|
|
Article: The Mythology of the Face-lift.
- Article from:
- Social Research
- Article date:
- March 22, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 New School for Social Research. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
FACE-LIFTS, and surgical procedures to make the face look younger, are nothing new. Medical techniques that have made them a reality are fairly recent, but mythological texts spanning many centuries and many cultures (from ancient India to Hollywood) have imagined what the consequences might be if those who wished for a new face were to get what they wished for. Contemporary accounts of cosmetic surgery differ in many ways from mythological treatments of the theme; where the modern technique constructs a new face ex nihilo, most myths imagine the exchange of one face for another, existing face. Both sets of stories, however, frequently express the desire to have not just ...