Cosmetic surgery on children : professional and legal obligations in Australia

Public awareness and concern about cosmetic surgery on children is increasing. Nationally and internationally questions have been raised by the media and government bodies about the appropriateness of children undergoing cosmetic surgery. Considering the rates of cosmetic surgery in comparable Western societies, it seems likely that the number of physicians in Australia who will deal with a request for cosmetic surgery for a child will continue to increase. This is a sensitive issue and it is essential that physicians understand the professional and legal obligations that arise when cosmetic surgery is proposed for a child.

Predictors of Attitudes toward Cosmetic Surgery among U.S. and Colombian College Women: The Roles of Eating Behaviors and Demographic Variables

Cross-cultural studies on eating behaviors and related constructs can identify cultural and social factors that contribute to eating disorder symptomatology. Eating disorders (EDs) are a major cause for concern in the U.S., and recent studies in Colombia have shown growing rates among their female population. In addition, cosmetic surgery procedures have been increasing rapidly in both the U.S. and Colombia, and preliminary research suggests a positive relation between disordered eating and endorsement of plastic surgery. In samples of college women from Colombia and the U.S., we investigated patterns of association between disordered eating variables and cosmetic surgery acceptance. Our approach utilized separate analyses for various subcomponents of disordered eating (to determine their unique associations with cosmetic surgery acceptance) while adjusting for potentially relevant covariates and examining cross-cultural patterns. Participants were students at an urban, public college in the U.S. (n=163) and an urban, private college in Colombia (n=179). Overall, our findings suggested that participants from Colombia with greater disordered eating were more likely to endorse cosmetic surgery for social reasons, while those from the U.S. were more likely to consider undergoing cosmetic surgery for personal reasons. Differing findings between the two samples may be due to cultural and social factors, which we delineate. These findings also have potential implications for presurgical counseling of cosmetic surgery candidates.

Divining the martyr : a multimedia installation presentation on contemporary makeover surgery

Divining the Martyr is a project developed in order to achieve the Master of Arts (Research) degree. This is composed of 70% creative work displayed in an exhibition and 30% written work contained in this exegesis. The project was developed through practice-led research in order to answer the question “In what ways can creative practice synthesize and illuminate issues of martyrdom in contemporary makeover culture?” The question is answered using a postmodern framework about martyrdom as it is manifested in contemporary society. The themes analyzed throughout this exegesis relate to concepts about sainthood and makeover culture combined with actual examples of tragic cases of cosmetic procedures. The outcomes of this project fused three elements: Mexican cultural history, Mexican (Catholic) religious traditions, and cosmetic makeover surgery. The final outcomes were a series of installations integrating contemporary and traditional interdisciplinary media, such as sound, light, x-ray technology, sculpture, video and aspects of performance. These creative works complement each other in their presentation and concept, promoting an original contribution to the theme of contemporary martyrdom in makeover culture.

‘Designer Vaginas': The Representation of Female Genitals on Canadian Cosmetic Surgeons' Websites

This thesis critically examines the online marketing tactics of 10 (English language) Canadian cosmetic surgery clinics’ websites that offer Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery (FGCS), specifically, labiaplasty (labial reduction) and vaginoplasty (vaginal tightening). Drawing on a qualitative Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) and a feminist-informed social constructionist framework (Lazar, 2007), I examine how FGCS discourses reiterate and reinforce heteronormative sexual scripts for women, and impose restrictive models of femininity through the pathologization of genital diversity and the appropriation of postfeminist and neoliberal discourses of individual choice and empowerment. I explore feminist analyses of the links between FGCS and contemporary Western women’s postfeminist subjectivity, and the reconfiguration of women’s sexual agency, to better understand what these contemporary shifts may mean for women’s sexual anxiety and expression. My analysis highlights several discourses that organize the online marketing material of Canadian FGCS websites, including: the pathologization of genital diversity; restrictive models of femininity; heteronormative sexual scripts; neoliberal and post-feminist rhetorics of individual choice and empowerment; and psychological and sexual transformation. Overall, these discourses undermine acceptance of women’s genital diversity, legitimize the FGCS industry and frame FGCS as the only viable solution to alleviate women’s genital and sexual distress despite the lack of evidence regarding the long-term benefits and risks of these procedures, and the recommendations against FGCS by professional medical organizations.

‘Small Pricks’ at Lunchtime : Some notes on Botox

Cosmetic enhancement technologies have been subject to extended discussion in sociological literature. Botox, however, seems to have been mostly sidelined in this discussion in favour of more ‘extreme’ forms of cosmetic enhancement, such as those performed under general anaesthetic. In this paper, we suggest the need to further examine Botox as a sociological issue. We do this by highlighting some of the disparities and parallels that Botox shares with the existing literature on cosmetic enhancement technologies.

