Reshaping the Female Body

Reshaping... looks at women's involvement in cosmetic surgery and raises the question of why women put themselves under the knife for operations which are painful, risky and expensive and often leave them in worse shape than before.\

Library Journal

Cosmetic surgery is a growth industry. Despite the expense and the risks of infection and unsatisfactory outcome, many women still choose to have their bodies altered. Davis, a professor of women's studies in the Netherlands, interviewed physicians, surgeons, and women before and after their operations to learn about their involvement in cosmetic surgery. She discovered that most of the women wanted to correct perceived defects so that they would appear ordinary and that they did this to please themselves, not men. Although she is a feminist, Davis argues against the traditional, politically correct stance that cosmetic surgery is oppression (found in works like Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth, LJ 4/1/91) and states that deciding to undergo a procedure is in fact an act of empowerment that improves the lives of these women. She considers cosmetic surgery a complex dilemma rather than an absolute evil. Not an essential purchase, but women's studies collections will want to add it for balance.-Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., Cal.