Customer Reviews

Venus Envy: A History of Cosmetic Surgery

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I read this book while doing undergraduate research on plastic surgery in the 1920's. As far as I can tell, this is the only scholarly history of plastic surgery done to date. The book was fascinating and well-written, and Dr. Haiken did an incredible job of showing the social climate that lent to the proliferation of plastic surgery in American society.

Elizabeth Haiken, a U. of Tennessee history professor, has written a great, and at times chilling book about what used to be commonly called "plastic surgery," but which has come to be termed "cosmetic surgery."

From the start (in the 19th century!), Cosmetic Surgery has always been controversial, and its practitioners accused of being quacks, often with justification. More than 100 years ago (in 1892), Rochester, NY surgeon John Orlando Roe published reports about his work doing "intranasal rhinoplasty" (nose jobs), and his success at correcting the then widespread "saddle nose" deformity caused by syphilis. Roe's idea was to build up the depression on noses of people afflicted by "saddle nose" problems, and thus help free them from the public stigma of having contracted a terrible venereal disease. Roe's "nose jobs" were NOT done only to make people prettier. People with "saddle noses" were denied employment and rejected as marriage partners (even though their syphilis episode may have been over).

The politics of Cosmetic Surgery has been thick for a century. Haiken relates the tale of breast enlargements done in the 1960's using techniques of silicone injections. Such operations resulted in terrible tragedies, including amputated breasts. When the special "cosmetic silicone" was withdrawn from the market by its suppliers, quack surgeons CONTINUED to offer the breast enlargement operation (made famous by Carol Doda, a San Francisco night club dancer) using industral silicone, even more dangerous than the withdrawn silicone.

Elizabeth Haiken's book is filled with fascinating graphic illustrations of cosmetic surgery examples and not a few "quack display advertisements" (including a current era ad offering penis enlargement and lengthening by Cosmetic Surgery International. The ad includes both an 800 phone number and an Internet Web Site address!). It also includes detailed discussion and examples of various persons seeking to escape ethnic identity labeling, or at least accused of so doing by detractors.

Haiken has written a valuable and, for all its spectacular examples and gossipy talk, a surprisingly thoughtful and intelligent book. She has combined worthwhile history professor scholarship with clear and fast paced writing style. The result is a book worth buying and reading over and over again.

This book is full of detailed information on how Cosmetic Surgery has progressed and I found it truly fascinating. However, it was difficult to follow at times, when a topic was brought up only to be dropped and then resurrected again at a later point. Full marks for thoroughness.

I did not read the book throughly yet, but fast shipping was satisfied.
It seems like the contents of this book is not exactly what I wanted to find, but looks interesting

Wow - Venus Envy is one complex growth industry addressing personal and soio-cultural expectations on women and lesser so on men. In an age where aging is seen as optional this account of the evolution of cosmetic surgery almost has one want to have everyone in therapy along with the therapist themselves to conquer the illusion of beauty and its false promises.

For anyone who is fixated on having plastic surgery in an unhealthy perspective ... please read and participate in The Hoffman Process before you book the surgery!

This book is tendentious screed, written by a would-be social constructionist who has little feel for patients who seek plastic surgery and the physicians who offer it.