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Cosmetic Surgery Is Becoming 'Fashion' (Naho Tanimoto)
How common is "cosmetic surgery" in modern Japan? According to data released in 2018 by the Japan Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (JSAPS) in collaboration with the eponymous Japan Society of Aesthetic Surgery (JSAS) and the Japan Society of Aesthetic Dermatology, approximately 2 million procedures were confirmed to have been carried out in 2017.
There used to be a taboo against discussing cosmetic surgery, but with increasing media coverage and influencers reporting on their procedures online, the practice is becoming more widespread every year.
How have societal perceptions of cosmetic surgery changed and what motivates people to seek it? How have attitudes towards beauty and fashion changed, and what challenges do they pose?
This time, we spoke to Professor Naho Tanimoto of Kansai University, who is known for her pioneering research on cosmetic surgery.
PROFILE
Naho Tanimoto
Professor at Kansai University's Faculty of Informatics, born in 1970.
Graduated from the doctoral program at Osaka University's Graduate School of Human Sciences. Specialty in Sociology of Culture.
Author of『美容整形というコミュニケーション――社会規範と自己満足を超えて』(Kadensha, 2018),『美容整形と化粧の社会学――プラスティックな身体』(Shinyosha, 2008),『恋愛の社会学――「遊び」とロマンティック・ラブの変容』(Seikyusha, 2008).
Co-edited『身体化するメディア／メディア化する身体』(Fujinsha, 2018),『メディア文化を社会学する』(Sekai Shisosha, 2009),『博覧の世紀――消費／ナショナリティ／メディア』(Azuma Corporation, 2009).
Motivation for Cosmetic Surgery
Firstly, what has been the social perception of cosmetic surgery up until now?
From when I started my research in 2003 to the present, there have been two broad hypotheses about cosmetic surgery that have been widely believed: the "desire to be attractive hypothesis" and the "inferiority complex hypothesis".
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