Cosmetic Body Alteration and the Hymenoplasty Procedure

Revision with unchanged content. Through the discourse of technological embodiment, scientific progress in medicine and technology have advanced to the point that the human body is no longer thought of as a fixed form void of fluidity and refashioning. Sur­gical body alterations, specifically the hymenoplasty procedure, are a means by which some women (re)instate the appearance of 'virginity.' Within a cultural framework of dominant and subservient groups, this phenomenon is constructed as a controversial practice that uses cosmetic surgery in order to circumvent potential 'honor-killings.' By understanding the unique inter­relationships of doctors, patients, and publics, ensuing findings that emerge from this examination show that the hymenoplasty procedure is a discursive rhetorical function with far-reaching implications that are both empowering and disempowering for the patients who are having it done. This book is addressed to professionals within the medical community as well as rhetorical communication scholars and anthropologists who have special interests in the ethics and implications of cutting-edge and controversial medical practices­.