Venus Envy: A History of Cosmetic Surgery

"Cosmetic Surgery lies at the nexus of medicine and consumer culture," says University of Tennessee historian Elizabeth Haiken. In Venus Envy , she looks at this peculiarly American medical specialty as it developed over the 20th century. Doctors wanted power and control, to only perform surgery for medical reasons, while patients--or consumers--wanted to alter their appearance as they saw fit, without much regard for the usual standards of medical necessity. Haiken documents this struggle in scientific debate, medical records, women's magazines, and the faces of celebrities like Fanny Brice, Michael Jackson, and Cher. In the end, cosmetic surgery has become an accepted tool in the American drive toward self-definition. "Surgeons and patients are confident that, by altering individual facial configurations, cosmetic surgery can confer a wide range of benefits that together add up to the American dream--and they are right."