SOC 0851 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Plastic Surgery, Independence I Culture
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women’s faces, they can increase their chances for success
in a society that generally does not value these qualities
o Whites and whiteness continue to be an important axis for
defining the norm
o In the near future, white people will no longer be the statistical
majority in the United States
o Because beauty is associated with success for many women,
becoming more beautiful by the dominant standards is a means
to improving their chances
o When these beliefs are presented to Asian-American patients in
the medical setting of the doctor’s office, complete with lab coat
and technical equipment for measuring facial features and
imagining postoperative appearances, these views of a woman’s
facial features as in need of correction take on a kind of
objective truth
o Asian-American women who elect to have cosmetic surgery are
actually asserting their agency and independence I their decision
to alter the appearance of their face to conform more closely to
white ideals
o Cosmetic surgery in this interpretation is not an attempt to
conform to any set standards of beauty, but rather a way for
individuals to use their bodies and the latest technology to
sculpt their flesh in unique ways that reflect their own
personality and desire
• Is Beauty Power?
o Early in feminist explorations of the relationship between
gender and bodies, the body was considered to be one of the
primary tools of patriarchy
o Keeping women focused on their appearances was a clear way
to keep women in their place and, therefore, to stifle efforts by
women to increase their status and standing in society
