The Absent Body Project

Cosmetic Surgery as a Response to Bodily Dys-appearance

Bibliographic Data

ID11600153
AuthorsDebra Gimlin (University of Aberdeen, corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume40
Issue4
Pages699-716
Publication date2006-07-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0038-0385 • E-ISSN: 1469-8684
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0038038506065156
OpenAlexW2020471878
LanguageEN
Citations received25
References cited20

Sociologists have conceptualized the body as a ‘project’ that is worked on and transformed as a central part of self-identity (Shilling, 2003). In contrast, Leder’s (1990) notion of the ‘absent’ body focuses on the body’s tendency to remain in the ‘corporeal background’ unless specific physiological or social experiences cause it to ‘dys-appear’, or emerge problematically into direct consciousness.This article draws upon data from interviews with women who have had cosmetic surgery to show that these seemingly contradictory approaches to the body and self-identity are not reconcilable. Specifically, the data presented suggest that while cosmetic surgery provides a resource for bringing the body into line with an existing sense of self, it is also used to alleviate the body’s dys-appearances. Thus, this article describes how elements of both the ‘absent body’ and ‘body project’ perspectives are relevant to cosmetic surgery patients’ experiences of embodiment

Aesthetics · Consciousness · Epistemology · Identity (music · Mind–body problem · Sociology · Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies · Diversity and Impact of Dance · Fashion and Cultural Textiles · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology

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