Talent Management in Hype Center

Presentation Hype Center is a showcasing firm that embraces promoting of local things, for example, aromas, salves, and cured cleanser. Since the inside is a little promoting firm that began its procedure on July 2013, at that point it despite everything requires more workers. As of late, the firm set out on a quest for qualified workers. The firm at that point put the applicant under a three-month probation period.Advertising We will compose a custom appraisal test on Talent Management in Hype Center explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More During the probation, the assistant would work with three different representatives of the middle as a group. The firm recruited the understudy on the grounds that the showcasing venture planned for expanding deals. In this way, the middle analyzed characteristics of the understudy. The psychometric markers utilized incorporate mastery, proficient capabilities, capacities, and mentalities. As a human asset official, the firm entrust ed me to survey staff execution and incorporate a report. Accordingly, the report looks at the aptitudes and skills of the understudy in the field of promoting. Writing Review Human asset directors for the most part look at various characteristics and traits that potential representatives have before enrolling them. Among different traits, human asset administrators anticipate that a representative should have the capacity of working with others in a gainful and agreeable way. Moreover, the human asset division anticipates that people should exhibit great self-observing capacities. The capacities empower representatives to direct their practices and viably oblige diverse social difficulties that people goes over in the working environment (Bikhchandani, 2002). Along these lines, the individual can adjust and work agreeably and beneficially with other colleagues who have various characters. Abilities are fundamental in the showcasing part of the organization. As indicated by Terracin o (2005), workers ought to likewise have the social knowledge as it empowers them to regard the assessments of different representatives. Furthermore, Marchioni (2009) states that an up-and-comer must be objective arranged, exceptionally attentive of others, have great discretion on driving forces, be composed, and careful on the promoting subtleties as exhibited in reliability character trait.Advertising Looking for appraisal on business financial matters? How about we check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The principles character quality is one of the large five character characteristics otherwise called the enormous five locators. This makes it simple for people to impact other colleagues, just as target shoppers self-assuredly. Able showcasing abilities empower advertisers to persuade clients on the legitimacy of the items, and increment deals. Also, the human asset office anticipates that a worker should have characteristic style of coop eration, which is one of the four styles of collaborations styles. Berens (2008) takes note of that the association style empowers people to comprehend and work with groups and perform well. The individual worth commitments empower representatives make counsels before choosing a strategy (Snyder, 2000). Besides, colleagues store up data and different perspectives with the goal that they can utilize them to settle on educated choices. In this style of cooperation, the people are quiet, patient, and calm, and hence can create, support, characterize, and explain issues impartially. Subsequently, these indidviduals accept that for a task to succeed, it should take a sensible timeframe. Along these lines, the association style empowers an individual impart thoughts, suppositions, and recommendations utilizing clear and suitable route inline with the pertinent crowd or authority. Information Self-observing Results Your score is 50, on a size of 0 (low self-screen) to 100 (high self-screen ). You are neither a high nor low self-screen. Enormous Five Locator Results Advertising We will compose a custom appraisal test on Talent Management in Hype Center explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More Interaction Styles Based on the consequences of the ISAT, you are an energizer! Loaded with enticing vitality, energizers are regular individuals. You realize how to start up a discussion and prop it up. Jung Type Results You are a characteristic chief. You are a certain and unique mastermind, and accept unequivocally in yourself. You are a solid independent who looks for new edges or novel perspectives on. All in all, you are a very competent and wise person who endeavors to put forth a valiant effort and keep on moving a constructive way. Discoveries On the aftereffects of oneself observing test, the assistant neither scored half, which implies that the understudy is neither low nor high self-screen. Since the understudy had such self-observing abilities and social knowledge, at that point the assistant had the option to regard the assessments of other colleagues and respond in an appropriate way to various working environment challenges. The individual was likewise ready to utilize poise, association, and showcasing aptitudes on the colleagues, just as target purchasers. As to huge five locator, the outcomes show that the assistant scored 68, 83, 60, 45, 45, and 18 in extraversion, uprightness, neuroticism, pleasantness, and receptiveness individually. The significant level of extraversion and reliability infers that the assistant is active and aware of what's going on in the workplace.Advertising Searching for appraisal on business financial matters? How about we check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Find out More Furthemore, the understudy demostrated elevated levels of comprehension on issues concerning creation, maintainability, difinition, and explanation of promoting issues. The assistant likewise esteemed counsel, this was apparent from the intern’s idea of requesting the conclusions from other colleagues before settling on a choice. While working with the group of four individuals I saw that the assistant incorporated feelings and recommendation from the colleagues before utilizing the data to settle on a shrewd choice. Thusly, the understudy was resolved that in the firm would accomplish the necessary focuses as far as development and deals. The assistant likewise showed great correspondence and relational abilities apparent from the way in which the individual introduced conclusions, thoughts, and issues to colleagues and bosses. In the cooperation style results, the assistant exhibited energizer style of collaboration of the powerful vitality. The influential was apparent from the chipper and inviting nature of the assistant. Moreover, the assistant was active and esteemed collaboration in the acheivement of positive outcomes. As it were, the understudy was objective arranged and goal. In addition, the individual possesed tolerance and was quiet consistently regardless of the group and working environment challenges. The understudy showed up as having common capacities of administration as exhibited by the Jung type marker. Besides, the Jung type marker demonstrated that the understudy is an extraordinary mastermind with insightful capacities to move the positive way. The understudy can without much of a stretch adjust to the work environment, and along these lines ready to function admirably with other colleagues who have various characters in an inventive and charming manner. Besides, the individual had social knowledge and great self-observing capacities. End Hiring the perfect individual is essential for any association. Be that as it may, numerous a ssociations are not successful in recruiting representatives, and in this way, they wind up employing incorrectly workers. Recruiting of wrong employeers brings down the perfomance of the firm. As per this setting Hype Center should utilize great and qualified people who have the pertinent capabilities. At the point when the perfect individual is recruited for the activity, the firm will have brief period and assets spent on the indidividual in the part of preparing. In this way, it is central for the firm to set up the correct arrangements and practices. The strategies help the firm utilize the correct people who are gainful and valuable. It is significant that the firm gets people who have great relational abilities and great working aptitudes. Give that the firm is a promoting firm, potential workers ought to have the correct abilities required in convincing and affecting objective customers with the goal that the firm can develop and build its deals. Reccommendations Policies ou ght to be founded by the inside in light of the fact that it empowers the firm get the correct individuals for the correct activity. On the off chance that the middle utilize clumsy people, it will bring about immense misfortunes because of lackluster showing. The founded approaches ought to guarantee that solitary workers who have fundamental knwoldge and aptitudes serve the inside. Among different aptitudes, great relational abilities are essential as they empower people to function admirably with workers and customers. In addition, they empower people to comprehend and acknowledge different characters of different workers. Furthermore, the firm should utilize the arrangements in the recuitment of workers who comprehend the noteworthiness of self checking and social insight. Self-knowledge causes the workers to have great correspondence and relational aptitudes. Hence, self-insight is key in acheivng development of the firm as it makes representatives regard different representati ves and target purchasers, just as defeat working environment challenges. Furthemore, the firm should recruit people who can convince and persuade clients to purchase items, and consequently increment the volume of deals. Representatives who have the correct capabilities and characters rapidly adjust new difficulties of the work environment. Thusly, it is significant for the firm to have the correct representatives who can work all in all with different representatives and accomplish the targets and objectives of the firm. The ideal people are beneficitial to the middle in light of the fact that the human asset office will simply direct and suit various personalities. What's more, it is significant for the fi

Porters Five Forces a Competitor Analysis tool free essay sample

In 1979, Michael Porter established that the five powers models are an apparatus for investigating rivalry of a business. It would be incorporated five determinants, which is the danger of new contestants, the danger of substitutes, haggling intensity of clients, dealing intensity of providers and serious contention. Productivity would be identified with the danger of section into the quick design. The insecure turnover would happen under progressively new contestant in the business. For instance, the all out income of the market is $50 million, however 50 organizations would be imparted to the entire market. Each organization turnover would be expanded rather than 5,000 contenders. In this way, if the market has set up less wellspring of section obstructions, the market would have a great deal of contenders. Separation of result of an organization can lead themselves getting interesting from different contenders which acquire a specific measure of faithful clients. Because of the monetary development, the majority of the individuals are eager to spend not for need, yet additionally for upscale lift style. We will compose a custom article test on Doormen Five Forces a Competitor Analysis device or on the other hand any comparable theme explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page On the off chance that the organization need to increments customers’ reliability, the uniqueness of the item would be one of the strategies, the organization likewise can get the most preferred position. Higher separation of item would be one of the passage hindrances. In the quick business, evaluate channels of flexibly and dissemination is significant. A great many providers of the quick style can be found in the fast intrigue improvement. It implies that the quick style doesn't have any passage hindrances to finding the suppliers.Some retailers will in general hunt a few providers, who can furnish the best nature of material with the most reduced expense, so as to develop the relative favorable position. Be that as it may, the sizable organization would develop be construct a shut relationship with providers effectively due to the sizable volume of requests and notoriety of the organization. The above activity would expand the section boundaries in this market. HM, one of the significant retailer in the quick style industry, she worked with 747 providers in which 150 of them are long haul vital accomplices. In this manner, HM developed a solid relationship with their providers, it is hard for the potential for the potential participants to contend. In the quick design industry, economies of scale are one of the significant determents of passage boundaries. On the off chance that the organization is a sizable organization, it can accomplish the simpler the degree of effectiveness. Likewise, the most extreme volume of creation continues expanding for industrial facilities as a result of the innovation improvement. Large scale manufacturing by huge firms empowers them to completely use their creation limit where little stores can't.

