The Power of Seduction: Conceptions of Beauty and Cosmetic Surgery

This engaging work demonstrates that beauty truly does come from within.

"Plastic surgery is not a magic wand," declares Dr. Jean-Claude Hagège in his critique of the dangerous confusion between beauty and seductiveness. Having seen, spoken with, and operated on hundreds of patients, Hagège offers a unique perspective on the important distinction between formal beauty and true seductive power. Although it can improve our external appearance, the surgeon's scalpel, Hagège cautions us, can do little to enhance our power to seduce. This important warning comes at a time when formal beauty and youth have become an imperative, making our appearance a commodity to be purchased on the marketplace.

As Hagège relates the successes and failures of his practice, we learn that our misconceptions about how we should look are informed by the rational part of the brain, the cortex. Hagège explains that true seductive power does not emanate from the cortex, but from the limbic system, the part of the brain that gives us access to our emotions and to our desire to truly connect. When we think in terms of how we should appear, trying to conform to certain cultural standards of beauty with the hope of changing our relationship with the world, we are bound to be disappointed. Instead, if we are in close touch with the limbic system, we will be better able to access our feelings about who we truly want to be. Only then will our decisions about plastic surgery meet our expectations.