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Representations of Cosmetic Surgery in Women's Magazines

Touarti, Christina M
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1185417036

Abstract Details

2007, MA, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology.
The use of cosmetic surgery in today’s society is increasing in large numbers, mostly among the female population. The increased use of cosmetic surgery in recent years warrants the study of the messages in the media that may be affecting women’s decisions to get cosmetic surgery. Using framing theory as the basis for my research, I developed four frames from the sociological literature: the medicalization of women’s beauty, surgery as therapy, the autonomous voice, and perfection as normalcy. I then applied these four frames to articles about cosmetic surgery from four types of women’s magazines. Traditional women’s, fashion and beauty, target audience, and surgical magazines were sampled from the years 2004 and 2005. The findings show that the frame of the medicalization of women’s beauty occurred most frequently in all magazine types, while the frame of surgery as therapy was least prevalent overall. Furthermore, the use of these frames varied across magazine types, indicating the women who subscribe to traditional women’s magazines are exposed to different messages about cosmetic surgery from women who subscribe to fashion and beauty magazines. Finally, this study provides the groundwork for future content analyses of the framing of cosmetic surgery, as well as experiments that are designed to study the effect of such frames on women.
Elaine Hall (Advisor)
190 p.
Sociology, General
framing; cosmetic surgery

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Touarti, C. M. (2007). Representations of Cosmetic Surgery in Women's Magazines [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1185417036

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Touarti, Christina. Representations of Cosmetic Surgery in Women's Magazines. 2007. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1185417036.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Touarti, Christina. "Representations of Cosmetic Surgery in Women's Magazines." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1185417036

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1185417036
7,542
© 2007, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.