Title Surface imaginations : cosmetic surgery, photography, and skin / Rachel Alpha Johnston Hurst

Published Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2015

Click on the following:
ProQuest Ebook Central
EBSCO eBooks

Copies

Description 1 online resource Contents Cover; SURFACE IMAGINATIONS; Title; Copyright; CONTENTS; Figures; Acknowledgments; Preface; Making Introductions; 1 Surface Imaginations; 2 From the Quest for Recognition to Surface Imagination Surgery; 3 The Photograph as Reminder, Evidence, and Promise; 4 The Feminine Skin as Anxious Archipelago; 5 Conclusion; Appendix: Interviewees; A Note on the Cover; Notes; Bibliography; Index Summary Versatile, trendy, and resilient, the global cosmetic surgery industry shows no signs of decline, especially with its promises, not just of aesthetic improvement, but of absolute transformation. Introducing the concept of "surface imagination," Rachel Hurst discusses the fantasy that a change to the exterior will enhance the interior, or that the outside is more significant because it fashions the inside. Drawing on psychoanalysis, feminist theory, popular culture, the history of medicine, and interviews with women who have undergone cosmetic procedures, Hurst explores the tensions between the two primary surfaces of cosmetic surgery: the photograph and the skin. The photograph, an idealized surface for envisioning the effects of cosmetic surgery, allows for speculation and retouching, predictably and without pain. The skin, on the other hand, is a recalcitrant surface that records the passage of time and heals unpredictably. Ultimately, Hurst argues, the fantasy of surface imagination corroborates the belief that one's body is mutable and controllable, and that control over one's body permits control over one's social, emotional, and mental suffering. Acknowledging the varied experiences and opinions of the patients interviewed, but also critiquing the promises made by the industry, Surface Imaginations develops an innovative approach to thinking about cosmetic surgical transformations through the seduction of surfaces Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes English Subject Surgery, Plastic -- Psychological aspects Photography -- Psychological aspects Skin -- Psychological aspects Beauty, Personal -- Psychological aspects Body image. Self-esteem. Self-perception. Surgery, Plastic. Perception. Aesthetics. Personality development. Philosophy. Thought and thinking. Human information processing. Personality. Medical personnel. Humanities. Surgery, Plastic -- psychology Surgery, Plastic Body Image Perception Specialties, Surgical Esthetics Personality Development Philosophy Thinking Medicine Mental Processes Personality Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Psychological Phenomena and Processes Health Occupations Humanities Psychiatry and Psychology Disciplines and Occupations Self Concept Beauty Body Image -- psychology philosophy. thinking. humanities. MEDICAL -- Surgery -- General. Thought and thinking Surgery, Plastic Philosophy Personality development Personality Perception Medical personnel Humanities Human information processing Aesthetics Beauty, Personal -- Psychological aspects Body image Photography -- Psychological aspects Self-esteem Self-perception Skin -- Psychological aspects Surgery, Plastic -- Psychological aspects Form Electronic book ISBN 9780773597747 0773597743 9780773597754 0773597751 0773546006 9780773546004

  Permalink