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American Plastic: Boob Jobs, Credit Cards, and the Quest for Perfection
The riveting story of how cosmetic surgery and plastic money melted together to create a subprime mortgage crisis of the body
Plastic surgery has become “the answer” for many Americans, and in American Plastic sociologist Laurie Essig explores how we arrived at this particular solution. Over the last decade there has been a 465 percent increase in cosmetic work, and we now spend over $12 billion annually on procedures like liposuction, face-lifts, tummy tucks, and boob jobs. In this fascinating book, Essig argues that this transformation is the result of massive shifts in both our culture and our economy—a perfect storm of greed, desire, and technology.
Plastic is crucial to who we are as Americans, Essig observes. We not only pioneered plastic money but lead the world in our willingness to use it. It’s estimated that 30 percent of plastic surgery patients earn less than $30,000 a year; another 41 percent earn less than $60,000. And since the average cost of cosmetic work is $8,000, a staggering 85 percent of patients assume debt to get work done. Using plastic surgery as a lens on better understanding our society, Essig shows how access to credit, medical advances, and the pressures from an image- and youth-obsessed culture have led to an unprecedented desire to “fix” ourselves.
Plastic surgery has become “the answer” for many Americans, and in American Plastic sociologist Laurie Essig explores how we arrived at this particular solution. Over the last decade there has been a 465 percent increase in cosmetic work, and we now spend over $12 billion annually on procedures like liposuction, face-lifts, tummy tucks, and boob jobs. In this fascinating book, Essig argues that this transformation is the result of massive shifts in both our culture and our economy—a perfect storm of greed, desire, and technology.
Plastic is crucial to who we are as Americans, Essig observes. We not only pioneered plastic money but lead the world in our willingness to use it. It’s estimated that 30 percent of plastic surgery patients earn less than $30,000 a year; another 41 percent earn less than $60,000. And since the average cost of cosmetic work is $8,000, a staggering 85 percent of patients assume debt to get work done. Using plastic surgery as a lens on better understanding our society, Essig shows how access to credit, medical advances, and the pressures from an image- and youth-obsessed culture have led to an unprecedented desire to “fix” ourselves.
- GenresSociologyNonfiction
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
5 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Essig
5 books6 followersLaurie Essig teaches sociology at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. She has written for a variety of publications, including Legal Affairs, Salon, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. She blogs for the Chronicle's Brainstorm blog.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 2, 2011
Whoa there's a lot here! As much as I enjoyed reading American Plastic, I'm sure I could have gotten so much more out of it had I read it as part of a college course. Good thing I have my brother, a student at Essig's current university, to lecture me on the subject matter!
American Plastic takes a sociological shot at comparing the cosmetic surgery industry to the recent credit collapse. An unlikely, but rather well aligned comparison.
Essig explores the potential reasons for the incredible ballooning of cosmetic surgery in the US and worldwide. Much of what she finds is that people are 'driven' to plastic with the expectation that an 'improved' look will either help them economically, or at least demonstrate their economic worth in a society where often, and sadly, little else matters.
Cut to the recent collapse of the housing market. Millions of Americans took on exorbitant debt to purchase houses that they believe, or were told to believe, would continue to inflate in value. In turn, these folks, most of whom were from lower earning strata, bought into the idea that by taking on debt, they could improve their economic situation, or, at least appear to.
Same goes for the plastic. While once upon a time cosmetic surgery was reserved for those with money (some of the first to indulge were upper-class Jewish women looking to rid them of the 'Jew nose'), it has permeated into all walks of life. Disturbingly, Essig finds that it is often the poorest of society who take on the most debt for their plastic and have the most audacious of surgeries.
Something's not right here.
Along the way, much of what she finds is that people seem to have no 'choice' in the matter. If they want a better job, a shot at a better life, a chance to keep their spouse, then it's plastic or nothing! Aging, and ugly, are no longer options in a society where two dimensional Britney's have set the standard for beauty, and in conjunction, success.
Meanwhile, as this plasticizing of America becomes more pervasive, the surgery that people have hoping to make them stand out just make them look more, well, 'normal' (which in the world of plastics is white, thin, tall. . . .you get the gig). So at the end of the day, everyone's buying into a system that doesn't get them anywhere, drives them into debt, and devalues the natural process of, gasp, getting older!
Are there other options? Sure. Healthy living, exercise, a little cream here and there, but perhaps most important is the acknowledgement that this desire for the plastic self is simply not natural.
From Playboy to Britney, Dallas to Nip/Tuck, the society in which we live is just that, socially constructed. Whiteness is not, contrary to the belief of even Harvard 'scholars,' ubiquitously beautiful. Nor are skinny blondes with big boobs. But that's what we've been sold, and America's bought it up. With plastic money of course!
The housing bubble already popped and while Essig predicted the plastics market to follow suit, it looks like we're too deep to simply pull out now. But when it happens, and that bubble pops, you'd better watch out, because there's gonna be a whole lotta silicone raining down!