What I Did this Summer Entry #2 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

What I Did this Summer Entry #2 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog Faridah Nassali is a native of Uganda and is entering her second year as an MIA student concentrating in Economic and Political Development. ____________________________________ What I did for summer… This past summer, I worked as an intern at the International Women Tribune Centre in New York. It was a wonderful experience and I worked on various projects on peace building including but not limited to working on Uganda Radio program/drama on Res. 1325 and 1820. This was on the most interesting part of my projects because reading the role-plays in the drama projects day-to-day life of the communities back home and most especially the stereotype of gender roles. It was more like bringing my community and placing it in a small office in New York. I also had an opportunity of attending a couple of UN meetings on issues of gender and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). But what was even more interesting was getting a chance to work close to the UN. I met a couple of people, who may be important in my networking and professional development.

Marketing Strategy For An Undergraduate Marketing Course

In an undergraduate marketing course, you will review several tools and concepts related to marketing a particular product. Although there are several complex ideas associated with marketing it is important to understand them in order to ensure your business is successful. The best strategy for ensuring your knowledge of the concepts and tools demonstrated within a course is to put them into practice. This paper demonstrates a marketing campaign through the creation of a fictitious company that develops a technological advancement that is plausible in our society’s future. The campaign strategy goes into depth with an S.W.O.T analysis, explanation of its offering (price, product, and service), product positioning, and targeted marketing. I will continue to say that marketing is an essential component to a business’s success in such a competitive environment. Businesses must plan and utilize strategy to gain competitive advantages and stay in the arena with their competitors. Once a business fails to properly plan and strategize they will most likely falter in today’s business and economic environment. This is why understanding particular marketing concepts and tools such as the strategic planning process and market segmentation are essential to devising and executing a successful marketing campaign. To further reinforce these concepts they will be applied to my own marketing campaign for a new product that I developed which is designed to take personal electronicShow MoreRelatedProject Manager With Hospital Corporation Of America1147 Words   |  5 Pagesafter my graduate level marketing course ended, I knew I wanted to dive deeper into the four principles of marketing – price, product, place, a nd promotion– and how consumers are targeted by specific strategies based on culture and demographics. In addition, my new position as Patient Portal Analyst II at HCA created an opportunity to become exposed to marketing and corporate communications. 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The Revolution Of 1800 The Election Of Thomas Jefferson

The â€Å"Revolution of 1800† is referred to the election of Thomas Jefferson. His election changed United States history because it marked the first different political party (The Jeffersonians), that came into power. However, the revolution was not revolutionary because government policies did not change when Jefferson was president. For the most part, he kept Hamiltonian policies during presidency, and in forced their philosophies. The Hamiltonians or The Federalists had contracting idea between the Jeffersonians. The Federalists believed in loose interpretation of the Constitution, strong central government, and implied powers. The Federalist party attracted wealthy, well-educated groups of people while the Jeffersonians put their intentions on the common man like farmers. The Jeffersonians believed in strictly (literally) interpretation of the Constitution, weak central government, and state power. They do not want the central government gain too much power. Economically, Jefferson did not change what George Washington established during his term. With Hamilton’s financial plan, he had the Bank of the United States, tariffs, excise taxes or most notably, the whiskey tax, and assumptions and funding at par. Because Jeffersonians believed in strict interpretation of the Constitution, they did not like the Bank of the United States. The Bank of the United States was not in the Constitution originally, but the concept of Necessary and Proper clause deemed the right for theShow MoreRelatedThe Bloodless Revolution Of 18001666 Words   |  7 Pages The Bloodless Revolution of 1800 was a very important event that shaped our nation into what it is today. The Revolution changed America s history in major ways. The twelfth amendment was created and the party divisions that we see today in our modern government are results of the conflict. The revolution was also a test: could the young nation of America shift power peacefully, as the founding father s had intended? Or would everything collapse after only one president leading the countryRead MoreThe Revolution of 1800 Essay1683 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson succeeded in defeating the incumbent, John Adams, and assumed the presidency. In terms of elections though, the election of 1800 itself was a fascinating election in that it a heavily-contested election and was effectively the first time political parties ran smear campaigns against each other during an election. The Republican Party attacked the Federalists for being anti-liberty and monarchist and tried to persuade the public that the Federalists wereRead MoreThomas Jefferson, Man Of Citizens1000 Words   |  4 Pages Thomas Jefferson† Man of Citizens† Tamika E. 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During the critical 1800 election, the author has written regarding Founding Fathers of America who are Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr. They have cont ributedRead MoreEssay The Burr Conspiracy948 Words   |  4 PagesBurr was appointed attorney general of New York in 1789 and served as a United States senator from 1791 to 1797 (Onager CD-ROM). In the Election of 1800, Aaron Burr was the running mate of Republican candidate Thomas Jefferson. Although Burr was running for vice-president, he received as many votes as Jefferson did, and the House of Representatives chose Jefferson as president. After Burr’s term as vice-president was over and he lost the race for the governorship of New York, Burr fought AlexanderRead MoreThe Concept of Liberty in US Political History: An Analytical Essay1428 Words   |  6 Pagescommissioned to highlight the concept of Liberty in US political history along with an in-depth analysis of era which gave rise to several Political Parties in the United States during 1776-1803. Dating back to the era of 1783, in which the American Revolution came to its end, Americans nationals, specifically the white community of America, came in accord with a common perception regarding liberty of politics in the country and perceived the republican government (republicanism) as the best form of governmentRead MoreCapitalism And A New Social1038 Words   |  5 Pagesmoved the Republicans towards the creation of a new social order. The election of 1800 was very significant for a couple of reasons; it gave Thomas Jefferson the presidency of the United States, but most importantly, â€Å"the election constitutes the first peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another in the United States† (Thomas). The country changed from being a Federalist nation into a Republican nation. Jefferson encouraged human rights, believed in a simple central government andRead MoreAnalysis Of The Tumultuous Election Of 1800 Essay2199 Words   |  9 PagesNicholls— Period 7 November 4, 2016 Adams vs. Jefferson The Tumultuous Election of 1800 Analytical Book Review Adams vs Jefferson, The Tumultuous Election of 1800, describes the events of the infamous United States Presidential Election of 1800, the election that forever changed the landscape of American politics and reestablished the principles of the American Revolution. The election of 1800 was a battle of two political powerhouses: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. They were two of America’s foundingRead MoreA Friendship That Was At One Point Strong And Powerful Between Two Of Our Founding Fathers954 Words   |  4 PagesAdams and Thomas Jefferson friendship began when they met at the 1775 Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The two developed a strong respect and liking for one another. They both worked together on the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776. On 1784 Thomas Jefferson joined Adams in France on diplomatic service. They would work together and keep each other a great deal of company, their bond grew greater while serving as ambassadors to Englan d and France. Jefferson wife had passedRead MoreEssay on The Duel Between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton1636 Words   |  7 Pagesshared a practice of law with one another. However, this was soon to end because Aaron Burr was elected Attorney General by New York Governor George Clinton, the later in1791 he was elected senator. He also was the third vice president under Thomas Jefferson, and an active member of the Democratic Party. Alexander Hamilton on the other hand grew up on an island of the West Indies. He was born in 1775. Hamilton had some tough skin, as he grew into a young man. When he was a child his family

Changes to Womens Rights Since 1945 Free Essays

Women’s rights have changed significantly after 1945 as ideas that show women are inferior to men were being abolished to create a more equal society. Employment, politics and social change were factors that have been altered. Without these changes, Australia would still be a sex – segregated society with justified ideas that a women’s place is in the home. We will write a custom essay sample on Changes to Womens Rights Since 1945 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Prior to 1945, women’s rights were limited in areas of employment, politics and social change. Women were expected to be housewives who were not entitled to the same wage as men because society had an enshrined idea that men needed enough to support a wife and children. Also, women had limited opportunities to voice their concerns and interests in public places and suffered against abusive family situations. This began to change when feminists started to libber against these inequities. Employment before 1945 showed many inequalities between men and women due to differences in wage and unfair rights. The Equal Pay Case of 1972 was an event that sparked during the 70’s due to inequalities of wages between men and women. The Whitlam government introduced the minimum wage for both genders as a start for equality in the workplace. Another thing the Whitlam Government introduced was free tertiary education for all women allowing social mobility. This opened doors to a wider range of jobs like medicine, nursing, or law and gave women a chance to be independent. The Anti Discrimination Act of 1985 was a law made to prohibit discrimination based on gender or pregnancy for everyone from employers to co-workers or in public areas. Although the equal pay case was not a complete success, introducing the minimum wage, free tertiary education and the anti discrimination act was a major success in changing women’s rights. Women had limited voices to discuss issues of equality in politics. This changed when feminists such as Germaine Greer wrote and encouraged women to be politically active. The Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) was formed in 1972, which advocated for childcare and maternity leave. In 1975, the Whitlam Government elected a women’s representative Elizabeth Reid to address women’s rights in the political arena. Politics has changed immensely since 1945 as women politicians started to rally for women’s rights. Social change was a major change in women’s rights from 1945 as different ideas and views were being voiced to force change. In 1961, the introduction of the Birth Control Pill was a major event that affected many working class women. This pill gave women the chance to take control of their own body and lives as they can now move into the workforce without the problems of leaving due to giving birth. Also, the new laws like the No Fault Divorce of 1975 and the changing of the rape laws in 1981 helped women escape abusive relationships and prohibited men from divorcing their spouse for no reason. The introduction of the pill and new laws gave women more control and safety to women and this was a major change in women’s rights from 1945. How to cite Changes to Womens Rights Since 1945, Essay examples

LovE Me Essay Research Paper MPORTANT free essay sample

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Employee Benefit and Service Impact on Performances and Satisfaction

