No longer raising eyebrows: The contexts and domestication of Botox as a mundane medical and cultural artefact

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 887-909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peta S. Cook ◽  
Angela Dwyer

Cosmetic enhancement technologies have been subject to extended sociological and feminist critique, but botulinum neurotoxins (Botox) have been sidelined in this discussion. This has occurred despite Botox’s popularity and accessibility as a non-surgical cosmetic procedure. While Botox shares many similarities with cosmetic enhancement technologies such as cosmetic surgery, we argue that the fields and the socio-spatial organisation of Botox – where Botox is performed and by whom, which we collectively call contextual Botox – not only differentiate it from other cosmetic enhancement technologies but expose how Botox has gone beyond normalisation to become hypernormalised, a domesticated, mundane technology that has largely disappeared into the flows and routines of everyday life. In addition, Botox is a distinct medical and social practice that is multifaceted, being determined by the contexts in which it is found and the forms of cultural capital therein. It is for these reasons, in addition to being the most popular form of cosmetic enhancement, that Botox should be critically scrutinised.

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 91-94
Author(s):  
Angeline Fenisenda

Recently the popularity of plastic surgical procedure has been increased. Many people surgically alter their physical appearance with the intent of boosting their social and psychological well-being; however, the long-term effectiveness of aesthetic surgery on improving well-being is unconfirmed. To have successful cosmetic plastic surgery result, it is imperative to assess candidates for predictors of poor outcomes. These include the following factor : psychiatric disorder, demographic factors (male and younger age), relationship issues, unrealistic expectations, previous dissatisfied surgery, and minimal deformity. For psychiatric patients, despite having technically satisfactory cosmetic surgery, poor emotional adjustment and social functioning were seen post procedure. Proper screening and evaluation of these patients could save money and resources. In this brief review we discuss about psychiatric disorder screen on plastic surgery to prevent unwanted outcome. A literature review was conducted in the electronic database PubMed using keyword “Psychiatric Disorder”, “Plastic surgery”, “Prevention” and “Screening”. All type of studies were included for this study, such as controlled trials, systematic reviews, literature reviews, and pilot studies published between 2011 and 2021. Articles which not written in English were excluded from the study. This search resulted in 18 papers. Some patient who undergo cosmetic surgery suffer from underdiagnosed or untreated psychiatric disorder. To avoid unnecessary expense and resource it is advisable that all patient who seek cosmetic procedure undergo psychiatric screen such as PHQ-9, GAD-7, BDDQ and other test to avoid un-necessary expense and resource.


2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Fleisher

I welcome Axel Christophersen's effort to offer a new approach to the study of Scandinavian medieval urban communities, and his outline of an ‘urban archaeology of social practice’. His presentation of a theoretical framework and language offers many insights as to how archaeologists can analyse the way people constructed their social lives through practice. It is exciting to see studies that grapple with the complexities of everyday life in urban settings. This article makes a significant contribution in its explicit approach to a theory of practice that archaeologists can use to explore and describe social change. Christophersen draws heavily on the work of Shove, Pantzar and Watson as detailed in their 2012 bookThe dynamics of social practice. Everyday life and how it changes; I was unfamiliar with this work until reading this essay and I am impressed with the way this framework offers a language and a concrete approach to understanding how practices emerge, evolve and disappear. My goal here is not to revisit the details of this argument, but rather to push on some select issues raised in the paper. I first discuss the way that Christophersen frames his arguments against a processual archaeological approach, suggesting that his effort to provide an alternative might be unintentionally minimizing a more critical approach to everyday life. Next, I discuss the role and place of unintended consequences in Christophersen's argument. And finally I examine the way that Christophersen's approach might be more fully operationalized with data, providing some examples from my own work in eastern Africa.


Author(s):  
Anjali Om ◽  
Bobby Ijeoma ◽  
Sara Kebede ◽  
Albert Losken

Abstract Background TikTok is one of the most popular and fastest growing social media apps in the world. Previous studies have analyzed the quality of patient education information on older video platforms, but the quality of plastic and cosmetic surgery videos on TikTok has not yet been determined. Objectives To analyze the source and quality of certain cosmetic procedure videos on TikTok. Methods The TikTok mobile application was queried for content related to two popular face procedures (rhinoplasty and blepharoplasty) and two body procedures (breast augmentation and abdominoplasty). Two independent reviewers analyzed video content according to the DISCERN scale, a validated, objective criteria that assesses the quality of information on a scale of 1-5. Quality scores were compared between videos produced by medical and nonmedical creators and between different content categories. Results There were 4.8 billion views and 76.2 million likes across included videos. Videos were created by MDs (56%) and laypersons (44%). Overall average DISCERN score out of 5 corresponded to very poor video quality for rhinoplasty (1.55), blepharoplasty (1.44), breast augmentation (1.25) and abdominoplasty (1.29). DISCERN scores were significantly higher among videos produced by MDs than by laypersons for all surgeries. Comedy videos consistently had the lowest average DISCERN scores, while educational videos had the highest. Conclusions It is increasingly important that medical professionals understand the possibility of patient misinformation in the age of social media. We encourage medical providers to be involved in creating quality information on TikTok and educate patients about misinformation to best support health literacy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Hsiu Tung

