Bodies of Change: A Comparative Analysis of Media Representations of Body Modification Practices

This article examines how mainstream media frame and represent cosmetic surgery, tattooing, and body piercing as methods of body modification. Through an analysis of seventy-two newspaper articles on cosmetic surgery, tattooing, and body piercing, this article shows how cosmetic surgery and tattooing are positively presented as consumer lifestyle options, while piercing is often negatively framed as an unhealthy and problematic practice. Similarly, findings indicate that risks associated with cosmetic surgery and tattooing are frequently downplayed, as are tattooing's associations with deviance, while the potential risks related to body piercing are overemphasized. Gender is also a prominent framing device, typically as a method of reinforcing normative appearance expectations. This article concludes by discussing how these framing techniques reflect preexisting social understandings of body modification practices while simultaneously informing and shaping the broader public opinion.