Reflecting on Female Beauty: Cosmetic Surgery and (Dis)Empowerment

• Authors: Alessandra K. Heggenstaller , Asta Rau , Jan K. Coetzee , Anne Ryen , Ria Smit
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This project aims to unwrap some of the complexities related to female beauty and the body. It reflects on the second wave radical feminist view that beautifying the female body serves to attract male approval via the male gaze, both of which are deeply entrenched in patriarchal power. This perspective positions cosmetic surgery as a disempowering act for women. In riposte, we turn to third wave liberal feminist ideas to engage with the narratives of ten participants who tell of their personal experiences of, and motivations for, undergoing a cosmetic intervention. We undertake an in-depth exploration of these lifeworld experiences and the interplay of subjectivity and intersubjectivity in the women’s encounters. Findings suggest that a cosmetic intervention is often obtained for the self as opposed to satisfying the “other.” Importantly, cosmetic interventions allow a process to occur in which an individual’s physical body becomes better aligned to her sense of self. From this liberal feminist perspective, cosmetic surgery is positioned as an empowering act.

Keywords

EN

Feminist Thinking; Cosmetic Surgery; Phenomenology; Lifeworld; Social Constructivist; Embodiment; Self-Empowerment; Femininity

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Łódzki. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
• Journal: Qualitative Sociology Review
• Year: 2018
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 48-65

Dates

published

2019-01-08

Contributors

author

Alessandra K. Heggenstaller

• Alessandra K. Heggenstaller, Asta Rau, Jan K. Coetzee - University of the Free State, South Africa

author

Asta Rau

author

Jan K. Coetzee

author

Anne Ryen

• University of Agder, Norway

author

Ria Smit

• Lone Star College, U.S.A., University of Johannesburg, South Africa

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Identifiers

DOI

10.18778/1733-8077.14.4.04