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Pretty Modern
Beauty, Sex, and Plastic Surgery in Brazil
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2010
About this book
This ethnographic account of Brazils emergence as a global leader in plastic surgery takes readers from Ipanema socialite circles to telenovela studios to the packed waiting rooms of public hospitals offering free cosmetic surgery.
Author / Editor information
Alexander Edmonds is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam.
Reviews
“A fresh, smart, insightful, entertaining, and compelling book about a topic—cosmetic surgery—that many of us thought had self-combusted in the 1990s amid irresolvable debates about whether women who wanted bigger breasts were subjects with agency or duped victims of the ‘beauty myth.’ Pretty Modern rises from the ashes of those debates to provide us with exciting new ways of thinking about what plastic surgery is, what it means, and what it does. It is first-rate anthropology and a wonderfully perceptive study of Brazil.”—Don Kulick, author of Travesti: Sex, Gender, and Culture among Brazilian Transgendered Prostitutes
“A masterpiece. Pretty Modern is one of the most nuanced and beautifully crafted ethnographies out there.”—João Biehl, author of Will to Live: AIDS Therapies and the Politics of Survival
“Alexander Edmonds provides readers with a compelling and visceral ethnography about the ubiquitous cultural practice of plastica, or cosmetic surgery, in Rio to better understand its ubiquity across Brazil’s different social classes. . . . Pretty Modern is an important contribution to the literature on gender and the body, and will be of interest to Brazil specialists and nonspecialists alike. Although the focus is beauty, those considering race or history will also find the material useful.”
-- Lesley N. Braun Visual Anthropology Review
“Fascinating. . . . The book overflows with provocative discussions. . . . [T]his study should evoke reflection and animated discussion of medicine, gender, self, culture, and modernity in multiple academic settings and beyond. Recommended. All levels/libraries.”
-- G. W. McDonogh Choice
“Pretty Modern is a provocative ethnographic excursion through the labyrinth of context necessary for understanding the rise in popularity of cosmetic plastic surgery in contemporary Brazil…. I found his ethnography to be important and compelling.”
-- Donna Goldstein American Ethnologist
“Alex Edmonds’ book Pretty Modern is a remarkable account of cosmetic surgery—or plastic—in Brazil…. One of the huge strengths of Edmonds’ book is the detail and complexity he brings to each of the issues he analyses…. [I]t is ultimately refreshing.”
-- Ruth Holliday Sociology of Health & Illness
“Edmonds’ offers readers a provocative, richly textured, and nuanced analysis of the rise in popularity of plástica across social classes in Brazil. . . . Pretty Modern is a masterful ethnography about the medicalization of beauty.”
-- Hilda Lloréns Anthropological Quarterly
“One of the clear advantages of Pretty Modern is the great depth of analysis that we are offered. Anecdotes and detailed descriptions provide the backdrop for theoretical discussions, fleshing out the arguments and providing the reader with a more rounded view of the issues…. Pretty Modern is a very enjoyable, provocative and stimulating read.”
-- Aoife McKenna Medical Sociology Online
“Highly readable and ranging from ethnographic, to historical, to theoretical, Pretty Modern will appeal to a broad readership.”
-- Susan Besse Luso-Brazilian Review
Topics
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Frontmatter
i -
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Contents
vi -
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Illustrations
viii -
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Introduction. In the Universe of Beauty
1 - PART ONE. The Self-Esteem in Each Ego Awakens
-
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The Siliconadas
37 -
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The Philosopher of Plástica
47 -
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Without Tits There Is No Paradise
57 -
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A Brief History of Self-Esteem
75 -
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Hospital School
89 -
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The Right to Beauty
102 -
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Aesthetic Health
114 - PART TWO. Beautiful People
-
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Preta
123 -
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Magnificent Miscegenation
127 -
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The National Passion
135 -
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Nanci’s Rhinoplasty
143 -
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My Black Is My Brand
150 -
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Role Models
162 -
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The Economy of Appearances
167 - PART THREE. Engineering the Erotic
-
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Creating and Modeling Nature
177 -
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Aesthetic Medicine and Motherhood
183 -
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The Vanity of Maids
195 -
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Lens of Dreams
204 -
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I Love Myself
219 -
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Conclusion
239 -
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Acknowledgments
253 -
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Notes
257 -
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References
269 -
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Index
287
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
December 13, 2010
eBook ISBN:
9780822393115
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
318
Other:
25 illustrations, incl. 10 in color
eBook ISBN:
9780822393115
Audience(s) for this book
Professional and scholarly;
