An ethnography that examines the culture of beauty and plastic surgery in Brazil

Pretty Modern is a riveting account of Brazil’s emergence as a global leader in plastic surgery. Intrigued by a Carnaval parade that mysteriously paid homage to a Rio de Janeiro plastic surgeon, anthropologist Alexander Edmonds conducted research that took him from Ipanema socialite circles to glitzy telenovela studios to the packed waiting rooms of public hospitals offering free cosmetic surgery. The result is provocative exploration of the erotic, commercial, and intimate aspects of beauty in a nation with extremes of wealth and poverty and a reputation for natural sensuality. Drawing on conversations with maids and their elite mistresses, divorced housewives, black celebrities, and favela residents aspiring to be fashion models, Edmonds analyzes what sexual desirability means and does for women in different social positions. He argues that beauty is a distinct realm of modern experience that does not simply reflect other inequalities. It mimics the ambiguous emancipatory potential of capital, challenging traditional hierarchies while luring consumers into a sexual culture that reduces the body to the brute biological criteria of attractiveness. Illustrated with color photographs, Pretty Modern offers a fresh theoretical perspective on the significance of female beauty in consumer capitalism.

"“Alexander Edmonds provides readers with a compelling and visceral ethnography about the ubiquitous cultural practice of plastica, or cosmetic surgery, in Rio to better understand its ubiquity across Brazil’s different social classes. . . . Pretty Modern is an important contribution to the literature on gender and the body, and will be of interest to Brazil specialists and nonspecialists alike. Although the focus is beauty, those considering race or history will also find the material useful.”" - Visual Anthropology Review

"“Fascinating. . . . The book overflows with provocative discussions. . . . [T]his study should evoke reflection and animated discussion of medicine, gender, self, culture, and modernity in multiple academic settings and beyond. Recommended. All levels/libraries.”" - Choice

"“Pretty Modern is a provocative ethnographic excursion through the labyrinth of context necessary for understanding the rise in popularity of cosmetic plastic surgery in contemporary Brazil…. I found his ethnography to be important and compelling.”" - American Ethnologist

"“Alex Edmonds’ book Pretty Modern is a remarkable account of cosmetic surgery—or plastic—in Brazil…. One of the huge strengths of Edmonds’ book is the detail and complexity he brings to each of the issues he analyses…. [I]t is ultimately refreshing.”" - Sociology of Health & Illness

"“Edmonds’ offers readers a provocative, richly textured, and nuanced analysis of the rise in popularity of plástica across social classes in Brazil. . . . Pretty Modern is a masterful ethnography about the medicalization of beauty.”" - Anthropological Quarterly

"“One of the clear advantages of Pretty Modern is the great depth of analysis that we are offered. Anecdotes and detailed descriptions provide the backdrop for theoretical discussions, fleshing out the arguments and providing the reader with a more rounded view of the issues…. Pretty Modern is a very enjoyable, provocative and stimulating read.”" - Medical Sociology Online

"“Highly readable and ranging from ethnographic, to historical, to theoretical, Pretty Modern will appeal to a broad readership.”" - Luso-Brazilian Review