Cosmetic surgery in Lebanon: A co-production

This article discusses the findings of a study of surgical modifications of the face in Lebanon, where a specific culture of beauty is an inherent feature of children’s early socialization. After describing the relationship between familial and social rituals and the prevalence of cosmetic surgery, the article concentrates on phenotypical imaginaries based on the co-creation of the face by plastic surgeons and their clients. Questioning discursive registers surrounding these practices in which ethnicity and naturalism intersect, the article concludes by interrogating the polarity between anatomical acculturation and a neotenic model.