Evaluation Essay Sample on the Effect of Video Games on Youth

Evaluation Essay Sample on the Effect of Video Games on Youth An evaluation essay is a type of work that implies assessing a particular subject of a social interest by establishing a list of criteria to illustrate the author’s objective attitude towards it. Among the main purposes of this genre, it is significant to distinguish such functions as argumentative judgment, critical evidence, and gathering of credible scholarly information to support the thesis statement. The latter has to be elaborated coherently and clearly so that a potential reader is likely to understand the author’s objective position regarding the selected evaluation essay topic without any efforts. Furthermore, unlike many other similar work types, evaluation essay can be both academic and non-academic which makes this genre ambivalent. In particular, academic evaluation purports to provide objective and research-based assessment concerning a socially substantial topic, whereas non-academic style can appear in personal blogs, literature, and other sources that do not demand the necessity to present a scholarly point of view. Overall, the need to write an evaluation essay depends on the quantity and quality of topics of public concern as this genre is important for people to be aware of impartial viewpoints. ‘The Effect of Video Games on Youth’ Essay Sample With the advent of the digital era, video games have become an inseparable part of children’s life. Before the revolution of computing technologies, youth were limited to playing in the yard and participating in various activities like sports or games that involve being a socially integrated person. Nonetheless, recent decades have entirely subverted the conventional paradigm due to the rapid progression of technologies. Having roots in World War II, computers had been seriously upgraded since the first example of digital machines, that allowed modern people to employ them with different purposes. Considering video games as an effective means of escapism, it is essential to underline that similar variants of addiction are controversial and do not enable scholars to attribute this category to either positive or negative aftermath of the digital epoch. On the one hand, some computer games are influencing youth in a negative perspective as they are promoting a violent, aggressive behavior, contribute to children’s antisocial attitude, and negatively affect human health, whereas on the other hand, many video games can be useful in terms of learning, relaxing, and developing online communication. Firstly, the majority of video games can be dangerous regarding the message of violence they are conveying to still developing minds of youth. When in the late 1990s, society was evaluated on the subject of attitude towards the first popular computer games, governments were astonished that almost all people became fond of such a type of pastime. Nevertheless, scholars appeared to be confused by such unexpected statistics and were not certain how to react to the abrupt success of video games. The vast majority of laboratory-based experimental studies have revealed that violent media exposure causes increased aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, physiologic arousal, hostile appraisals, aggressive behavior, and desensitization to violence and decreases prosocial behavior and empathy (Anderson et al. 142). Thus, if an unformed consciousness of a child is subject to violent actions and images on the screen, it is highly probable that they will be imprinted in subconsciousness and employed as a pattern for further behavior. Proceeding from the notion that children are absorbing everything that happens to appear in front of their eyes, if video games are marked with violence, they may cause deterioration of communication among peers, engender suicidal inclinations, and stimulate aggressive behavior. Secondly, a lot of video games are harmful, seeing that they are creating an opportunity for children not to participate in social activities and spend too much time sitting in front of screens. It has a negative impact on social participation. Aside from violence aspect, computer games allow youth to lead a passive lifestyle since MMORPG, a genre of online games, provides users with a possibility to chat while playing, so there is no need in meeting with friends outdoors. Escapism is a form of denying the contemporary social means of existence by refusing to participate in common human activities that comprise cultural peculiarities and factors separating humans from animal species. Video games, as one of the most beneficial and simple methods of escapism, are widening the divide between the members of society. Youth should learn how to communicate with one another, but after years spent in the digital realm, adolescents are no longer able to cooperate in real life processes success fully enough to be left without adults’ assistance. Every factor which is participating in the functioning of a human organism, be it some organ or a muscle, can atrophy as a result of non-use. Language is not an exception, so the lack of communication may influence a child’s future in a negative way. Thirdly, video games imply spending too much time leading a sedentary lifestyle that detrimentally influences a child’s unformed state of health. Without a doubt, computer technologies enable scientists to develop extremely valuable and useful aspects of human life, whereas video games, being an inseparable part of gadgets appear to be a bait for teenagers that they can not refuse to utilize. Owing to parents’ lack of reasonable care, teenagers are receiving as many gaming devices as they want which results in deterioration of vision, scoliosis, and nervous breakdowns. Besides, it is plausible that the absence of sports activities will eventually cause various severe diseases like obesity and diabetes. Due to investigations: â€Å"Physical activity reduces the risk of incident diabetes† (Zhu and Owen sect. 8). At this point, it is necessary to state that the abundance of comfort and simplification factors like devices that combine all functions in a single gadget , are significantly contributing to the deficiency of receiving enough fresh air and a shortage of regular strolls. Nonetheless, as the issue of video games can be envisioned as an ambivalent phenomenon, there is a need to examine the positive consequences of spending time on computers in general and video games in particular. Except for negative aftermaths, video games are allowing youth to educate themselves by means of broadening their horizons, widening the vocabulary, learning foreign languages, or developing logical reasoning. Moreover, computer games can be based either on a violent background that entails an increase in aggressive ideas or relaxing atmosphere. The latter can be comprised of games centered on logic, analysis, cognitive skills, and many other aspects of learning. In contrast to shooters, horrors, fighters, and detective games demanding careful attention and reaction, there are video games that teach how to undertake an architectural project, play a musical instrument, and even create a family. Additionally, there is a considerable lack of evidence proving video games to be completely harmful to a teenager’s consciousness. As recent studies affirm: â€Å"None of the studies provided evidence for concerns linking video game violence to aggressive behaviors or reduced empathy in youth† (Ferguson et al. 399). Therefore, this subject has to be thoroughly examined and investigated in the future because the contemporary scientific discoveries on this matter are not sufficient to prohibit children from playing video games. Another advantageous aspect regarding modern pastime in the digital realm is the concept of relaxation. Proceeding from the information that the twenty-first century has inaugurated the exuberance of information, a modern person requires more time to relax and relieve oneself of a load of work or study. Even though there is plenty of other means of entertainment including sports, meeting with friends in real life, or reading books, today people may not have either enough free time or energy after a long work day to spend the rest of leisure hours outside. The digital epoch implicates that a modern human is absorbing too many pieces of information on a daily basis in comparison to people from the previous century. Thus, adolescents, who are expected to study in educational institutions, require enough free time to forget the reality and relax the brain. In addition, the process of video gaming is often accompanied by musical compositions, which have a soothing effect on a childâ€℠¢s tired mind. When a teenager’s consciousness is busy with processing the relieving information that is issuing from a video game, his or her nervous system is resting, in case the game is not violent. Communication skills are the most important factors of a child’s intellectual advancement as without the ability to share thoughts properly a person is unable to negotiate, understand other people, and convey messages to the audience. In particular, modern types of online video games enable young users to share opinions in live chats and communicate with other players in different foreign languages without exiting a game. Typing is a cognitive element of learning that amplifies the ability to produce coherent and clear messages. Also, there are multitudes of video games with the main purpose to evolve logical functions of the brain and thus help a player to answer questions quicker than before playing the game. The gist of many language-based computer games is to guess words, reply to logical questions and puzzles. In recent experiments, scholars determine that â€Å"playing commercial video games can have a positive effect on communication ability, adaptability, and resource fulness in adult learners, suggesting that video games may have a role to play in higher education† (Barr 95). It has been proved that in the case of educationally focused computer programs, video games can indeed be a perfect instrument in helping students to learn in a relaxing form. In conclusion, the phenomenon of video games may be considered a double-natured problem since, from one perspective, some exemplars are likely to develop a violent inclination in adolescents’ minds, while from another perspective, numerous video games are demonstrating the opportunity to teach. Ultimately, it depends on a specific type of video game, whether it is harmful to a child or it has positive consequences on children’s behavior and health. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that everything has to be strictly limited even for adults, let alone children. Video games are no exception because, if played too much, any game can be dangerous at least regarding health. Thus, despite that they are marked with many negative aspects, video games have occupied a certain niche in the modern life of every generation. If limited to an adequate amount of time for playing, video games can be not only beneficial regarding education and relaxing but also cause no harm to the nervous system. The prepared material and the accompanying sample are useful sources to get acquainted with the Evaluation Essay type of work. To conclude, it is necessary to resume that it is a significant academic work type which allows potential readers to derive the needed pieces of information to conclude whether a certain issue is worth paying attention to or not. In contrast to many other similar variants of essays, evaluation essay should be conducted by an academically prepared person, who is able to tell the difference between a credible and an unreliable source; who can construct a syntactic structure coherently, so that readers are capable of finding answers to their questions without putting extra efforts. One of the purposes of an evaluation essay is to provide readers with an opportunity to define whether a particular subject has more positive or negative consequences. This genre of an academic essay is helpful whenever there is a need to study and scrutinize a single issue without appealing to other additional or secondary problems concerning the key one. Evaluation essay sample provides an assessment in terms of which the author assembles different arguments and thoughts on a strictly limited subject that allows estimating its value. This type of work can be useful for both readers and writers, seeing that the author has a possibility to investigate a specific issue and a reader to find solutions to a problem of concern. Precisely this sample of an evaluation essay has been written with the purpose of demonstrating the structure of similar work types, content, and an appropriate linguistic style. Anderson, Craig, et al. â€Å"Screen Violence and Youth Behavior.† Pediatrics, vol. 140, no. 2, 19 Apr. 2017, pp. 142–149. AAP News Journals Gateway. Barr, Matthew. â€Å"Video Games Can Develop Graduate Skills in Higher Education Students: A Randomised Trial.† Computers Education, vol. 113, Oct. 2017, pp. 86–97. Elsevier. Ferguson, Christopher, et al. â€Å"Digital Poison? Three Studies Examining the Influence of Violent Video Games on Youth.† Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 50, Sept. 2015, pp. 399–410. Elsevier. Zhu, Weimo, and Neville Owen, editors. Sedentary Behavior and Health: Concepts, Assessments, and Interventions. Library of Congress, 2017.

