Posted: August 14th, 2022

Sociology of the body and physical appearance exploring topics like cosmetic surgery trends

Sociology of the body and physical appearance exploring topics like cosmetic surgery trends, eating disorders, disability and ability, representations of the “ideal” body, and health at every size movement. Recent research analyzed plastic surgery trends on social media platforms.
Sociology of the body and physical appearance is a branch of sociology that studies how the human body is represented and used in modern societies. One of the key themes in this field is how physical appearance can be a form of capital, that is, a resource that can be used to gain social power and inequality. For example, people who conform to the dominant standards of beauty, health, and fitness may have more opportunities and advantages than those who deviate from them. Conversely, people who have a deviant or stigmatized physical appearance may face discrimination, prejudice, and exclusion.

Some of the topics that sociologists of the body and physical appearance explore are cosmetic surgery trends, eating disorders, disability and ability, representations of the “ideal” body, and health at every size movement. Recent research has analyzed how plastic surgery trends are influenced by social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, where users can display and compare their bodies with others. Some studies suggest that social media can create unrealistic expectations and pressures for young people to modify their bodies through surgical or non-surgical procedures. Other studies highlight how social media can also be a space for challenging the normative standards of beauty and celebrating body diversity and acceptance.

The sociology of the body and physical appearance is an important and relevant field for understanding how the body is shaped by social forces and how it shapes social relations in return. It also offers critical insights into the consequences of physical appearance for individual well-being, identity, and agency.

References:

– Kukkonen, I. (2021). Physical Appearance as a Form of Capital: Key Problems and Tensions. In O. Sarpila, I. Kukkonen, T. Pajunen, & E. Åberg (Eds.), Appearance as Capital (pp. 23-37). Emerald Publishing Limited.
– Berry, B. (2012). The Power of Looks: Social Stratification of Physical Appearance. Routledge.
– Green, A.I. (2014). Sexual Fields: help write my thesis on Toward a Sociology of Collective Sexual Life. University of Chicago Press.
– Mears, A. (2015). Working for Free in the VIP: Relational Work and the Production of Consent. American Sociological Review, 80(6), 1099-1122.
– Grogan, S. (2016). Body Image: Understanding Body Dissatisfaction in Men, Women and Children (3rd ed.). Routledge.

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