Around the globe, aesthetic surgery has become a cultural and medical fixture. Sander Gilman seeks to explain why by presenting this systematic world history and cultural theory of aesthetic surgery. He argues that aesthetic surgery has such universal appeal because it helps people to "pass", to be seen as a member of a group with which they want to or need to identify. This is a profound, provocative, and engaging study of how humans have sought to change their lives by transforming their bodies.
