Top Rank Magazine

Cosmetic surgery is one of the fastest growing medical procedures in the United States. According to 2019 figures from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the US has the highest number of cosmetic procedures conducted annually, as well as the largest number of practicing cosmetic surgeons, who are among this country's highest paid medical professionals. Cosmetic surgery is also a rapidly growing industry globally and countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and South Korea are sought after destinations for people seeking specialty procedures. Though highly variable according to context, aesthetic standards for beauty are always socially and politically constructed. In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Alka Menon, a medical sociologist and assistant professor at Yale University whose research centers on the relationship between the body and social identities, especially race and ethnicity, and how these ideas manifest in the realm of cosmetic surgery. How is cosmetic surgery enmeshed in the t