Vikuroivia vilkaisuja : Ruumis, sukupuoli, seksuaalisuus ja visuaalisen kulttuurin tutkimus

The PhD dissertation "Bucking Glances: On Body, Gender, Sexuality and Visual Culture Research" consists of theoretical introduction and five articles published between 2002-2005. The articles analyze the position of visual representations in the processes of knowledge production on acceptable genders, bodies, and sexualities in contemporary Wes¬tern societies. The research material is heterogeneous, consisting of representations of contemporary art, advertisements, and fashion images. The ideological starting point of the PhD dissertation is the politics of the gaze and the methods used to expose this are the concepts of oppositional gaze, close reading, and resisting reading. The study situates visual representations in dialogue with the concepts of the grotesque and androgyny, as well as with queer-theory and theories of the gaze. The research challenges normative meanings of visual representations and opens up space for more non-conventional readings attached to femininity and masculinity. The visual material is read as troubling the prevailing heteronormative gender system. The dissertation also indicates how visual culture research utilizing the approach of queer theory can be fruitful in opposing and re-visioning changes in the repressive gender system. The article "A Heroic Male and A Beautiful Woman. Teemu Mäki, Orlan and the Ambivalence of the Grotesque Body" problematizes the concept of heroic masculinity through the analysis of the Finnish artist Teemu Mäki's masochistic performance The Good Friday (1989). It also analyzes cosmetic surgery, undertaken by the French artist Orlan, as a cultural tool in constructing and visualizing the contemporary, com¬mercial ideals of female beauty. The article "Boys Will Be Girls Will Be Boys Will Be Girls. The Ambivalence of Androgyny in Calvin Klein' Advertisements" is a close reading of the Calvin Klein perfume advertisement One (1998) in reference to the concept of androgyny. The critical point of the article is that androgynous male bodies allow the extension of the categorical boundaries of masculinity and homosexuality, whereas representations of androgynous women feed into the prevailing stereotypes of femininity, namely the fear of fat. The article "See-through Closet: Female Androgyny in the 1990s Fashion Images, New Woman and Lesbian Chic" analyzes the late 1990s fashion advertisements through the concept of female androgyny. The article argues that the figures of the masculine female androgynes in the late 1990s fashion magazines do not problematize the dichotomous gender binary. The women do not pass as men but produce a variation of heterosexual desirability. At the same time, the representations open up space for lesbian gazing and desiring. The article "Why are there no lesbian advertisements?" addresses the issue of femme gaze and desire in relation to heterosexual fashion advertisements from the British edition of the mainstream fashion magazine Vogue. The article considers possibilities for resistant femme visibility, identification, and desire. The article "Woman, Food, Home. Pirjetta Brander's and Heidi Romo's Works as Bucking Representations of Femininity" analyses the production and queering of heteronormative femininity and family through the analysis of art works. The article discusses how the term queer has been translated into Finnish. The article also introduces a new translation for the term queer: the noun vikuuri, i.e. faulty form and the verb vikuroida, i.e. to buck. In Finnish, the term vikuuri is the vernacular or broken form of the term figure, i.e. figuuri. Vikuuri represents all forms situated outside the norm and the normative.

Breast cancer following augmentation mammoplasty - a review of its impact on prognosis and management

The incidence of breast cancer in women with implants is increasing and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future due to the marked increase in breast implant insertion in recent years. Undoubtedly many of these women will wish to know whether the presence of implants worsens the prognosis of their breast cancer. Furthermore, the clinical management of such patients may be difficult, as aesthetic results are likely to be a major concern for women who have already undergone cosmetic surgery to the breast. There is no consensus on surgical approach to this scenario. This article reviews the literature on the prognosis of breast cancer patients with a history of augmentation mammoplasty and examines the available data regarding their surgical treatment. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons.

Influence of personality factors on the consumption of personal care products

This research was undertaken with the primary objective of explaining differences in consumption of personal care products using personality variables. Several streams of research reported were reviewed and a conceptual model was developed. Theories on the relationship between self concept and behaviour was reviewed and the need to use individual difference variables to conceptualize and measure the salient dimensions of the self were emphasized. Theories relating to social comparison, eating disorders, role of idealized media images in shaping the self-concept, evidence on cosmetic surgery and persuasibility were reviewed in the study. These came from diverse fields like social psychology, use of cosmetics, women studies, media studies, self-concept literature in psychology and consumer research, and marketing. From the review three basic dimensions, namely self-evaluation, self-awareness and persuasibility were identified and they were posited to be related to consumption. Several personality variables from these conceptual domains were identified and factor analysis confirmed the expected structure fitting the basic theoretical dimensions. Demographic variables like gender and income were also considered.It was found that self-awareness measured by the variable public self-consciousness explain differences in consumption of personal care products. The relationship between public self-consciousness and consumption was found to be most conspicuous in cases of poor self-, evaluation measured by self-esteem. Susceptibility to advertising also was found to explain differences in consumption.From the research, it may be concluded that personality variables are useful for explaining consumption and they must be used together to explain and understand the process. There may not be obvious and conspicuous links between individual measures and behaviour in marketing. However, when used in proper combination and with the help oftheoretical models personality offers considerable explanatory power as illustrated in the seventy five percent accuracy rate of prediction obtained in binary logistic regression.

