Modifying the Body: Canadian Men's Perspectives on Appearance and Cosmetic Surgery

In postmodern scholarship there has been a temporal shift to thinking of the body as malleable rather than fixed, which has opened space for the remaking of the self via the remaking of the body (Featherstone, 1991; Giddens, 1991). Among men, this process is thought to interact with shifting understandings of masculinity. In this study, 14 interviews were conducted to investigate experiences of masculinity, physical appearance and cosmetic surgery among Canadian men who had undergone or were contemplating cosmetic surgery. Responses suggest that bodily presentations and experiences of masculinity continue to influence how people feel about themselves and their perspective toward cosmetic surgery. Findings are discussed in relation to contemporary constructions of masculinity, body, and identity. Key Words: Body Modification, Appearance, Cosmetic Surgery, Masculinity, Risk Theory, and Grounded Theory Risk is evident in everyday life. From a macro to a micro level of society, risk saturates human existence. Beck (1992) and Giddens (1994) have argued that life in late modernity is characterized by a conscious or unconscious awareness of and response to unpredictable and unfamiliar risks that are created by human agency. These risks can be biological (e.g., diseases such as HIV/AIDS or Severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS], environmental pollution and food additives), social (e.g., crime, discrimination and poverty) or technological (e.g., plane crashes, nuclear weaponry and chemical weapons). Researchers have also argued that in response to such risks, people are reflexively exerting control over their bodies via health/lifestyle choices (e.g., organic foods, yoga, bottled water, and frequent medical exams) amidst continuous warnings of danger (Beck, 1992; Giddens, 1991). Williams (1997) has reinforced this argument by explaining that medical technologies render the body “uncertain,” providing both hope (e.g., the possibility for better health and an improved appearance) and despair (e.g., a blotched surgery). Self-identity in risk society is threatened – largely by the dissolution of conventional norms, traditions, and values (Beck, 1992; Ekberg, 2007; Giddens, 1994). Consequently, individuals must make choices about their self-identity based on perceived risk and the anxieties, insecurities, and uncertainties associated with taking or avoiding risks. Risk society combined with consumer capitalism (i.e., an image and self-obsessed pursuit of pleasure and control in the personal sphere of life via material goods, see Featherstone, 1991) appears to generate insecurities which people cope with by