AbstractThis essay discusses how artists, architects, and local community people have collaborated together to regenerate an everyday life aesthetics that embodies and reflects the environmental specificity of local culture, history, and geography in the context of Taiwan, where systematic urbanisation has had a very negative impact in many different areas since the early 2000s. The essay explores the possibility of local aesthetics retrieving the feelings of the Taiwanese “vernacular worlds” against the effects of globalisation, urbanisation and rapid socio-political changes. Two social practice art projects are considered accordingly: Plum Tree Creek and Togo Village.


FORUM ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-238
Author(s):  
Jun Wen ◽  
Shaojing Wang ◽  
Wenhe Zhang

Abstract Translation review, as book review on translated works, aims to introduce, recommend and review translated works. In China, while great achievements were made in translation criticism since the 1990s, translation review was quantitatively understudied in translation studies, though it is, as a social practice, more practical and enjoys wider readership. Based on Bourdieu’s sociological theory of practice, namely, field, capital and habitus, this paper examines translation reviews in China Reading Weekly from 2010 to 2014 and argues that China fails to establish a translation field of its own, and translation review in China is subject to the multiple influences of the economic and cultural capital of the country, the symbolic capital of translators and reviewers, and the cultural capital and habitus of reviewers. The paper also puts forward some suggestions for the development of translation review in the future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 334-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aijuan Cun ◽  
Mary B. McVee ◽  
Christopher Vasquez

Many immigrants and refugees in the United States must confront different linguistic and cultural contexts in their everyday life. As part of a larger ethnographic study related to refugee families and literacy, this qualitative study explores how adult English as a second language (ESL) students help their classmate Htoo Eh find ways to deal with an everyday life challenge. This study utilized two supporting theoretical frameworks: funds of knowledge and literacy as a social practice. Data sources included field notes, transcripts of video recording, artifacts, as well as conservations with the teacher and welfare coordinators. Findings demonstrate that community members utilized two funds of knowledge in particular: social network and life experience to help the focal participant. Findings also showed that adult ESL students assisted their classmates in developing three types of literacies, which were finding and obtaining childcare, knowing how the system works, and communicating with the caseworker in order to deal with an everyday life challenge. These findings suggest that educators should recognize and value adult ESL learners’ funds of knowledge as well as incorporate the knowledge into instruction. Educators also should open up space for these learners to develop literacies together as a community.


2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samir Pancholi ◽  
Angelo Cuzalina

Introduction: Pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) comprise venous thromboembolism (VTE). VTE is the most common preventable cause of death in postsurgical hospitalized patients. The literature consistently defines prophylaxis as being integral to avoiding VTE. No study, however, specifically addresses this with abdominoplasty, a high-VTE-risk cosmetic procedure. This study aims to fill this void by providing specific data on VTE incidence and, through comprehensive literature review, providing specific abdominoplasty prophylaxis recommendations. Methods: A retrospective review of 267 patients undergoing abdominoplasty between January 2000 and June 2006 at a fully accredited outpatient surgical facility was performed to assess symptomatic VTE incidence. Analysis reviewed VTE risk factors and current prophylaxis practice. A review of current cosmetic, plastic, and general surgery prophylaxis measures in the literature was performed and correlated with the authors' practice to develop abdominoplasty-specific VTE prophylaxis recommendations. Results: Four of 267 abdominoplasty patients (1.5%) developed VTE (all DVT). None of the 97 patients undergoing abdominoplasty alone developed DVT. Four of 170 abdominoplasty patients undergoing additional cosmetic procedures developed DVTs (23%). Of these, 3 had liposuction and 1 had simultaneous breast augmentation/mastopexy. All patients underwent general anesthesia, received mechanical prophylaxis, and were encouraged to ambulate the morning after surgery. Conclusions: VTE is a real and preventable issue in patient safety. Cosmetic surgery patients frequently are treated with inconsistent and less aggressive VTE prophylaxis than similar noncosmetic surgery patients owing to scant relevant data and/or concerns of problematic bleeding. The authors present abdominoplasty-specific DVT and PE rates of 1.5% and 0%, respectively, when mechanical prophylaxis is used. Although the results mirror those in the literature, the demand for optimal VTE prevention led the authors to increase their current prophylaxis regimen to a higher standard. They soundly use and present a VTE prophylaxis protocol for abdominoplasty patients that includes mechanical as well as pharmacologic prophylaxis.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document