{"product_id":"pretty-modern-9780822348016","title":"Pretty Modern","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis ethnographic account of Brazils emergence as a global leader in plastic surgery takes readers from Ipanema socialite circles to telenovela studios to the packed waiting rooms of public hospitals offering free cosmetic surgery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A fresh, smart, insightful, entertaining, and compelling book about a topic—cosmetic surgery—that many of us thought had self-combusted in the 1990s amid irresolvable debates about whether women who wanted bigger breasts were subjects with agency or duped victims of the ‘beauty myth.’ \u003ci\u003ePretty Modern\u003c\/i\u003e rises from the ashes of those debates to provide us with exciting new ways of thinking about what plastic surgery is, what it means, and what it does. It is first-rate anthropology and a wonderfully perceptive study of Brazil.”—\u003cb\u003eDon Kulick\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eTravesti: Sex, Gender, and Culture among Brazilian Transgendered Prostitutes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A masterpiece. \u003ci\u003ePretty Modern \u003c\/i\u003eis one of the most nuanced and beautifully crafted ethnographies out there.”—\u003cb\u003eJoão Biehl\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eWill to Live: AIDS Therapies and the Politics of Survival\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Alexander Edmonds provides readers with a compelling and visceral ethnography about the ubiquitous cultural practice of \u003ci\u003eplastica\u003c\/i\u003e, or cosmetic surgery, in Rio to better understand its ubiquity across Brazil’s different social classes. . . . \u003ci\u003ePretty Modern\u003c\/i\u003e is an important contribution to the literature on gender and the body, and will be of interest to Brazil specialists and nonspecialists alike. Although the focus is beauty, those considering race or history will also find the material useful.” -- Lesley N. Braun * Visual Anthropology Review *\u003cbr\u003e“Fascinating. . . . The book overflows with provocative discussions. . . . [T]his study should evoke reflection and animated discussion of medicine, gender, self, culture, and modernity in multiple academic settings and beyond. Recommended. All levels\/libraries.” -- G. W. McDonogh * Choice *\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003ePretty Modern\u003c\/i\u003e is a provocative ethnographic excursion through the labyrinth of context necessary for understanding the rise in popularity of cosmetic plastic surgery in contemporary Brazil…. I found his ethnography to be important and compelling.” -- Donna Goldstein * American Ethnologist *\u003cbr\u003e“Alex Edmonds’ book \u003ci\u003ePretty Modern\u003c\/i\u003e is a remarkable account of cosmetic surgery—or plastic—in Brazil…. One of the huge strengths of Edmonds’ book is the detail and complexity he brings to each of the issues he analyses…. [I]t is ultimately refreshing.” -- Ruth Holliday * Sociology of Health \u0026amp; Illness *\u003cbr\u003e“Edmonds’ offers readers a provocative, richly textured, and nuanced analysis of the rise in popularity of plástica across social classes in Brazil. . . . \u003ci\u003ePretty Modern\u003c\/i\u003e is a masterful ethnography about the medicalization of beauty.” -- Hilda Lloréns * Anthropological Quarterly *\u003cbr\u003e“One of the clear advantages of \u003ci\u003ePretty Modern\u003c\/i\u003e is the great depth of analysis that we are offered. Anecdotes and detailed descriptions provide the backdrop for theoretical discussions, fleshing out the arguments and providing the reader with a more rounded view of the issues…. \u003ci\u003ePretty Modern\u003c\/i\u003e is a very enjoyable, provocative and stimulating read.” -- Aoife McKenna * Medical Sociology Online *\u003cbr\u003e“Highly readable and ranging from ethnographic, to historical, to theoretical, \u003ci\u003ePretty Modern\u003c\/i\u003e will appeal to a broad readership.” -- Susan Besse * Luso-Brazilian Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIllustrations viii\u003cbr\u003e Introduction. In the Universe of Beauty 1\u003cbr\u003e Part One. The Self-Esteem in Each Ego Awakens \u003cbr\u003e Siliconadas 37\u003cbr\u003e The Philosopher of Plástica 47\u003cbr\u003e Without Tits There Is No Paradise 57\u003cbr\u003e A Brief History of Self-Esteem 75\u003cbr\u003e Hospital School 89\u003cbr\u003e The Right to Beauty 102\u003cbr\u003e Aesthetic Health 114\u003cbr\u003e Part Two. Beautiful People \u003cbr\u003e Preta 123\u003cbr\u003e Magnificent Miscegenation 127\u003cbr\u003e The National Passion 135\u003cbr\u003e Nanci's Rhinoplasty 143\u003cbr\u003e My \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eBlack\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e Is My Brand 150\u003cbr\u003e Role Models 162\u003cbr\u003e The Economy of Appearances 167\u003cbr\u003e Part Three. Engineering the Erotic \u003cbr\u003e Creating and Modeling Nature 177\u003cbr\u003e Aesthetic Medicine and Motherhood 183\u003cbr\u003e The Vanity of Maids 195\u003cbr\u003e Lens of Dreams 204\u003cbr\u003e I Love Myself 219\u003cbr\u003e Conclusion 239\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments 253\u003cbr\u003e Notes 257\u003cbr\u003e References 269\u003cbr\u003e Index 285","brand":"Duke University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49528006672727,"sku":"9780822348016","price":20.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780822348016.jpg?v=1731870033","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/pretty-modern-9780822348016","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}