The (RE) Construction Of Iranian Women’s Face: A Case Study Of Cosmetic Nose Surgery In Tehran
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Date
2017-08
Authors
Attaran, Reihaneh
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
In cosmetic surgery, Tehran is known to have the highest prevalence of cosmetic nose surgery in the world. Labelled as the “capital of cosmetic nose surgery in the world”, Tehran has been seeing increasing demand of the procedure. Set against the backdrop of a strong beauty culture and cosmetics consumerism, this phenomenon paints a picture that, to reconstruct the nose, meaning to reconstruct the face by undergoing the cosmetic nose surgery, is a norm in Tehran. However, little is understood of the experiences of these women before, during and after the procedure. This qualitative study embarked on the phenomenological approach, using the in-depth interviews to capture, explore and analyse the experiences of women who did cosmetic nose surgery, and also to identify women’s motives and decision-making process, as well as to examine how they made sense of their social and individual well-being after the procedure. One-to-one in-depth interviews were conducted with 31 women who met the selection criteria, found using the snowballing technique. The recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using the thematic analysis by adopting the feminist perspective. The findings revealed that, beauty is a social construct that changes and evolves, is linked to the body image, and that to be beautiful is embedded in the Iranian psyche; the nose anchors the face and acts as a beauty marker. What women felt about themselves was linked to how they and others perceived their noses and their faces. Cosmetic nose surgery thus became an “enactment” for these women to achieve a beautiful face which is important to their identities. Constructing and reconstructing the nose is actually a reconstruction of their identities as these women negotiated their lives in a context where they were governed by strict religious interpretations within a strong patriarchal society that linked women’s worth according to their appearance. To these women, making decisions and taking actions to proceed with the nose surgery meant exercising their agency and having control of some aspects of their life in a highly specific gendered ways. In conclusion, this study contributes to the knowledge on women’s experiences in making decisions to undergo cosmetic surgery within an environment which limits their expressions of beauty, and their interpretation of its effects on their decision making process. The act of undergoing cosmetic nose surgery was not just about submitting to societal pressure but it served as a platform for women to find their identity, agency and feeling empowered even if their choices were constrained by societal demands. It is, therefore, important to ensure that women will be able to access relevant information as more women choose to undergo cosmetic nose surgery, so that they will make informed decisions.
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Keywords
Tehran is known to have the highest prevalence , of cosmetic nose surgery in the world.