The ways in which society perceives beauty has led to a rapid increase over the medicalisation of body image. The most common procedure that women undergo is cosmetic surgery, this procedure can be seen to modify people’s perceptions of the “normal body” and reconstruct the ideology of what a normal body is (Gimlin, 2000, p. 77). Cosmetic surgery became the fastest growing medical specialty (Wolf, 1990, p.1). Cosmetic surgery became the go to solution to help individuals overcome their negative body appearance issues, “if you look good you feel good” (Featherstone, 2000, p.7). One aspect of cosmetic surgery that has been medicalised is breast enhancements with a total of 8,238 women receiving breast augmentation in 2017 (British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, 2018).What establishes the term biomedical enhancement is not always clear, “treatments are for real medical diseases, while enhancements are for bodily or performance improvements” (Conrad, 2008, 72). Historically it can be seen that it was not necessary to medicalise breast enhancements. Any breast corrections were carried out only in necessary circumstances for example; the removal of tumours (Davies, 1995, p.24). Medicalisation of breast enhancements slowly came into appearance during the mid-twentieth century, the shift from reduction in breast size to enhancements suggests that breast corrections are now for individual gain and not for necessary medical health reasons, seeing the increase in medicalisation (Davies, 1995, p.25).
Athlete’s performance has become medicalised, in terms of the use of steroids and human growth hormones (HGH). There has been an increase in the use of athletic performance drugs since the 1960s (Moller, et al., 2015 p.405). Steroids were a widely used performance drug between the years of 1950 to 1968 for increasing size, speed and stamina, until the use of steroids for athletes was later banned in 1975 (Conrad, 2008, p.85). Many athletes feel compelled to take ergogenic drugs as they believe all competitors do and they consume performance enhancing drugs without consideration on their health but the outweighed factor that they will enhance their athletic performance.
Human growth hormones were developed in 1985 where they could be seen to be replacing the use of steroids by athletes. Doctors and athletes began to experiment with Human growth hormones for performance enhancement as they were seen to be more powerful than the use of steroids and were believed to increase muscular strength and size (Kicman and Cowan, 1992, p.504). Human growth hormones were also experimentally used to treat bodily deterioration amongst a sample of elderly men who obtained low levels of human growth hormones. The experiments were carried out on Rudman’s (1990) theory of growth hormone menopause which was thought to result in ageing adults who obtained little or no growth hormone seeing a reduction in their muscle mass, therefore the use of human growth hormones were believed to restore this. Rudman published his findings in the New England Journal of Medicine which displayed that lean body mass increased by 9%, fat decreased by 14%, muscle mass increased and skin became less fragile (Conrad, 2008, p. 82). This indicates that the ageing process also began to be medicalised.
Weightloss has become medicalised in the way that gastric bypass surgery are the most common intervention to tackling obesity levels. “In 2016/2017, there were 617 thousand admissions in NHS hospitals where obesity was a factor” (National Health Service, 2018). In previous year’s alternatives for weight loss such as dieting and exercise were frequently used methods for treating those who were overweight, however it can now be seen that obesity is perceived as a disease in itself, in need of intervention and has increasingly became medicalised (Conrad, 2008, p.119).
Capitalism plays a key role in the social recognition of body enhancement procedures, with pharmaceutical companies and consumerism demands influencing society’s views on body enhancements. Social constructionists theorise that the body is influenced by the individual’s human actions and interactions with the social world (Spade and Valentine, 2011, p. 16). Body enhancements can now be seen to be widely accepted and a ‘normal’ process within society. Due to more recognition and acceptance, the work of social constructionists would influence more individuals to enhance their body. With the demand for new markets always being around and body enhancements now becoming more widespread, these procedures can now be perceived as the norm.
In conclusion, these body enhancements that reshape the human body are increasingly becoming medicalised and due to this are becoming more accepted within society. These issues being faced within society (obesity, negative body image and low athletic performance) which lead to the accessing of body enhancements cannot be medicalised by professionals if they were not deemed to be a problem experience by many and therefore medicalisation would not exist.
By Leila Barani and Sophie-Jane Lovegrove
References
British Assosication of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (2018) Cosmetic Surgery stats: Dad Bods and Filter Jobs. Available at: https://baaps.org.uk/about/news/1535/cosmetic_surgery_stats_dad_bods_and_filter_jobs (accessed on: 1st May 2018).
Conrad, P. (2008) The Medicalization of Society. London: John Hopkins University Press.
Davis, K. (1955) Reshaping the Female Body. Great Britain: Routlege.
Featherstone, M (ed.) Body Modification. Nottingham: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Gilmin, D. 2000. “Cosmetic Surgery: Beauty as Commodity”. Qualitative Sociology. Volume 23, issue 1, p. 77-98.
Kicman, Andrew T., and David A. Cowan. 1992. “Peptide Hormones and Sport; Misuse and Detection.” British Medical Bulletin 48: 496-517.
Moller, V, Waddington, I and Hoberman, J.M (2015) Routledge Handbook of Drugs and Sport. Oxon: Routledge.
National Health Service (2018) Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet – England, 2018. Available at: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/statistics-on-obesity-physical-activity-and-diet/statistics-on-obesity-physical-activity-and-diet-england-2018. (accessed on: 1st May 2018).
Rudman cited in, Conrad, P. (2008) The Medicalization of Society. London: John Hopkins University Press.
Spade, J.Z and Valentine, C.G, (2011) The Kaleidoscope of Gender, third edition, United states of America; Sage Publications, inc.
Wolf, N. (1990) The Beauty Myth. Great Britain: Chatto & Windus Limited.
ssc220medicalisation.wordpress.com 