American Plastic takes a sociological shot at comparing the cosmetic surgery industry to the recent credit collapse. An unlikely, but rather well aligned comparison.
Essig explores the potential reasons for the incredible ballooning of cosmetic surgery in the US and worldwide. Much of what she finds is that people are 'driven' to plastic with the expectation that an 'improved' look will either help them economically, or at least demonstrate their economic worth in a society where often, and sadly, little else matters.
Cut to the recent collapse of the housing market. Millions of Americans took on exorbitant debt to purchase houses that they believe, or were told to believe, would continue to inflate in value. In turn, these folks, most of whom were from lower earning strata, bought into the idea that by taking on debt, they could improve their economic situation, or, at least appear to.
Same goes for the plastic. While once upon a time cosmetic surgery was reserved for those with money (some of the first to indulge were upper-class Jewish women looking to rid them of the 'Jew nose'), it has permeated into all walks of life. Disturbingly, Essig finds that it is often the poorest of society who take on the most debt for their plastic and have the most audacious of surgeries.
Something's not right here.
Along the way, much of what she finds is that people seem to have no 'choice' in the matter. If they want a better job, a shot at a better life, a chance to keep their spouse, then it's plastic or nothing! Aging, and ugly, are no longer options in a society where two dimensional Britney's have set the standard for beauty, and in conjunction, success.
Meanwhile, as this plasticizing of America becomes more pervasive, the surgery that people have hoping to make them stand out just make them look more, well, 'normal' (which in the world of plastics is white, thin, tall. . . .you get the gig). So at the end of the day, everyone's buying into a system that doesn't get them anywhere, drives them into debt, and devalues the natural process of, gasp, getting older!
Are there other options? Sure. Healthy living, exercise, a little cream here and there, but perhaps most important is the acknowledgement that this desire for the plastic self is simply not natural.
From Playboy to Britney, Dallas to Nip/Tuck, the society in which we live is just that, socially constructed. Whiteness is not, contrary to the belief of even Harvard 'scholars,' ubiquitously beautiful. Nor are skinny blondes with big boobs. But that's what we've been sold, and America's bought it up. With plastic money of course!
The housing bubble already popped and while Essig predicted the plastics market to follow suit, it looks like we're too deep to simply pull out now. But when it happens, and that bubble pops, you'd better watch out, because there's gonna be a whole lotta silicone raining down!
January 27, 2015
I thought this was going to be a little meatier than it was but I still enjoyed it for the tidbits garnered. It was interesting that the skills of plastic surgery, particularly facial, were garnered during WWI and then again in WWII. Nor had I ever given thought to how the advent of VCRs brought P*rn into the home and expanded its consumption. It was disgusting to learn how people migrated to plastic surgery to aspire to the profile of those in power (WASP.) It was depressing to read how female actors in that industry are so reworked, top and bottom, that not even the beautiful 1% can realistically expect to be born that way. Fascinating also was how the Victorians with their hang-ups on racial purity and childlike innocence gave birth to the standard we retain today for desirable women - white and very, very, young. And once again probably a telling damnation of American society that the most absolutely horrible thing you can be is a realistically aged woman. Enjoyed her theory that Americans, having consumed the funky psychadelic kool-aid of neoliberalism, have with their Protestant work ethic, ingested the idea that they just have to work hard enough on self improvement to be the one that succeeds in pulling themself up by the proverbial bootstrap, regardless of actual economic realities. Sadly, with p*rn the new normal, unless there is some type of full-scale revolt at the insanity of its unatainable ideals, there doesn't seem to be much likelihood of positive change going forward. And all this is prior to her theories regarding the use of credit as the "tipping point" for much of this.
April 6, 2011
I really wanted to love this book. Essig makes some cogent points in connecting our cultural drive for perfection with debt and cosmetic surgical/nonsurgical procedures, but on the whole it just wasn't as well-argued as it could have been. I also really wanted her to dig in and seek out folks who do or don't seek out cosmetic surgery who are people of color, trans folks, queer folks, low-income folks, and others with marginalized identities. Instead, they were included (if at all) as an afterthought to a story that was primarily about straight, white, able-bodied, female-identified people who were either middle-class, wealthy, or lower-middle-class (and often scraping together credit to "invest" in cosmetic surgery as a perceived way of getting ahead).
All that said, I do think this is a readable piece that will help inform deeper exploration of our collective drive toward beauty that can't be achieved by nature alone. I especially appreciated Essig's point that, increasingly, folks who seek plastic surgery are trying to look like two-dimensional images of celebrities and others that they see in print and on the small-and-big screens. And that trying to make a three-dimensional body (though some days I feel like my body is operating in at least 4-6 dimensions, dunno about yours) fit a two-dimensional image is never going to be possible. And I'm definitely intrigued by her suggestion that Americans are more Victorian than Puritan in our sexual mores and expression--now I just need to find her source material!
