons committed to prisoner body modification. It is a largely uplifting and heroic struggle she unfurls, and I defy anyone with an open mind who follows it to question her conclusion that plastic surgery on cons works well to reduce recidivism and augment human happiness.
This book needed better proofing, but that’s the only significant weakness I found. This is the kind of writing that can have a resounding social impact—and I much hope it does. After the commitment of our country’s leadership to pounding the convicted into the dirt for most of the last half century, we need as much light as possible reintroduced into our prisons. Stone’s book can be a beacon in that worthy cause.
April 14, 2022
Killer Looks by Zara Stone shares a lot of information about plastic surgery and why it was offered free to prisoners in the 20th century. I’ve always associated it with enhancing facial beauty!
This book moves slowly, as it dwells on fascinating details of surgeries, of reshaping so called “ugly faces” to boost their self esteem and make them presentable to society, to help the less fortunate, to correct disfigurements suffered due to violence or prejudice, to rehabilitate offenders, to reduce the feelings of inferiority, encourage self-confidence and make it easier to obtain and hold a job.
Critically viewed by the press, which questioned whether we should “remodel prisons or criminals,” but compassionate approach of Dr. Lewin is noteworthy. Dr. Maxwell Maltz even offered his services for free to New York’s Department of Correction, with the opinion, “If it would enable some man with a criminal record to forget his past, I would be honored.” It was believed that cosmetic surgery could play a vital role in criminal reform, as well as provide “an economic necessity for thousands.”
If you look beyond the surface, this book reveals psychological scars that hamper the growth of a person once he is released from prison. Even after completing his sentence, he becomes the victim of his own experiences, has to face a hostile society, unwilling to hire him and let him live a normal life. Rejection and ridicule chase him forever.
This book makes a strong case for treating prisoners with compassion, as everybody needs another chance. Zara has highlighted that “today’s focus is on changing people’s biases through education, literature and sensitivity,” a lot remains to be done. I think this book could be more effective and readable by eliminating superfluous stories.
This book moves slowly, as it dwells on fascinating details of surgeries, of reshaping so called “ugly faces” to boost their self esteem and make them presentable to society, to help the less fortunate, to correct disfigurements suffered due to violence or prejudice, to rehabilitate offenders, to reduce the feelings of inferiority, encourage self-confidence and make it easier to obtain and hold a job.
Critically viewed by the press, which questioned whether we should “remodel prisons or criminals,” but compassionate approach of Dr. Lewin is noteworthy. Dr. Maxwell Maltz even offered his services for free to New York’s Department of Correction, with the opinion, “If it would enable some man with a criminal record to forget his past, I would be honored.” It was believed that cosmetic surgery could play a vital role in criminal reform, as well as provide “an economic necessity for thousands.”
If you look beyond the surface, this book reveals psychological scars that hamper the growth of a person once he is released from prison. Even after completing his sentence, he becomes the victim of his own experiences, has to face a hostile society, unwilling to hire him and let him live a normal life. Rejection and ridicule chase him forever.
This book makes a strong case for treating prisoners with compassion, as everybody needs another chance. Zara has highlighted that “today’s focus is on changing people’s biases through education, literature and sensitivity,” a lot remains to be done. I think this book could be more effective and readable by eliminating superfluous stories.
March 22, 2022
I loved this thought provoking book which at one level is something of a social history of the US Penal System and, at another, is a character driven drama that would not be out of place in a good novel. Anyone expecting this to be a procession of anecdotes about famous gangsters changing their looks will be disappointed (although John Dillinger gets a few nods in passing). It is much more about the rank and file prison population, for whom plastic surgery might improve their life chances and thereby reduce the recidivism rate, and the doctors and administrators who took that concept and tried to apply it in practice.
The amount of research that has gone into this book is impressive and it is chock full of interesting facts, but it is an easy read and what really drives it forward is the ongoing battle by advocates over decades to keep their programs going in the face of frequent political, public and bureaucratic headwinds. It is at that personal level that the tale is most engaging.
Underpinning all of this is the much wider question about how much our lives are affected by the perception of personal appearances. Issues associated with gender and race are often at the forefront of public debate, and yet what this book demonstrates is that 'lookism' (to steal a phrase from the text) has real consequences as well. Research from the trials showed that 'ugly' people in the criminal justice system typically received longer sentences and were treated less favourably by parole boards. On the outside they found it harder to find employment and so were more likely to re-offend.
As I said above, thought provoking....
The amount of research that has gone into this book is impressive and it is chock full of interesting facts, but it is an easy read and what really drives it forward is the ongoing battle by advocates over decades to keep their programs going in the face of frequent political, public and bureaucratic headwinds. It is at that personal level that the tale is most engaging.
Underpinning all of this is the much wider question about how much our lives are affected by the perception of personal appearances. Issues associated with gender and race are often at the forefront of public debate, and yet what this book demonstrates is that 'lookism' (to steal a phrase from the text) has real consequences as well. Research from the trials showed that 'ugly' people in the criminal justice system typically received longer sentences and were treated less favourably by parole boards. On the outside they found it harder to find employment and so were more likely to re-offend.
As I said above, thought provoking....
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