Futurities of Beauty and the Scalpel: Cosmetic Surgeries and Fatphobia in Iran

ABSTRACT

This article examines the increase in visibility and access to cosmetic surgery in Iran through the use of social media apps such as Instagram. Further, this article examines the social, interpersonal, geopolitical, and historical elements involved in the precipitous rise, alongside the influence of Western media and culture. The innate Iranian dynamics and sociopolitical context is critically examined in the manifestation of this social phenomenon as well as in the social media sphere that functions to amplify cultural trends. Lastly, this article argues for an increased focus on cosmetic surgery and fatphobia, in addition to coalition building among marginalized groups in the Iranian feminist movements. Through working across different marginalized identities, there is the potential to both address the multiple factors that create the idealized Iranian body such as cosmetic surgery, social media, fatphobia, and Western ideals – as well as create space to imagine new futurities.

KEYWORDS:

• Fatphobia
• Iran
• cosmetic surgery
• Instagram
• Iranian feminism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Many Iranians from the diasporic community as well as foreigners are traveling to Iran to receive medical and surgical care. Now, cosmetic surgeries play a main role in driving medical tourism business in Iran.

2. Instagram accounts used for this analysis: @motekhasesin_zibaee @dr.kamelfiroozi @zima.beauty.clinic @dr.karmian @sahartabar.

3. #جراحی_پلاستیک، جراحی_زیبایی، #عمل _بینی، #لیپوساکشن، #لاغری.

4. Instagram pages analyzed and contacted, all prices and followers are taken as of March 2019https://www.instagram.com/motekhasesin_zibaee/?igshid=1xq763fobl0k6https://www.instagram.com/dr.kamelfiroozi/?igshid=l8l3j90z9yj7https://www.instagram.com/zima.beauty.clinic/?igshid=gp2vl7ndb461https://www.instagram.com/dr.karimian/?igshid=17kp0oxrv5kg1.

5. This is in line with additional studies about Iran (Sadati et al. 2016).

6. https://www.instagram.com/sahartabar_official/?hl=en as of March 2019.

7. The experiences of women with fat bodies were very similar to studies from the US (see Fikkan and Rothblum 2011; Saguy, 2012, for reviews). They almost experienced similar discrimination because of their fat bodies.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sevil Suleymani

Sevil Suleymani M.A. is a sociology Ph.D. student at George Mason University with an emphasis on gender and globalization. Her research focuses are minorities in the Middle East, gender and women studies in Muslim societies, and feminist movements in Iran. She graduated with her master’s degree in women studies at San Diego State University where her thesis research focused on Azerbaijani women in Iran through exploring their oppression, empowerment, and agency.