La experiencia de los receptores en el trasplante de órganos y tejidos

El trasplante de órganos y/o tejidos es considerado como una opción terapéutica viable para el tratamiento tanto de enfermedades crónicas o en estadios terminales, como de afectaciones no vitales, pero que generen una disminución en la calidad de vida percibida por el paciente. Este procedimiento, de carácter multidimensional, está compuesto por 3 actores principales: el donante, el órgano/tejido, y el receptor. Si bien un porcentaje significativo de investigaciones y planes de intervención han girado en torno a la dimensión biológica del trasplante, y a la promoción de la donación; el interés por la experiencia psicosocial y la calidad de vida de los receptores en este proceso ha aumentado durante la última década. En relación con esto, la presente monografía se plantea como objetivo general la exploración de la experiencia y los significados construidos por los pacientes trasplantados, a través de una revisión sistemática de la literatura sobre esta temática. Para ello, se plantearon unos objetivos específicos derivados del general, se seleccionaron términos o palabras claves por cada uno de estos, y se realizó una búsqueda en 5 bases de datos para revistas indexadas: Ebsco Host (Academic Search; y Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection); Proquest; Pubmed; y Science Direct. A partir de los resultados, se establece que si bien la vivencia de los receptores ha comenzado a ser investigada, aún es necesaria una mayor exploración sobre la experiencia de estos pacientes; exploración que carecería de objetivo si no se hiciera a través de las narrativas o testimonios de los mismos receptores

Análisis de la ayuda oficial al desarrollo. estudio de caso: programa conjunto de UNICEF y UNFPA sobre la mutilación genital femenina en Kenia (2008-2012)

El interés de este estudio de caso es analizar el Programa Conjunto de UNFPA y UNICEF sobre MGF/E en Kenia bajo la luz de los postulados poscolonialistas. Partiendo de la idea de que la MGF es una manifestación de las desigualdades de género, se argumenta que el PC reproduce la imagen de la mujer keniana como una víctima del poder masculino. A partir de esta imagen se deslegitima el orden cultural de los grupos que siguen esta tradición, afectando las lógicas de unidad y cohesión de la sociedad. El análisis de este tipo de dinámicas permite comprender mejor los procesos de intervención de las organizaciones internacionales sobre las estructuras sociales de actores frágiles del sistema internacional.

Paddy Hartley: of faces and facades

Paddy Hartley's work is primarily concerned with the ways in which the human face can be repaired, manipulated and recontextualised, and the questions these processes raise about our concepts of beauty and disfigurement. Incorporating surgical and pharmaceutical equipment as well as steel, scrap metal, digital embroidery and textiles, Hartley sets out a critique of how we think about the face today. Taking as a starting point records of facially injured servicemen of the First World War and the pioneering surgery they underwent, Project Facade examines the impact of disfigurement on the human psyche, as well as tracing the development of early facial reconstructive surgery. His Face Corsets, meanwhile, examines attitudes towards cosmetic surgery and the beauty industry, providing a non-surgical means to brutally mimic the results of cosmetic procedures and beyond. The series gained notoriety and success in a wide variety of popular publications both nationally and internationally, and continue to feature in contemporary textiles and fashion publications. Paddy Hartley: Of Faces and Facades brings together these works in book form for the first time, presenting previously unpublished texts from David Houston Jones and Marjorie Gehrhardt, as well as drawings and photographs which document a remarkable creative process and a history that is still insufficiently explored.

Os sentidos da cirurgia estética: utilidade, futilidade, agência e/ou incorporação

This article aims to reflect on the growth of the practice of plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes and its relationship with the contemporary consumer culture. In other words, we discuss how this practice expresses the values and principles for consumer culture and configures itself differently in different contextsin, as the cities of Sao Paulo and London, where he held field work involving the collection of information in press materials, data files, interviews and observation in clinical aes‐ thetic.

A new measure to quantify chest wall deformity in scoliosis patients : does rib hump measurement correlate with anterior chest wall deformity post surgery?

The primary aims of scoliosis surgery are to halt the progression of the deformity, and to reduce its severity (cosmesis). Currently, deformity correction is measured in terms of posterior parameters (Cobb angles and rib hump), even though the cosmetic concern for most patients is anterior chest wall deformity. In this study, we propose a new measure for assessing anterior chest wall deformity and examine the correlation between rib hump and the new measure. 22 sets of CT scans were retrieved from the QUT/Mater Paediatric Spinal Research Database. The Image J software (NIH) was used to manipulate formatted CT scans into 3-dimensional anterior chest wall reconstructions. A ‘chest wall angle’ was then measured in relation to the first sacral vertebral body. The chest wall angle was found to be a reliable tool in the analysis of chest wall deformity. No correlation was found between the new measure and rib hump angle. Since rib hump has been shown to correlate with vertebral rotation on CT, this suggests that there maybe no correlation between anterior and posterior deformity measures. While most surgical procedures will adequately address the coronal imbalance & posterior rib hump elements of scoliosis, they do not reliably alter the anterior chest wall shape. This implies that anterior chest wall deformity is to a large degree an intrinsic deformity, not directly related to vertebral rotation.