Roll Bennet Petra
Stockholm University, Sweden.
Health (London). 2025 May;29(3):411-426. doi: 10.1177/13634593241270950. Epub 2024 Sep 16.
Breast augmentation is a prevalent cosmetic surgery procedure among women in Western societies, and the cosmetic surgery market has witnessed substantial growth. Today, websites and online forums are platforms that feature discussions about cosmetic procedures. A genre on surgery clinic websites is 'patient stories', but also lay-initiated internet forums facilitate discussions and shared experiences related to cosmetic surgery. This study aims to analyse lay-initiated online narratives about cosmetic breast augmentation. The shared narratives contain descriptions of how women who are about to undergo breast augmentation prepare for surgery, the medical procedures that take place on the day of surgery itself, and the experiences and feelings after waking up after anaesthesia. Employing a structural analysis of 30 of these stories, this research illuminates how the surgery stories adhere to a conventional storytelling format, and how key characters within the stories are 'helpers and makers', including relatives, nurses and surgeons. The focus in these narratives revolves around the woman herself, although her active involvement is primarily observed during the preparation phase, with a more passive role assumed during subsequent clinic routines. Despite instances of pain and discomfort in the narratives, the stories are enveloped in an aura of glamour and a spa-like atmosphere. It is discussed how this 'fairy tale' story, narrating a surgical metamorphosis, seems to align with the popularisation of the cosmetic surgery sector.
隆胸手术在西方社会的女性中是一种常见的整形手术,整形手术市场也经历了大幅增长。如今,网站和在线论坛是人们讨论整形手术的平台。手术诊所网站上有一类内容是“患者故事”,但由普通民众发起的网络论坛也促进了有关整形手术的讨论和经验分享。本研究旨在分析由普通民众发起的关于隆胸整形手术的在线叙述。这些分享的叙述包含了即将接受隆胸手术的女性如何为手术做准备、手术当天所进行的医疗程序,以及麻醉苏醒后的经历和感受。通过对其中30个故事进行结构分析,本研究揭示了这些手术故事是如何遵循传统叙事格式的,以及故事中的关键人物是如何成为“帮助者和塑造者”的,包括亲属、护士和外科医生。这些叙述的重点围绕着女性自身,尽管她的积极参与主要体现在准备阶段,而在随后的诊疗过程中则扮演较为被动的角色。尽管叙述中存在疼痛和不适的情况,但这些故事却笼罩在魅力光环和类似水疗的氛围之中。本文探讨了这种讲述手术蜕变的“童话故事”似乎如何与整形手术行业的普及相契合。