Futurities of Beauty and the Scalpel: Cosmetic Surgeries and Fatphobia in Iran

This article examines the increase in visibility and access to cosmetic surgery in Iran through the use of social media apps such as Instagram. Further, this article examines the social, interpersonal, geopolitical, and historical elements involved in the precipitous rise, alongside the influence of Western media and culture. The innate Iranian dynamics and sociopolitical context is critically examined in the manifestation of this social phenomenon as well as in the social media sphere that functions to amplify cultural trends. Lastly, this article argues for an increased focus on cosmetic surgery and fatphobia, in addition to coalition building among marginalized groups in the Iranian feminist movements. Through working across different marginalized identities, there is the potential to both address the multiple factors that create the idealized Iranian body such as cosmetic surgery, social media, fatphobia, and Western ideals – as well as create space to imagine new futurities.