International Business Organisation Report (SWOT Analysis Only) Essay

International Business Organisation Report (SWOT Analysis Only) - Essay Example Strong opportunity lies in expanding its growth. The company has made sure that in addition to its monetary achievements it also takes care of community interests i.e. encouraging legal way of collection of timber3 and avoiding unnecessary wastage of electricity4 etc. By doing so its image among the customers has been strong. For example, to help those struggling families affected by fire accident in Norply factory in Kyogle recently , Bunnings Warehouse in Lismore conducted a special auction5. In today's competitive market, advertising about the product is very crucial which has been followed strictly by the Bunnings ware house Property trust which resulted in creating an opportunity not only in maintaining the present level of customers (20% of the Australian poulation)6 but also in enhancing the customer number for future. 5. Excellent customer satisfaction : The customer representatives are well versed with product details and explain in simple manner to the customers which opened opportunity for higher customer satisfaction. 6. Diversified business activities: To compete with big firms like K Mart and Big W7, it has entered in to garden and nursery services in addition to its hardware activities.

Modification of the Organoleptic Properties of Plant Based Foods Research Paper

Modification of the Organoleptic Properties of Plant Based Foods - Research Paper Example This section basically explains the relationship and connection between food and the human senses. Food Taste and Color This section shows how people associate the taste of food with the food’s color. It also highlights and describes how people paint a bright picture of food in their minds based on the smell. The section explains how restaurants use the color knowledge to attract and retain customers. Taste of Organic Foods This section gives reasons why there is a greater consumption of organic foods more than conventional ones. It also gives reasons for the different tastes between organic foods and conventional foods. The section explains why people prefer organic foods compared to conventional foods. Texture and Foods This section explains the relationship between different foods and texture. It also shows how the texture of food determines or influences foods that are consumed and those that are not, and how texture determines the quality of plant based foods. Food Modifi cation This section describes the processes human beings have used to modify the taste and smell of plant based foods. It also explains the reasons why food is modified. Flavor and Color Additives This section illustrates the technology used to affect the flavor and color of different foods, and briefly illustrates how the process is done. The section also explains the role of flavor and color additives to various foods. Smell Flavorants This section is about smell flavorants. It explains the source of smell flavorants and how they are used to affect the flavor of plant based foods. It briefly describes different types of flavorants and explains their effect on consumers of food. Artificial Flavors This part of the paper describes how artificial flavors are made. In addition, it talks about the use of natural flavors, and why they are considered safer than natural ones. Conclusion The conclusion is a comparison between conventional foods and foods that are grown by organic means. It also requests people to be vigilant on technology that is used on foods. This section also gives a brief summary and overview of what was discussed in the paper. Modification of the Organoleptic Properties of Plant Based Foods Introduction Senses help people to perceive objects. Humans contain a number of senses that are traditionally recognized. They include taste, sight, hearing, touch, and smell. Humans have a weak sense of smell compared to animals while animals may not have some of the traditional senses. The sense of sight enables human beings to see and recognize objects based on prior knowledge. Blind people are not able to see other people or objects. The sense of hearing enables an individual to perceive sound. Hearing is aided by vibration. The sense of taste enables a person to perceive the taste of things like food. The sense of taste is made up of saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, and sourness. People acquire tastes through taste buds. The sense of smell is achieved t hrough the nose and the olfactory receptor neurons. The sense of touch is experienced when there is pressure on the skin. Flavor is a blend of smell and taste perception (MacFie and Meiselman 41). This paper will look at how laboratories and science are changing the way human senses have been impacted by plant based foods through scientific innovation and modification.   Human Senses and Food The sense of taste has some bearing on a person’s food choice and preference. When a person describes the taste of food,

