Herrmann Beate
Interfakultares Zentrum fur Ethik in den Wissenschaften (IZEW), Universitat Tubingen, Wilhelmstrabe 19, 72074 Tubingen, Germany.
Ethik Med. 2006 Mar;18(1):71-80. doi: 10.1007/s00481-006-0415-0.
There is an increasing demand for invasive forms of cosmetic surgery. In view of the omnipresent confrontation with some idealized standards of beauty in advertising, films, beauty-shows etc., this paper deals with the question of whether women undergo cosmetic surgery because they are forced by a norm-setting beauty system or whether they choose these operations themselves.
I offer an analysis of what could be an adequate concept of autonomous choice in this area. Particularly, it will be shown that a libertarian concept of autonomy is inadequate for analyzing the moral status of cosmetic surgery.
A concept of autonomy is outlined that enables us to qualify certain kinds of pressure as autonomy restricting.
