Botox Nation

This book is an essential text for anyone interested in sociology and the body. Beautifully written and personally reflexive, it is a wonderful example of the drawing together and application of different strands of social theory -- symbolic interactionism, feminist theories of embodiment and post-structuralism, among them. While taking very seriously the epic sociological dilemma of structure vs. agency, it demonstrates quite explicitly how the self and the corporeal are constructed via an emerging body technology like Botox; in turn, it shows how the meanings of such technologies are made concrete in and through the bodies of contemporary women -- including the author's own body. ~Debra Gimlin,author of Body Work: Beauty and Self-Image in American Culture

When we think of body modification, we think of surgery -- like liposuction, face lifts, breast augmentation. Dana Berkowitz's exciting work dramatically expands the discussion to include nonsurgical procedures -- which account for 80% of all procedures. Combining deft fieldwork, detailed interviews, and daring autoethnography, Berkowitz broadens and deepens our understanding of the cosmetically altered but not surgically redefined body. ~Michael Kimmel,author of Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era

This book is a significant contribution to understanding the ways in which the aging body is commodified in contemporary societies and how promissory discourse may shape views and actions and have inequitable outcomes. It will prove invaluable to those interested in the body and society, the sociology of health and illness, and the dynamics of new and emerging treatment markets. ~American Journal of Sociology

The writing is approachable, and the research is well-documented in an appendix, making the volume suitable for methods courses. ~Choice