Search for Identity through Body Modification

Search for Identity through Body Modification Judging from Appearances Body modification of one sort or another has always been practiced new technologies have opened up the possibility for radical change. This has meant that we can now change fundamental aspects of our bodies most obviously our biological sex, but also racial characteristics, signs of ageing and apparent physical imperfections. Basically will be looking at what it means to want to radically alter the body to believe indeed that we have the wrong body Case Study: Nip Tuck Throughout the dissertation will be exploring the meanings acquired by the body in modern, western societies. In doing so the dissertation will examine the ways in which bodies are shaped, acted upon, represented and experienced. Therefore explore various ways in which the body has been seen as an object (the body we have), as a subject (the body we are) and as project (the body that we become) and will explore how these processes are intimately linked to regimes of power and knowledge. For example, recent years have seen the increased prominence and significance of various body projects health and fitness, dieting, cosmetic surgery and body modification- alongside a number of contemporary problems associated with the body new reproductive technologies, genetic engineering, cybernetics, etc. As these examples show, the body in contemporary culture has become a malleable object crucial for the articulation of identities of race ,gender, and sub cultural affiliation. This dissertation will critically examine some of these contemporary trends whilst simultaneously focusing on their social and historical contexts in order to give us a broader understanding of their meanings and implications. I. Introduction Body modification has been practiced in a number of ways and for a variety of reasons since ancient times; it has existed on some level for thousands of years. Historical evidence suggests that red dye extracted from hematite was used to paint the body as many as 20,000years ago. Archaeological evidence proves that as many as 10,000 years ago, parts of animal bones, animal teeth, and colourful stones were used to decorate the body. Hair combs date back to nearly 5,000 years ago. Water served ancient peoples as mirrors until 4,500, when the first mirror is believed to have been invented (Ethan, 1999, 49-52). Society has progressed since those early days. One need only turn on the television or leaf through a magazine to be bombarded with all kinds of advertisements for body modification. Chemical treatments can straighten hair and change skin tone and texture. Surgical procedures can decrease or (more often) augment breast size. Penile implants claim to enhance sexual performance. Unwanted fat can be removed in any number ways, ranging from dietary changes to liposuction. Some signs of ageing can be temporarily reversed with injections of Botox; others can be permanently altered, again through surgery. Today in the western world, body modification is widely practiced in all classes of society. Often it is the result of societal pressure to achieve perfection. At times it is a ritual or rite of initiation within a group or social hierarchy. Less often, although this is steadily increasing, the body is modified to change its gender; this is done through surgical procedures supplemented by hormonal and similar supplementary treatments. Women are considered the most frequent targets of this pressure to achieve somatic perfection, and therefore they are the most frequent practitioners of body modification. However, this pressure affects means well. This paper will examine four specific types of body modification: tattooing and scarification; piercing; diet and exercise; and aesthetic surgery. Although these are by no means the only methods of body modification, they are among the most widespread and they cover a wide spectrum. Still, whether it takes the form of a minor dietary modification or an extreme makeover, it is clear that most individuals in the western world practice some sort of body modification. For this reason, it is a practice which merits close study and consideration. How far will some individuals go in this pursuit for perfection? How much of this will society sanction? What are the implications for our future and that of future generations? These are the questions to be explored throughout the course of this research. Tattoos and Scarification The word â€Å"tattoo† is derived from a Tahitian word meaning â€Å"to mark. â€Å"The act of tattooing is believed to be over ten thousand years old, and it has had a variety of uses throughout history. Tattoos have played an important role in various tribal and cultural rituals. For example, ancient Greeks used them as part of a sophisticated espionage system. Romans used tattoos to clearly mark criminals and slaves. In Borneo, women would have symbols of special skills or talents tattooed on their forearms, thus alerting potential marriage partners of their marketability. Although tattooing has flourished consistently in many cultures, its popularity in western civilization has fluctuated widely. After waning for several centuries, it was reintroduced in the late seventeenth century, but it was not until the late eighteenth century that it once again became widespread, Even so, it often had negative associations and tattooed individuals were mostly relegated to the fringes of society, such as freak show oddities and carnival workers. In the 20th century, the art of tattooing waxed and waned as society rapidly changed with the proliferation of new and better technologies. By the late sixties it was still primarily an underground operation, often the provenance of biker groups and criminals. From the late twentieth century until today, however, tattooing has enjoyed renewed popularity as body decoration, and is seen in a much more positive light, often as an art itself. In addition to the more traditional ink tattoos, there are those caused by puncturing and/or burning the skin. In this process, known as scarification, scalpels or cauterizing tools are applied to selected areas of the skin, and the resulting scar tissue is the desired result. Better technology has improved technique and ease of application for all kinds of tattooing; in addition, more sanitary conditions have lessened the risk of diseases such as hepatitis. These two points have no doubt contributed to the revival and renewed respect for the practice of tattooing. However, as it will be discussed, changes in attitudes toward the body have also played a part in its reawakened popularity. Body Piercing Body piercing also has a long and varied history, dating back to ancient times. There are mentions of body piercing in the Bible. In addition, it was a frequent practice of ancient Romans. Roman warrior soften pierced their nipples, considering this to be a sign of strength and masculinity; it was also a practical measure, a way of attaching cloaks to the body. Roman gladiators, who usually held the status of slaves, also underwent body-piercing, though as slaves they had little choice. Often gladiators would be subjected to genital piercing, primarily through the head of the penis. This was partially a protective measure, allowing the ringed penile tip to be tied close to the body during battle, protecting it from injury. But it was also a territorial measure, since they were considered property of their owners. Placement of a larger ring through the penile tip could also prevent sex, making it essentially a male chastity belt, to be removed at the discretion of the gladiator’s owner. Aztec and Mayan Indians were known to have pierced their lips as part of religious ritual, believing this brought them closer to their god. They also pierced the septum, believing this gave them a fierce, intimidating appearance during battle. Aztecs and Mayans were also fond of lip labrets, which were often made of precious metals and served highly decorative purposes. During medieval times the art of body piercing lost favour, regaining popularity during the Renaissance period. It enjoyed unprecedented popularity during the Victorian Era, due to the sexual pleasures it was known to enhance. Until recently, body-piercing, like tattooing, was primarily associated with fringe groups in western society. However, today it no longer exists solely in the realm of punk rock and fetish scenes. Nose-,nipple-, and navel- piercing is now common in contemporary western society, alongside the more traditional pierced ears and the less visible genital piercings. Diet and Exercise Diet and exercise often used together are another form of body modification. The diet industry is huge in western countries. Appetite suppressants, both prescription and over-the-counter types, are extremely popular. Fad diets such as the South Beach Diet or the Atkins Program attract and retain large numbers of followers. Health clubs and gyms are another large part of this industry, selling memberships which promise buyers a new way of life and a fit and thin future. To members of a society who desire this more than anything else, it is not a hard sell. Excessive dieting can lead to life-threatening eating disorders. The primary disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia, and they primarily afflict women, mostly in their teens and twenties. Although â€Å"anorexia â€Å"itself literally means â€Å"loss of appetite,† this disease often has more to do with a denial of appetite rather than loss of desire for food. Its sufferers will go for extended periods of time without eating, or will eat just the barest amounts of food, in an effort to become an/or remain thin. The most tragic aspect of anorexia is that often the sufferer loses a sense of her own body, refusing to acknowledge that she has gone way beyond â€Å"thin† anorexics are often emaciated. Bulimia is a disorder which is characterized by ingestions of large amounts of food binging followed by a period of purging, to rid the body of the unwanted calories. Purging may be achieved by vomiting, either self-induced or through chemicals such as syrup of Ipecac. Excessive laxative use is also associated with this disorder. Often bulimics will have a low-to-normal body weight as compared to anorexics, but sufferers of both disorders face similar health problems due to electrolyte imbalance, nutritional deficiencies, and related complications. Susan Brood sees eating disorders as complex, multi-layered disorders in which the sufferer sees her body as alien, as a threat to control, as an enemy. She also sees it as a gender/power issue and a protest against the confines of femininity. Exercise, on the other hand, can be seen as a way of actively asserting control instead of passively denying oneself. It can be argued that exercise is taken by some for the sake of exercise, but there is no doubt that it is also an activity that is undertaken to combat corporeal excesses and to exert control over the body. Some forms of exercise for example, body-building and weight-lifting, can also be a form of exerting control without the concomitant existence of an eating disorder, and are more commonly undertaken by men, though women are involved in this as well. Surgical Modification Surgical modification can be called many names, among them: plastic surgery; reconstructive surgery; or, as Sander Gilman prefers to refer to it: aesthetic surgery. Indeed, this type of surgery includes a wide variety of procedures, from surgically correcting a birth deform such as a cleft palate, to disfigurements due to accident or injuryor from a subtle removal of â€Å"crows’ lines† or other signs of age, to more dramatic adjustments to a too-large nose or an unacceptably sharp chin. The most extreme result of this type of surgery involves gender modification. Surgical body modification is different from most other forms in that it generally implies a level of secrecy that the others do not. The procedure and the recuperation period that follows both take place behind closed doors, sometimes even in foreign lands. Furthermore, the reappearance of the individual after the procedure is not accompanied by any sort of fanfare; there is an implicit assumption that the individual has always appeared thus, or if the change is dramatic, that it is not to be spoken of. Discussions of surgical body modification in this paper will focus primarily on elective surgery undertaken for purely cosmetic purposes, so that it may be explored and assessed as part of the larger societal trend towards achievement of physical perfection at any cost. II. Literature Review Sander Gilman’s comprehensive body of research is well worth exploring, particularly two of his books: Creating Beauty to Cure the Soul: Raceland Psychology in the Shaping of Aesthetic Surgery, and Making the Body Beautiful: A Cultural History of Aesthetic Surgery. His works provide abroad and thorough base for any study of body modification, though his primary focus is on surgical enhancements. Yet while Gilman thoroughly addresses the subject of aesthetic surgery, the focus is on the surgery itself, as well as upon the need for it and what that need signifies. Discussion of the body itself is limited in Gilman’s work; it is seen only in terms of its potential for surgical alteration. In addition, other types of body modification such as piercing, tattoos, weight-loss regimens, exercise are only briefly covered in his work. While he speculates on the significance of aesthetic surgery thoughtfully and articulately, his ideas do not go beyond surgical issues (though, to be fair, they do not pretend to; heist very clear about the scope and limitations of his research). For broader looks at the concept of the body and the various modes of modification now prevalent in society, we can turn to other researchers. Much of the current literature seeks to approach the concept of the body from a different angle, focusing on the body itself. Interestingly enough, many of these researchers find significance in the fact that focus on the body seems to be missing in much of the earlier literature, or, if not missing, submerged. Bryan Turner begins his book The Body and Society by immediately introducing the duality of the body, opening with what is at once seemingly simple yet very complex statement: â€Å"There is an obvious and prominent fact about human beings: they have bodies and they are bodies(Turner 1996, 37). He goes on to point out that despite this very obvious fact, there is a seeming lack of information about the body in sociology; he explains that beyond a wealth of historical and mathematical data, there is really no actual investigation of the bodying and of itself or, rather, that this information is there, but deeply encoded: â€Å"in writing about sociology’s neglect of the body, it may be more exact to refer to this negligence as submergence rather than absence, since the body in sociological theory has had a furtive, secret history rather than no history at all (Turner 1996, 63). Joanne Entwisted cites Turner several times in her own work, though her perspective is clearly focused on the significance of clothing and fashion. In â€Å"The Dressed Body,† she addresses, as the title of her essay suggests, the symbolic meaning of clothing. She points out that there is an abundance of straightforward description concerning the particulars of style: colours, hemlines, cut, accessories but this rarely goes beyond details of style. There is very little literature that looks at the very subtle and complex relationship between the body and clothing. Since social norms demand that bodies must (almost)always be dressed, she finds this lack telling: â€Å"dress is fundamental to micro social order and the exposure of naked flesh is, potentially at least, disruptive of social order† (Entwisted 2001, 33-34). In fact, Entwisted, like many of her contemporaries, views the body as an entity in and of itself, asserting that â€Å"we experience our bodies as separate from others and increasingly we identify with our bodies as containers of our identities and places of personal expression.