Venus Envy: A History of Cosmetic Surgery

The surprising history of cosmetic surgery--and America's quest for physical perfection--from the turn of the century to the present.

Face lifts, nose jobs, breast implants, liposuction, collagen injections--the body at the end of the twentieth century has become endlessly mutable, and surgical alteration has become an accepted part of American culture. In Venus Envy, Elizabeth Haiken traces the quest for physical perfection through surgery from the turn of the century to the present. Drawing on a wide array of sources--personal accounts, medical records, popular magazines, medical journals, and beauty guides--Haiken reveals how our culture came to see cosmetic surgery as a panacea for both individual and social problems.

Author: Elizabeth Haiken
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 02/01/2000
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.28lbs
Size: 9.02h x 5.96w x 0.92d
ISBN: 9780801862540

About the Author

Elizabeth Haiken is an assistant professor of history at the University of British Columbia.

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