Critique Essay: Cosmetic Surgery and Individual Identity

Summary: Elizabeth Haiken, "The Making of the Modern Face: Cosmetic Surgery," Social Research, Spring 2000. The American culture that produced cosmetic surgery is the increasingly visual, psychologically influenced culture of the twentieth century United States. For those surgeons who perform cosmetic surgery, the relationship between the physical face and the construction of individual identity has always been and continues to be central. "In our modern twentieth century United States, our attitudes toward cosmetic surgery have been …

…me because I feel that people should embrace their cultures and be proud of their ancestry. (13.) If I were to improve the article, first I would include a concession about the emotional appeal of cosmetic surgery. Secondly, I would have included a diagram of the popularity of procedures. Liposuction, followed by breast augmentation and then face lifts were the three most commonly performed surgeries, and a diagram would have better illustrated the most popular procedures.