ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out cosmetic surgeons, to outline some of the main issues around this group that feminists might be interested in, and to flag some theoretical ways forward in thinking about them. It suggests two interlinked ways of analyzing them: firstly as Pygmalion figures, and secondly as figures within the complex world of cosmetic surgery that must negotiate within webs far larger than the simple surgeon/patient dyad. The chapter argues that there is an important element of parthenogenesis-where woman gives birth to herself-in symbolic readings of cosmetic surgery that is not present in Pygmalion. It suggests that a characteristic of contemporary cosmetic surgeons is that loss of status as sole expert is compensated by the deployment of a new kind of artistic expertise. The chapter deploys the Pygmalion narrative in order to open up what is often characterized as a closed relationship between doctors and patients.
