Beauty Demands

Beauty Demands is a network to share views on beauty norms and practices. The project is encouraging debate between the network members and beyond. There are 2 projects running at the University of Birmingham, funded by AHRC and Leverhulme - Perfect Me and Beauty Demands . This project considers changing attitudes to body image and the consequent changing uses of procedures which have traditionally been regarded as 'medical' e.g. the increase in surgical procedures connected to appearance and beauty. The most popular procedures in the UK are breast augmentation, eyelid surgery and face/neck lifts. These procedures are seen as increasingly 'normal', 'routine' and part of the 'beauty regimes' of 'ordinary women'. What are the beauty norms which underlie this trend? The assumption of the network is that beauty image is becoming ever more demanding and defining of women, and increasingly men. The project will ask how this norm is constituted...

The Network will be holding a number of events: Workshop 1: ‘Changing Understandings of Body Image' (March 2015). Workshop 2: 'Professionals, practitioners and beauty norms' (June 2015). Workshop 3: 'Globalisation of beauty' (October 2015). Workshop 4: ''Routine maintenance' and exceptional procedures' (Feb 2016). We will be updating details of speakers, topics, and how you can contribute!