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Beauty, Choice, and Empowerment: Does Cosmetic Surgery Translate into Gendered Empowerment in Bangladesh?

Beauty, Choice, and Empowerment: Does Cosmetic Surgery Translate into Gendered Empowerment in Bangladesh?
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Author(s): Jinat Hosain (American International University- Bangladesh (AIUB), Bangladesh)
Copyright: 2016
Pages: 17
Source title: Revealing Gender Inequalities and Perceptions in South Asian Countries through Discourse Analysis
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Nazmunnessa Mahtab (University of Dhaka, Bangladesh), Sara Parker (John Moores University, UK), Farah Kabir (Action Aid, Bangladesh), Tania Haque (University of Dhaka, Bangladesh), Aditi Sabur (University of Dhaka, Bangladesh)and Abu Saleh Mohammad Sowad (University of Dhaka, Bangladesh)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-0279-1.ch011

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Abstract

This study tries to explore the interrelated dynamics among cosmetic surgery, choice and empowerment. While poverty, poor health accessibility and gender inequality are common problems in Bangladesh, a growing number of cosmetic clinics are being established and a number of women are increasingly taking up cosmetic surgeries. This study seeks to explore why women choose cosmetic surgeries for beautification, how they experience it and whether cosmetic surgery leads women to be empowered or not. Using qualitative research methods, this study used in-depth semi structured interview, observation and case study method to collect the data from the different cosmetic surgery patients, coming from both urban and rural areas of Bangladesh. The data was further analyzed by coding informants' responses into themes based on the research objectives and the theory, named ‘empowerment'. The study shows that even if the women choose surgery, it does not necessarily enhance their empowerment. That is the surgery that brings changes in physical appearance and might make them attractive, but it contributes little socially in terms of enabling them to make own decision in the contest of family and in community. Rather these women act as prescribed by patriarchal norms and gendered rules. Analyzing the data from theoretical point of view, this study found that the women, irrespective of regional boundaries, can rarely fulfill the condition of empowerment in relation to choice and IAP. The study concludes with some questions and queries that need more research to be answered.

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