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Body Image in Brazil and Usa

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Body Image in Brazil and Usa
Body Image in Brazil and USA Four thousand years ago the last of the mammoths were roaming the earth before extinction, anesthesia was still 3800 years away from being discovered, and tools were still being made out of stone. What else was happening that long ago? Humans were performing the first known cases of reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries, documenting back to skin grafts in ancient India. Between the first documented procedures and the early 1800 's not a lot progressed aside from the basic tools being used. In 1827, Dr. John Peter Mettaue performed the first cleft palate operation using tools of his own design kicking off the modern plastic surgery advancements. Using the advancements in reconstructive surgeries became increasingly popular during World War I as it was used to save many soldiers ' lives throughout the world. In the late 1940’s, following the second World War, the focus of plastic surgery began to shift from medical procedures to save lives in the military to a more public and socialized practice. A boom in the 1960 's spread rapidly after the introduction of silicone implants by Dr. Thomas Cronin. Sports Illustrated Magazine issued its first swim suit edition in 1964 featuring a five page spread of bikini clad perfect model bodies that the public was pressured to imitate. Despite the American involvement in Vietnam during the late 60 's the trend continued to increase into the 70 's when plastic surgery hit an all-time high due to the public discovery of its uses on all parts of the body. Over the decades, countries throughout the world including Brazil and The United States have adopted plastic surgery as an active part of their cultures despite monetary and health costs all because of media and social pressures. The United States and Brazil rank first and second in the world of most plastic surgery procedures, respectively. According to Dr. Daniela Dorneles de Andrade, a psychological research associate at the University of


Cited: ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgeons). The Plastic Surgery Foundation, 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. Dorneles de Andrade, Daniela. “On Norms and Bodies: Findings from Field Research on Cosmetic Surgery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.” Reproductive Health Matters 18.35 (2010) : 74-83. Print. Edmonds, Alexander. “Learning to Love Yourself: Esthetics, Health, and Therapeutics in Brazilian Plastic Surgery.” Routledge Journals 74.4 (2009) : 465-489. Print. Edmonds, Alexander. “’The Poor Have the Right To Be Beautiful’: Cosmetic Surgery in Neoliberal Brazil.” Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 13.1 (2007) : 363-381. Print. Kreimer, Susan. “Teens Getting Breast Implants for Graduation.” Womensenews. Women’s eNews Inc., 6 June. 2004. Web. 26 Oct 2012.

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