This investigation of the modern obsession of cosmetic surgery reads like part magazine article, part personal blog. Kuczynski, a New York Times reporter specializing in all things beauty, is immersed in the world of Botox and breast augmentations ('BA's as they are called by the cognoscenti'). She interviews both doctors and patients, focusing mostly on the wealthy inhabitants of L.A. and the Upper East Side of New York (duh, only the wealthy can afford this obsession). Both share the triumph or tribulation plastic surgery may bring (e.g über-hotness, death). Kuczynski shares her personal experience of "addiction to and recovery from" cosmetic procedures, as well. Nothing too shocking for the everyday reader of Cosmopolitan, though I was surprised to learn the average BA costs only $3,437. After reading this book, I'm quite grateful not to be part of a subculture that mandates lipo and microdermabrasion. At least not yet, anyway.

An insightful look at the fixation Americans have with not just youth, but also maintaining an idealized, perfected, appearance. The author demonstrates the toll this quest takes and lengths people will go to in order to create a physical image that they think fits them better than what they have and how often this quest never ends. Cosmetic surgery is not just about combating the effects of again, of course; it is also about externalizing one's inner image or trying to create an image that camouflages perceived defects in character, personality, life-style, etc.

An interesting and in some places, chilling, read.

A decade after it was first published there are a couple of points where this book is dated*, however it is still a very good, informative read about the history of cosmetic/plastic surgery as well as the author's personal experiences.


*(the author writes that she had to have a friend purchase Hyaluronic acid for her in Europe and smuggle it into the USA - 10 years later I am in Nz and have a bottle of it on the dressing table. 10 years ago the American aesthetic was apparently all about "tits on sticks" - now we have butt implants)

This is a fascinating book. I appreciate that she gives detailed information on how to judge the credentials of your potential plastic surgeon. These are the things that I liked about this book: The writer is a reporter and has a skeptical, thorough and observant eye, she is also seduced by the idea of looking young and beautiful, tries some of these procedures herself and shares her experiences and feelings with us. In the past four years I have considered much of this myself, tried some of it and have been thinking about more. I totally appreciate her input.

Why 5 stars? Although the writing is funny and entertaining, what really cinched the deal for me was the fact that most of the women in this book...

apparently live around my high school. Am I surprised? No, not really - I made/make fun of them all the time. It just scares the bajeezus out of me realizing that the most relentless of my caricatures has not captured the full level of vanity (or neurosis) of some of these, well, beauty junkies.

Reading this in conjunction with "Food Fight" = one helluva scary portrayal of modern day America.

Could not get into this book; apparently I don't care about beauty junkies or the extreme measures people take to look beautiful.

3.5 stars

In this book, the author takes a look at the beauty industry. More specifically, she looks at cosmetic surgery.

I'm not sure why I decided to read this book, but I added it to my tbr quite some time ago. I've never had nor do I ever intend to get any type of cosmetic surgery (plastic surgery – if necessary – sure). However, this was kind of interesting. I especially liked the chapter the author talks about her own cosmetic surgery and how it might have become an addiction for her, until she had a major issue with one of the procedures.

Read this one a couple of years ago, could not put it down! Investigative journalist Kuczynski sheds light on the nation's focus on youth and beauty at any cost. She shares personal experience in addition to extensive research, giving a balanced perspective of the beauty industry. Every American woman should read this book.

had to read for a final paper at uni

I read this because I was interested in learning how the cosmetic surgery industry came to be so gigantic. Lots of good sources were used and I found it to be thorough for its time. Unfortunately all statistics are dated now, considering it's 2023. I still think Alex does a good job combining her personal and professional experiences with the industry.

I found this an interesting and, at times, horrifying, though rarely surprising, read. I expect some of the information is a little outdated now as it was written in 2004 -- new procedures and products have undoubtably come out on the market -- but the concepts are unchanged. There were a couple procedures I wasn't aware of, including cosmetic toe surgery and injecting fat into the soles of the feet to compensate for long-time high-heel use, but for the most part I think I'm pretty current on available surgeries (including those that reshape the vagina or navel and the one required after gastric bypass surgery that removes all the extra skin). I *was* jaw-droppingly surprised to read about the Navy SEAL who had a bullet wound scar created by a plastic surgeon because he was embarrassed that he didn't have any battle scars from his time in the military.

For the bulk of the book, I was generally pleased with the author. She presented things pretty fairly, I thought. She did regularly refer to the "ugly" people in the world, often along with a description of whatever it was that made them so, which sat with me poorly. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised to hear the word tossed around so casually in a book about cosmetic surgery, but I was. I was also initially surprised to learn, as the book progressed, that the author has had quite a bit of cosmetic work done herself -- about $12,000 worth, as I recall, including numerous Botox injections and, later, eyelid surgery and liposuction. I suppose from a journalistic standpoint, this is a good thing as she can speak directly about the process, the thoughts behind the decision to make it, etc. I don't know why it initially sat with me strangely, but it did. (I did have to laugh at her "I'm not obsessed, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not" lead in to describing all the work she elected to have done. And I was not at all sympathetic to what happened with her last lip injection.)

I found parts of the book very sad, and not just reading about the people who were disfigured or killed during or as a result of their surgery. There is, of course, the inherent sadness of how young patients are these days and the strength of the media and social demand for conventional beauty. What struck me most was Mrs. X -- a wealthy man's housewife who has regular procedures and surgeries, so many that they encompass three paragraphs of description/listing. WHen asked by the author if she regretted not having a career, Mrs. X. said no, because she probably would never have been good enough at anything to make a difference. I find that incredibly sad.

(A bit unrelated: I had to stop and put the book down after learning that crematoriums are discouraging the cremation of morbidly obese bodies because "during the process, vast amounts of fat often leak and cause fires outside the cremation device." Ick.)

So, in short, a decent, if disturbing, read.

I cannot put this book down!!! Highly recommended, though beware if you are easily grossed out by descriptions of surgical procedures.