(Entwisted 2000, 138). Chris Shilling echoes both Turner and Entwisted about the seeming lack of focus on the body itself. However, Shilling points out that this is now changing, and that academic interest in the body itself is steadily growing: â€Å"the sociology of the body has emerged as a distinct area of study, and it has even been suggested that the body should serve as an organizing principle for sociology (Shilling 1993, 1). As for what has brought about this new and much-needed shift in perspective, Shilling and others agree that it seems based on conflict. It is perhaps Shilling who best describes the paradox at the core of this change: â€Å"We now have the means to exert an unprecedented degree of control over bodies, yet we are also living in an age which has thrown into radical doubt our knowledge of what bodies are and how we should control them (Shilling 1993, 3). This paradox is a recurring theme in the literature, both in the writings about the body as well as the multitudinous passages about the various procedures to which it is subjected to in today’s world. There is, however, a general consensus that surgery is the most dramatic form of body modification in particular, cosmetic surgery(Gilman consistently refers to it as â€Å"aesthetic surgery,† which seems much softer and much more positive term). Cosmetic surgery for most of these researchers includes any kind of surgical enhancement that is performed solely for aesthetic ends, although the definition of â€Å"aesthetic† can vary widely. Other types of surgeries are considered as well, including those involving gender modification. However, most of the literature studied for this paper has tended to focus on the more mainstream applications of aesthetic surgery. Transsexual operations, and the many issues therein, are acknowledged by virtually all researchers, but they are not explored in any depth in the sources considered for this paper. Considering the many procedural and ethical issues involved in transgender procedures, this is not surprising. It is a rapidly changing surgical sub-specialty, and one with wide-ranging sociological and psychological issues, none of which can be adequately dealt with in footnote to a more general piece of research. The Body as Object Indeed, the body seems to have become a thing separate from the self, continual work-in-progress with a growing number of options and â€Å"enhancements† to choose from. The theme of body-as-object is echoed throughout the current sociological literature and in other disciplines as well. Speaking of the body as art, Lea Verging posits that The body is being used as an art language by an ever greater number of contemporary painters and sculptors.It always involves, for example loss of personal identity, a refusal to allow the sense of reality to invade and control the sphere of the emotions, and a romantic rebellion against dependence upon both people and things (Verging 2000, 1). Entwisted explores the relationship between the body and societal pressures, asserting that there are â€Å"two bodies: the physical body and the social body† (2001, 37). To understand the role of dress, she further notes, â€Å"requires adopting an approach which acknowledges the body as a social entity and dress as the outcome of both social factors and individual actions† (2001, 48). Entwisted explains that in contemporary culture, the body has become the â€Å"site of identity†: â€Å"We experience our bodies as separate from others and increasingly we identify with our bodies as containers of our identities and places of personal expression† (Entwisted 2000,138). However, when we consider that society pressures us to achieve a single, consistent ideal of perfection, it seems a contradiction to accept the concept of body as a vehicle for personal expression. What personal expression is there in sameness? Verging reconciles this seeming contradiction by perceiving the body as a vehicle for art and language: The use of the body as a language has returned to the scene of the world around us in new and different forms, and it speaks through altered declinations.By way of tattoos, piercings, and citations of tribalism. Through manipulations of its organs. The instrument that speaks and communicates without the word, or sounds, or drawings. The body as a vehicle, once again, for declaring opposition to the dominant culture, but also of desperate conformism. (Verging 2001, 289). Shilling explores the concept of the body as machine, particularly in the world of sports: â€Å"The ‘body as machine’ is not merely a medical image, however; one of the areas in which the body is most commonly perceived and treated in this way is in the sphere of sport† (Shilling1993, 37). He explains that the vocabulary used in the field of sports serves to depersonalize the body, to transform it into an object whose sole purpose is optimum performance: â€Å"the body has come to be seen ‘as a means to an enda factor of output and production†¦as a machine with the job of producing the maximum work and energy’ (Shilling 1993, 37). Turner also addresses the concept of body mutilation as an attempt to assert control in a chaotic world, relating it back to Christianity. He describes the body as â€Å"a genuine object of a sociology of knowledge.†(Turner 1996, 64). He explains that the Western world customarily treats the body as â€Å"the seat of unreason, passion and desire,† and goes on to discuss the battle of the flesh with the spirit: â€Å"flesh was the symbol of moral corruption which threatened the order of the world: the flesh had to be subdued by disciplines, especially by the regimen of diet and abstinence† (Turner 1996, 64). Chaos vs. Order The concept of chaos is another recurrent theme in recent discourse nobody modification. Entwisted sees fashion as one way in which individuals attempt to assert control over the ever-increasing chaos of today’s world† â€Å"If nakedness is unruly and disruptive, this would seem to indicate that dress is a fundamental aspect of micro social order â€Å"she asserts (2001, 35). This is echoed by Armando Favas in Bodies Under Siege: Self-mutilation and Body Modification in Culture and Psychiatry. â€Å"Chaos is the greatest threat to the stability of the universe,† he writes(1996, 231). He goes on to explain how we need social stability taco-exist, that it gives us the framework for appropriate sexual behaviour, the ability to recognize and negotiate among various social hierarchies, and the tools necessary to successfully make the transition from childhood into mature adulthood. â€Å"The alteration or destruction of body tissue† asserts Favas, â€Å"helps to establish control of things and to preserve the social order† (1996, 231). Favas sees self-mutilation as an attempt on the part of the self-mutilator to control the chaotic world around him or her. He also points out that self-mutilation is often culturally sanctioned. Whether or not a practice falls under the category of â€Å"mutilation,† according to Favas, depends on whether or not there is a change to or eradication of body tissue. Clearly tattooing, scarification, body-piercing and surgery meet this criterion. This focus on the body is particularly significant, as Shilling points out, questioning why, â€Å"at a time when our health is threatened increasingly by global dangers, we are exhorted ever more to take individual responsibility for our bodies by engaging in strict self-care regimes† (Shilling 1993, 5). As he and other researchers point out, our inability to control outer chaos seems to have resulted in our focusing on our bodies as disparate parts of ourselves and of our universe: this is one small way we can assert control, or at least feel as though we are. Surgical modification can be called many names, among them: plastic surgery; reconstructive surgery; or, as Sander Gilman prefers to refer to it: aesthetic surgery. Indeed, this type of surgery includes a wide variety of procedures, from surgically correcting a birth deform such as a cleft palate, to disfigurements due to accident or injuryor from a subtle removal of â€Å"crows’ lines† or other signs of age, to more dramatic adjustments to a too-large nose or an unacceptably sharp chin. The most extreme result of this type of surgery involves gender modification. One point that should be reiterated here is that surgical body modification is unique. It is different from most other forms in that it generally implies a level of secrecy that the others do not. Both the procedure and the recuperation period that follows both take place behind closed doors, sometimes even in foreign lands. Furthermore, the reappearance of the individual after the procedure is not accompanied by any sort of fanfare; there is an implicit assumption that the individual has always appeared thus, or if the change is dramatic, that it is not to be spoken of. III. Body Modification: History, Significance, Implications Sander Gilman offers the most comprehensive history of aesthetic surgery, along with a broad and varied perspective. In his books Creating Beauty to Cure the Soul: Race and Psychology in the Shaping of Aesthetic Surgery, and Making the Body Beautiful: A Cultural History of Aesthetic Surgery, he addresses the complex reasons behind the growth of aesthetic surgery, and explores its significance and complexity. In the first volume, he clearly focuses on it primarily as a form of psychotherapy. The second work is rich in historical detail and thoroughly traces the development of aesthetic surgery from its earliest days to modern times. Gilman follows the development of aesthetic surgery over the course of the nineteenth century, and notes that during this time â€Å"the idea that one: could cure the illness of the character or of the psyche through the altering of the body is introduced within specific ideas of what is beautiful or ugly (1998, 7). He also asserts that the lessening of the stigma of mental illness is directly related to the fact that in today’s society, the view of aesthetic surgery as a type of psychotherapy is gradually becoming accepted. According to Gilman, â€Å"psychotherapy and aesthetic surgery are closely intertwined in terms of their explanatory models† (1998, 11). He explains that the lessening of the stigma of mental illness has resulted in healthier attitudes towards psychotherapeutic interventions well as a growing acceptance of aesthetic surgery, and he discusses the issue from a variety of viewpoints: the patient, the physician, society at large. Addressing the concept that â€Å"happiness† is the primary motivation that spurs individuals to pursue this avenue of change, he is careful to study the various definitions people offer for â€Å"happiness† and discusses these within the larger societal context. â€Å"Aesthetic surgeons operate on the body to heal the psyche,† asserts Gilman. â€Å"Being unhappy is identified in Western culture with being sick. In our estimation only the physician can truly ‘cure’ our spirits and our souls’ â€Å"(1998, 25). According to Gilman, it was during the Enlightenment that the concept of happiness ceased to be one of a collective morality. During this period, he writes, â€Å"the hygiene of the body became the hygiene of the spirit and that of the state† (1999, 21). Today, he asserts, the â€Å"pursuit of happiness† is no longer a collective goal but an individual desire† (1998, 27). This equating of unhappiness with pain is a concept that began to be formulated in the second half of the nineteenth century, and is closely tied to social and cultural attitudes toward the body and the blurring of the distinction between â€Å"somatic and mental pain,† as he phrases it. Indeed, it is remarkable how often aesthetic surgeons cite â€Å"happiness â€Å"as the goal of the surgery. â€Å"Happiness† for aesthetic surgeons is utilitarian notion of happiness, like that espoused by John Stuart Mill, who placed the idea of happiness within the definition of individual autonomy Happiness, the central goal of aesthetic surgery, is defined in terms of the autonomy of the individual to transform him- or herself (Gilman 1999, 18). In Making the Body Beautiful: A Cultural History of Aesthetic Surgery, he states that â€Å"body imagery follows the lines of political and cultural power,† and he offers a clear, in-depth history of aesthetic surgery in the western world, carefully noting its connection to social, political and technological changes (Gilman 1999, 105). He also carefully traces the history of aesthetic