All that said, I do think this is a readable piece that will help inform deeper exploration of our collective drive toward beauty that can't be achieved by nature alone. I especially appreciated Essig's point that, increasingly, folks who seek plastic surgery are trying to look like two-dimensional images of celebrities and others that they see in print and on the small-and-big screens. And that trying to make a three-dimensional body (though some days I feel like my body is operating in at least 4-6 dimensions, dunno about yours) fit a two-dimensional image is never going to be possible. And I'm definitely intrigued by her suggestion that Americans are more Victorian than Puritan in our sexual mores and expression--now I just need to find her source material!
September 29, 2010
American Plastic: Boob Jobs, Credit Cards, and Our Quest for Perfection
Laurie Essig, Beacon, $26.95 (240p) ISBN 978-0-8070-0055-7
Essig, assistant professor of sociology at Middlebury College, argues that our national obsession with plastic money and plastic surgery is more than a cultural fad; it's a capitalist conspiracy engineered to persuade Americans that problems of economic insecurity, downward mobility, and lack of opportunity for the poor can be solved by consumption. Essig posits that the national tendency toward self-reinvention has been hijacked into a new and impossible American Dream: attaining the perfect body. She traces this shift to the 1980s, when trickle-down Reaganomics, financial deregulation, and the AMA's decision to allow cosmetic surgery marketing converged with a neoliberal rhetoric wherein "public issues became defined as personal troubles and problems of lifestyles." America's classic preoccupations with "rugged individualism" and "self-improvement" shifted to the literal canvas of our physical bodies; the result, Essig cautions, is a "plastic ideological complex," a relationship to our personal and national self-image that will lead to an economically and emotionally insecure future. Essig has a brisk, smart style and she approaches her subject with a welcome serving of wit--which keeps her message on target even as some of her prescriptions (forming "reality-check" groups with our friends) are woefully insufficient.
Laurie Essig, Beacon, $26.95 (240p) ISBN 978-0-8070-0055-7
Essig, assistant professor of sociology at Middlebury College, argues that our national obsession with plastic money and plastic surgery is more than a cultural fad; it's a capitalist conspiracy engineered to persuade Americans that problems of economic insecurity, downward mobility, and lack of opportunity for the poor can be solved by consumption. Essig posits that the national tendency toward self-reinvention has been hijacked into a new and impossible American Dream: attaining the perfect body. She traces this shift to the 1980s, when trickle-down Reaganomics, financial deregulation, and the AMA's decision to allow cosmetic surgery marketing converged with a neoliberal rhetoric wherein "public issues became defined as personal troubles and problems of lifestyles." America's classic preoccupations with "rugged individualism" and "self-improvement" shifted to the literal canvas of our physical bodies; the result, Essig cautions, is a "plastic ideological complex," a relationship to our personal and national self-image that will lead to an economically and emotionally insecure future. Essig has a brisk, smart style and she approaches her subject with a welcome serving of wit--which keeps her message on target even as some of her prescriptions (forming "reality-check" groups with our friends) are woefully insufficient.
April 12, 2013
3.5 stars
The blurb promises an analysis of the relationship between cosmetic surgery, credit, and culture. But, written by a sociologist, it actually focuses on the cultural underpinnings of plastic surgery (the economic stuff was crammed into a few chapters). Who is getting all this "work" done and how did we (the US, as a country) ever arrive at this point where so many people feel the need to get that "work" done.
Again, it was written by a sociologist, so let's just say the economic analysis was less than rigorous (which, upon reflection, is probably for the best. Economists can drain the fun out of any topic what with their heartless analysis). But I found the background statistics and data capably reported and incredibly interesting. Even all the sociological stuff I usually find tiring was conveyed in a clear and succinct way so even I was able to make it through. Heh, I will now bore all my friends talking about the "plastic ideological complex" instead of, say, the military industrial complex.
The blurb promises an analysis of the relationship between cosmetic surgery, credit, and culture. But, written by a sociologist, it actually focuses on the cultural underpinnings of plastic surgery (the economic stuff was crammed into a few chapters). Who is getting all this "work" done and how did we (the US, as a country) ever arrive at this point where so many people feel the need to get that "work" done.
Again, it was written by a sociologist, so let's just say the economic analysis was less than rigorous (which, upon reflection, is probably for the best. Economists can drain the fun out of any topic what with their heartless analysis). But I found the background statistics and data capably reported and incredibly interesting. Even all the sociological stuff I usually find tiring was conveyed in a clear and succinct way so even I was able to make it through. Heh, I will now bore all my friends talking about the "plastic ideological complex" instead of, say, the military industrial complex.
January 17, 2011
When I finished reading this book, I was in a funk. I thought Essig would take a harsher line against the increasingly plastic culture we live in, but it was only in the last chapter that she actually offered some hope that as a society we might, might, become less superficial. She spent most of the book citing people like Joan Rivers, but who wants to look like her? I would think she would be a perfect example of why NOT to go under the knife to look younger. I don't feel like I learned very much from this book that I didn't already know from watching TV reality shows and the news. Disappointing.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews