The Fervor for “Ski-Slope” Noses: An Exploration into the Surgical Reinforcement of Colonial Beauty

Abstract

In this paper, we inspect cosmetic surgery advertising based in three cities regarded at the forefront of plastic surgery: Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, JK Plastic Surgery Center in Seoul, and Estetik International in Istanbul. We engage with postcolonial theories such as Homi K Bhabha’s concept of mimicry and W.E.B Du Bois’s theory of double consciousness to examine the way in which traditional beauty standards are reinforced in these ads through the consistent usage of Caucasian models and the popularity of particular procedures despite the geographic distance and cultural divisions between locations. Moreover, we analyze the global exchange of distinct ethnic features, investigating its coexisting and evolving relationship with the mainstream beauty standard’s idealization of the European appearance. We challenge the conventional perception that Eurocentric ideals singularly occupy contemporary beauty standards, arguing the emergence of a more complex standard through the decomposition of homogeneous colonial beauty and the growing admiration for explicitly regional characteristics.