surgery, explaining its strong affiliation with syphilis. Apparently, one of the results of syphilitic infection was damage to the nose, and that attempts to surgically reconstruct the nose were therefore strongly and inextricably tied to venereal disease and the concomitant loose morality. The association made between nose surgery and syphilis was so deeply ingrained that it continued to taint aesthetic nose surgery for many years: â€Å"The rise of aesthetic surgery at the end of the sixteenth century is rooted in the appearance of epidemic syphilis. Syphilis was a highly stigmatizing disease from its initial appearance at the close of the fifteenth century† (Gilman 1999, 10). Gilman also discusses the impact of important historical events on the development of surgery in general and on reconstructive surgery in particular; he describes the effect of the American and French Revolution and the American Civil War on body image and on the role of aesthetic surgery in restructuring it. Significant changes in aesthetic surgery took place following the upheaval that resulted from these political revolutions. In a society thus destabilized after years of repression, radical changes in thinking occurred, including changing concepts of the body: â€Å"It is not that the reconstructed body was invented at the end of the nineteenth century,† explains Gilman, â€Å"but rather that questions about the ability of the individual to be transformed, which had been articulated as social or political in the context of the state, came to be defined as biological and medical†(1999, 19). Later developments, such as globalization, have had a huge impact on aesthetic surgery. For reasons of privacy, availability, and/or cost, many people will travel to foreign surgery sites. Since they often spend considerable amounts of time in these locations, they often end up bolstering the economy as tourists, hence spurring an entirely new and thriving industry of medical tourism. Gilman describes medical tourism as a thriving business due to the widespread and increasing popularity of elective aesthetic surgery. â€Å"Fitting In† â€Å"You can become someone new and better by altering the body,† Gilman tells us as he plunges into a lengthy examination of the role body modification has played in society. He begins by discussing the assimilation of foreigners into society, and the steps to which people will go to achieve the goal of â€Å"fitting in† or â€Å"passing† for something they are not: â€Å"the transformation of the individual, such as the immigrant, into a healthy member of the new polis† (Gilman 1999, 20). According to Gilman, happiness may be sought through aesthetic surgery because it offers individuals the opportunity to redefine themselves. Categories of inclusion and exclusion, whether tacit or broadly delineated, impact strongly on societal hierarchies. â€Å"Happiness in this instance exists in crossing the boundary separating one category from another,† explains Gilman. â€Å"It is rooted in the necessary creation of arbitrary demarcations between the perceived reality of the self and the ideal category into which one desires to move† (Gilman 1999, 22). The categories are defined so that there is no question about which category is most beneficial. Of course, the advantages o Search for Identity through Body Modification Search for Identity through Body Modification Title: â€Å"Judging from Appearances: The Search for Identity through Body Modification† I. Introduction Body modification has been practiced in a number of ways and for a variety of reasons since ancient times; it has existed on some level for thousands of years. Historical evidence suggests that red dye extracted from hematite was used to paint the body as many as 20,000 years ago. Archeological evidence proves that as many as 10,000 years ago, parts of animal bones, animal teeth, and colorful stones were used to decorate the body. Hair combs date back to nearly 5,000 years ago. Water served ancient peoples as mirrors until 4,500, when the first mirror is believed to have been invented (Ehsan, 1999, 49-52). Society has progressed since those early days. One need only turn on the television or leaf through a magazine to be bombarded with all kinds of advertisements for body modification. Chemical treatments can straighten hair and change skin tone and texture. Surgical procedures can decrease or (more often) augment breast size. Penile implants claim to enhance sexual performance. Unwanted fat can be removed in any number ways, ranging from dietary changes to liposuction. Some signs of ageing can be temporarily reversed with injections of Botox; others can be permanently altered, again through surgery. Today in the western world, body modification is widely practiced in all classes of society. Often it is the result of societal pressure to achieve perfection. At times it is a ritual or rite of initiation within a group or social hierarchy. Less often, although this is steadily increasing, the body is modified to change its gender; this is done through surgical procedures supplemented by hormonal and similar supplementary treatments. Women are considered the most frequent targets of this pressure to achieve somatic perfection, and therefore they are the most frequent practitioners of body modification. However, this pressure affects men as well. This paper will examine four specific types of body modification: tattooing and scarification; piercing; diet and exercise; and aesthetic surgery. Although these are by no means the only methods of body modification, they are among the most widespread and they cover a wide spectrum. Still, whether it takes the form of a minor dietary modification or an extreme makeover, it is clear that most individuals in the western world practice some sort of body modification. For this reason, it is a practice which merits close study and consideration. How far will some individuals go in this pursuit for perfection? How much of this will society sanction? What are the implications for our future and that of future generations? These are the questions to be explored throughout the course of this research. Tattoos and Scarification The word â€Å"tattoo† is derived from a Tahitian word meaning â€Å"to mark.† The act of tattooing is believed to be over ten thousand years old, and it has had a variety of uses throughout history. Tattoos have played an important role in various tribal and cultural rituals. For example, ancient Greeks used them as part of a sophisticated espionage system. Romans used tattoos to clearly mark criminals and slaves. In Borneo, women would have symbols of special skills or talents tattooed on their forearms, thus alerting potential marriage partners of their marketability. Although tattooing has flourished consistently in many cultures, its popularity in western civilization has fluctuated widely. After waning for several centuries, it was reintroduced in the late seventeenth century, but it was not until the late eighteenth century that it once again became widespread, Even so, it often had negative associations and tattooed individuals were mostly relegated to the fringes of society, such as freak show oddities and carnival workers. In the 20th century, the art of tattooing waxed and waned as society rapidly changed with the proliferation of new and better technologies. By the late sixties it was still primarily an underground operation, often the provenance of biker groups and criminals. From the late twentieth century until today, however, tattooing has enjoyed renewed popularity as body decoration, and is seen in a much more positive light, often as an art itself. In addition to the more traditional ink tattoos, there are those caused by puncturing and/or burning the skin. In this process, known as scarification, scalpels or cauterizing tools are applied to selected areas of the skin, and the resulting scar tissue is the desired result. Better technology has improved technique and ease of application for all kinds of tattooing; in addition, more sanitary conditions have lessened the risk of diseases such as hepatitis. These two points have no doubt contributed to the revival and renewed respect for the practice of tattooing. However, as it will be discussed, changes in attitudes toward the body have also played a part in its reawakened popularity. Body Piercing Body piercing also has a long and varied history, dating back to ancient times. There are mentions of body piercing in the Bible. In addition, it was a frequent practice of ancient Romans. Roman warriors often pierced their nipples, considering this to be a sign of strength and masculinity; it was also a practical measure, a way of attaching cloaks to the body. Roman gladiators, who usually held the status of slaves, also underwent body-piercing, though as slaves they had little choice. Often gladiators would be subjected to genital piercing, primarily through the head of the penis. This was partially a protective measure, allowing the ringed penile tip to be tied close to the body during battle, protecting it from injury. But it was also a territorial measure, since they were considered property of their owners. Placement of a larger ring through the penile tip could also prevent sex, making it essentially a male chastity belt, to be removed at the discretion of the gladiator’s owner. Aztec and Mayan Indians were known to have pierced their lips as part of religious ritual, believing this brought them closer to their god. They also pierced the septum, believing this gave them a fierce, intimidating appearance during battle. Aztecs and Mayans were also fond of lip labrets, which were often made of precious metals and served highly decorative purposes. During medieval times the art of body piercing lost favor, regaining popularity during the Renaissance period. It enjoyed unprecedented popularity during the Victorian Era, due to the sexual pleasures it was known to enhance. Until recently, body-piercing, like tattooing, was primarily associated with fringe groups in western society. However, today it no longer exists solely in the realm of punk rock and fetish scenes. Nose-, nipple-, and navel- piercing is now common in contemporary western society, alongside the more traditional pierced ears and the less visible genital piercings. Diet and Exercise Diet and exercise—often used together—are another form of body modification. The diet industry is huge in western countries. Appetite suppressants, both prescription and over-the-counter types, are extremely popular. Fad diets such as the South Beach Diet or the Atkins Program attract and retain large numbers of followers. Health clubs and gyms are another large part of this industry, selling memberships which promise buyers a new way of life and a fit—and thin—future. To members of a society who desire this more than anything else, it is not a hard sell. Excessive dieting can lead to life-threatening eating disorders. The primary disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia, and they primarily afflict women, mostly in their teens and twenties. Although â€Å"anorexia† itself literally means â€Å"loss of appetite,† this disease often has more to do with a denial of appetite rather than loss of desire for food. Its sufferers will go for extended periods of time without eating, or will eat just the barest amounts of food, in an effort to become and/or remain thin. The most tragic aspect of anorexia is that often the sufferer loses a sense of her own body, refusing to acknowledge that she has gone way beyond â€Å"thin†Ã¢â‚¬â€anorexics are often emaciated. Bulimia is a disorder which is characterized by ingestions of large amounts of food—binging—followed by a period of purging, to rid the body of the unwanted calories. Purging may be achieved by vomiting, either self-induced or through chemicals such as syrup of Ipecac. Excessive laxative use is also associated with this disorder. Often bulimics will have a low-to-normal body weight as compared to anorexics, but sufferers of both disorders face similar health problems due to electrolyte imbalance, nutritional deficiencies, and related complications. Susan Bordo sees eating disorders as complex, multi-layered disorders in which the sufferer sees her body as alien, as a threat to control, as an enemy. She also sees it as a gender/power issue and a protest against the confines of femininity. Exercise, on the other hand, can be seen as a way of actively asserting control instead of passively denying oneself. It can be argued that exercise is taken by some for the sake of exercise, but there is no doubt that it is also an activity that is undertaken to combat corporeal excesses and to exert control over the body. Some forms of exercise—for example, body-building and weight-lifting, can also be a form of exerting control without the concomitant existence of an eating disorder, and are more commonly undertaken by men, though women are involved in this as well. Surgical Modification Surgical modification can be called many names, among them: plastic surgery; reconstructive surgery; or, as Sander Gilman prefers to refer to it: aesthetic surgery. Indeed, this type of surgery includes a wide variety of procedures, from surgically correcting a birth deform such as a cleft palate, to disfigurements due to accident or injuryor from a subtle removal of â€Å"crows’ lines† or other signs of age, to more dramatic adjustments to a too-large nose or an unacceptably sharp chin. The most extreme result of this type of surgery involves gender modification. Surgical body modification is different from most other forms in that it generally implies a level of secrecy that the others do not. The procedure and the recuperation period that follows both take place behind closed doors, sometimes even in foreign lands. Furthermore, the reappearance of the individual after the procedure is not accompanied by any sort of fanfare; there is an implicit assumption that the individual has always appeared thus, or if the change is dramatic, that it is not to be spoken of. Discussions of surgical body modification in this paper will focus primarily on elective surgery undertaken for purely cosmetic purposes, so that it may be explored and assessed as part of the larger societal trend towards achievement of physical perfection at any cost. II. Literature