Dr. Berkowitz authors Botox Nation
Dana Berkowitz's newest book, Botox Nation: Changing the Face of America, comes out soon from NYU Press. Below is from the publishers and be sure to catch her interview with The Guardian.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery estimates there are about two-and-a-half
million Botox procedures performed annually, and that number continues to increase.
The procedure is used as a preventive measure against aging and a means by which bodies,
particularly women’s, can be transformed and “improved” through the appearance of
youth. But why is Botox so popular, and why is aging such a terrifying concept?
Botox Nation draws from engaging, in-depth interviews with Botox users and providers as well as
Dana Berkowitz’s own experiences receiving the injections. The interviews reveal the
personal motivations for using Botox and help unpack how anti-aging practices are
conceived by, and resonate with, everyday people. Berkowitz is particularly interested
in how Botox is now being targeted to younger women; since Botox is a procedure that
must be continually administered to work, the strategic choice to market to younger
women, Berkowitz argues, aims to create lifetime consumers.
Berkowitz also analyzes magazine articles, advertisements, and even medical documents
to consider how narratives of aging are depicted. She employs a critical feminist
lens to consider the construction of feminine bodies and selves, and explores the
impact of cosmetic medical interventions aimed at maintaining the desired appearance
of youth, the culture of preventative medicine, the application of medical procedures
to seemingly healthy bodies, and the growth and technological advancement to the anti-aging
industry. The first in-depth social investigation into the development of Botox as
a phenomenon, Botox Nation is a captivating and critical story of how norms about bodies, gender, and aging
are constructed and reproduced on both cultural and individual levels.