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Changing the Face of America
NYU Press
January 2017
On Sale: January 10, 2017
256 pages ISBN: 1479847941 EAN: 9781479847945 Kindle: B01E02RKIS Hardcover / e-Book
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Self-Help Health
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery estimates
there are about two-and-a-half million Botox procedures
performed annually, and that number continues to increase.
The procedure is used as a preventive measure against aging
and a means by which bodies, particularly women’s, can be
transformed and “improved” through the appearance of youth.
But why is Botox so popular, and why is aging such a
terrifying concept? Botox Nation draws from engaging, in-depth interviews with
Botox users and providers as well as Dana Berkowitz’s own
experiences receiving the injections. The interviews reveal
the personal motivations for using Botox and help unpack how
anti-aging practices are conceived by, and resonate with,
everyday people. Berkowitz is particularly interested in how
Botox is now being targeted to younger women; since Botox is
a procedure that must be continually administered to work,
the strategic choice to market to younger women, Berkowitz
argues, aims to create lifetime consumers. Berkowitz also analyzes magazine articles, advertisements,
and even medical documents to consider how narratives of
aging are depicted. She employs a critical feminist lens to
consider the construction of feminine bodies and selves, and
explores the impact of cosmetic medical interventions aimed
at maintaining the desired appearance of youth, the culture
of preventative medicine, the application of medical
procedures to seemingly healthy bodies, and the growth and
technological advancement to the anti-aging industry. The first in-depth social investigation into the development
of Botox as a phenomenon, Botox Nation is a captivating and
critical story of how norms about bodies, gender, and aging
are constructed and reproduced on both cultural and
individual levels.
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