Review Sander Gilman’s comprehensive body of research is well worth exploring, particularly two of his books: Creating Beauty to Cure the Soul: Race and Psychology in the Shaping of Aesthetic Surgery, and Making the Body Beautiful: A Cultural History of Aesthetic Surgery. His works provide a broad and thorough base for any study of body modification, though his primary focus is on surgical enhancements. Yet while Gilman thoroughly addresses the subject of aesthetic surgery, the focus is on the surgery itself, as well as upon the need for it and what that need signifies. Discussion of the body itself is limited in Gilman’s work; it is seen only in terms of its potential for surgical alteration. In addition, other types of body modification—such as piercing, tattoos, weight-loss regimens, exercise—are only briefly covered in his work. While he speculates on the significance of aesthetic surgery thoughtfully and articulately, his ideas do not go beyond surgical issues (though, to be fair, they do not pretend to; he is very clear about the scope and limitations of his research). For broader looks at the concept of the body and the various modes of modification now prevalent in society, we can turn to other researchers. Much of the current literature seeks to approach the concept of the body from a different angle, focusing on the body itself. Interestingly enough, many of these researchers find significance in the fact that focus on the body seems to be missing in much of the earlier literature, or, if not missing, submerged. Bryan Turner begins his book The Body and Society by immediately introducing the duality of the body, opening with what is at once a seemingly simple yet very complex statement: â€Å"There is an obvious and prominent fact about human beings: they have bodies and they are bodies (Turner 1996, 37). He goes on to point out that despite this very obvious fact, there is a seeming lack of information about the body in sociology; he explains that beyond a wealth of historical and mathematical data, there is really no actual investigation of the body in and of itself—or, rather, that this information is there, but deeply encoded: â€Å"in writing about sociology’s neglect of the body, it may be more exact to refer to this negligence as submergence rather than absence, since the body in sociological theory has had a furtive, secret history rather than no history at all (Turner 1996, 63). Joanne Entwistle cites Turner several times in her own work, though her perspective is clearly focused on the significance of clothing and fashion. In â€Å"The Dressed Body,† she addresses, as the title of her essay suggests, the symbolic meaning of clothing. She points out that there is an abundance of straightforward description concerning the particulars of style: colors, hemlines, cut, accessories—but this rarely goes beyond details of style. There is very little literature that looks at the very subtle and complex relationship between the body and clothing. Since social norms demand that bodies must (almost) always be dressed, she finds this lack telling: â€Å"dress is fundamental to micro social order and the exposure of naked flesh is, potentially at least, disruptive of social order† (Entwistle 2001, 33-34). In fact, Entwistle, like many of her contemporaries, views the body as an entity in and of itself, asserting that â€Å"we experience our bodies as separate from others and increasingly we identify with our bodies as containers of our identities and places of personal expression. (Entwistle 2000, 138). Chris Shilling echoes both Turner and Entwistle about the seeming lack of focus on the body itself. However, Shilling points out that this is now changing, and that academic interest in the body itself is steadily growing: â€Å"the sociology of the body has emerged as a distinct area of study, and it has even been suggested that the body should serve as an organizing principle for sociology (Shilling 1993, 1). As for what has brought about this new and much-needed shift in perspective, Shilling and others agree that it seems based on conflict. It is perhaps Shilling who best describes the paradox at the core of this change: â€Å"We now have the means to exert an unprecedented degree of control over bodies, yet we are also living in an age which has thrown into radical doubt our knowledge of what bodies are and how we should control them (Shilling 1993, 3). This paradox is a recurring theme in the literature, both in the writings about the body as well as the multitudinous passages about the various procedures to which it is subjected to in today’s world. There is, however, a general consensus that surgery is the most dramatic form of body modification—in particular, cosmetic surgery (Gilman consistently refers to it as â€Å"aesthetic surgery,† which seems a much softer and much more positive term). Cosmetic surgery for most of these researchers includes any kind of surgical enhancement that is performed solely for aesthetic ends, although the definition of â€Å"aesthetic† can vary widely. Other types of surgeries are considered as well, including those involving gender modification. However, most of the literature studied for this paper has tended to focus on the more mainstream applications of aesthetic surgery. Transsexual operations, and the many issues therein, are acknowledged by virtually all researchers, but they are not explored in any depth in the sources considered for this paper. Considering the many procedural and ethical issues involved in transgender procedures, this is not surprising. It is a rapidly changing surgical sub-specialty, and one with wide-ranging sociological and psychological issues, none of which can be adequately dealt with in a footnote to a more general piece of research. The Body as Object Indeed, the body seems to have become a thing separate from the self, a continual work-in-progress with a growing number of options and â€Å"enhancements† to choose from. The theme of body-as-object is echoed throughout the current sociological literature and in other disciplines as well. Speaking of the body as art, Lea Vergine posits that The body is being used as an art language by an ever greater number of contemporary painters and sculptors.It always involves, for example a loss of personal identity, a refusal to allow the sense of reality to invade and control the sphere of the emotions, and a romantic rebellion against dependence upon both people and things (Vergine 2000, 1). Entwistle explores the relationship between the body and societal pressures, asserting that there are â€Å"two bodies: the physical body and the social body† (2001, 37). To understand the role of dress, she further notes, â€Å"requires adopting an approach which acknowledges the body as a social entity and dress as the outcome of both social factors and individual actions† (2001, 48). Entwistle explains that in contemporary culture, the body has become the â€Å"site of identity†: â€Å"We experience our bodies as separate from others and increasingly we identify with our bodies as containers of our identities and places of personal expression† (Entwistle 2000, 138). However, when we consider that society pressures us to achieve a single, consistent ideal of perfection, it seems a contradiction to accept the concept of body as a vehicle for personal expression. What personal expression is there in sameness? Vergine reconciles this seeming contradiction by perceiving the body as a vehicle for art and language: The use of the body as a language has returned to the scene of the world around us in new and different forms, and it speaks through altered declinations.By way of tattoos, piercings, and citations of tribalism. Through manipulations of its organs. The instrument that speaks and communicates without the word, or sounds, or drawings. The body as a vehicle, once again, for declaring opposition to the dominant culture, but also of desperate conformism. (Vergine 2001, 289). Shilling explores the concept of the body as machine, particularly in the world of sports: â€Å"The ‘body as machine’ is not merely a medical image, however; one of the areas in which the body is most commonly perceived and treated in this way is in the sphere of sport† (Shilling 1993, 37). He explains that the vocabulary used in the field of sports serves to depersonalize the body, to transform it into an object whose sole purpose is optimum performance: â€Å"the body has come to be seen ‘as a means to an enda factor of output and production†¦as a machine with the job of producing the maximum work and energy’ (Shilling 1993, 37). Turner also addresses the concept of body mutilation as an attempt to assert control in a chaotic world, relating it back to Christianity. He describes the body as â€Å"a genuine object of a sociology of knowledge.† (Turner 1996, 64). He explains that the Western world customarily treats the body as â€Å"the seat of unreason, passion and desire,† and goes on to discuss the battle of the flesh with the spirit: â€Å"flesh was the symbol of moral corruption which threatened the order of the world: the flesh had to be subdued by disciplines, especially by the regimen of diet and abstinence† (Turner 1996, 64). Chaos vs. Order The concept of chaos is another recurrent theme in recent discourse on body modification. Entwistle sees fashion as one way in which individuals attempt to assert control over the ever-increasing chaos of today’s world† â€Å"If nakedness is unruly and disruptive, this would seem to indicate that dress is a fundamental aspect of micro social order† she asserts (2001, 35). This is echoed by Armando Favazza in Bodies Under Siege: Self-mutilation and Body Modification in Culture and Psychiatry. â€Å"Chaos is the greatest threat to the stability of the universe,† he writes (1996, 231). He goes on to explain how we need social stability to co-exist, that it gives us the framework for appropriate sexual behavior, the ability to recognize and negotiate among various social hierarchies, and the tools necessary to successfully make the transition from childhood into mature adulthood. â€Å"The alteration or destruction of body tissue† asserts Favazza, â€Å"helps to establish control of things and to preserve the social order† (1996, 231). Favazza sees self-mutilation as an attempt on the part of the self-mutilator to control the chaotic world around him or her. He also points out that self-mutilation is often culturally sanctioned. Whether or not a practice falls under the category of â€Å"mutilation,† according to Favazza, depends on whether or not there is a change to or eradication of body tissue. Clearly tattooing, scarification, body-piercing and surgery meet this criterion. This focus on the body is particularly significant, as Shilling points out, questioning why, â€Å"at a time when our health is threatened increasingly by global dangers, we are exhorted ever more to take individual responsibility for our bodies by engaging in strict self-care regimes† (Shilling 1993, 5). As he and other researchers point out, our inability to control outer chaos seems to have resulted in our focusing on our bodies as disparate parts of our selves and of our universe: this is one small way we can assert control, or at least feel as though we are. Surgical modification can be called many names, among them: plastic surgery; reconstructive surgery; or, as Sander Gilman prefers to refer to it: aesthetic surgery. Indeed, this type of surgery includes a wide variety of procedures, from surgically correcting a birth deform such as a cleft palate, to disfigurements due to accident or injuryor from a subtle removal of â€Å"crows’ lines† or other signs of age, to more dramatic adjustments to a too-large nose or an unacceptably sharp chin. The most extreme result of this type of surgery involves gender modification. One point that should be reiterated here is that surgical body modification is unique. It is different from most other forms in that it generally implies a level of secrecy that the others do not. Both the procedure and the recuperation period that follows both take place behind closed doors, sometimes even in foreign lands. Furthermore, the reappearance of the individual after the procedure is not accompanied by any sort of fanfare; there is an implicit assumption that the individual has always appeared thus, or if the change is dramatic, that it is not to be spoken of. III. Body Modification: History, Significance, Implications Sander Gilman offers the most comprehensive history of aesthetic surgery, along with a broad and varied perspective. In his books Creating Beauty to Cure the Soul: Race and Psychology in the Shaping of Aesthetic Surgery, and Making the Body Beautiful: A Cultural History of Aesthetic Surgery, he addresses the complex reasons behind the growth of aesthetic surgery, and explores its significance and complexity. In the first volume, he clearly focuses on it primarily as a form of psychotherapy. The second work is rich in historical detail and thoroughly traces the development of aesthetic surgery from its earliest days to modern times. Gilman follows the development of aesthetic surgery over the course of the nineteenth century, and notes that during this time â€Å"the idea that one: could cure the illness of the character or of the psyche through the altering of the body is introduced within specific ideas of what is beautiful or ugly (1998, 7). He also asserts that the lessening of the stigma of mental illness is directly related to the fact that in today’s society, the view of aesthetic surgery as a type of psychotherapy is gradually becoming accepted. According to Gilman, â€Å"psychotherapy and aesthetic surgery are closely intertwined in terms of their explanatory models† (1998, 11). He explains that the lessening of the stigma of mental illness has resulted in healthier attitudes towards psychotherapeutic intervention as well as a growing acceptance of aesthetic surgery, and he discusses the issue from a variety of viewpoints: the patient, the physician, society at large. Addressing the concept that â€Å"happiness† is the primary motivation that spurs individuals to pursue this avenue of change, he is careful to study the various definitions people offer for â€Å"happiness† and discusses these within the larger societal context. â€Å"Aesthetic surgeons operate on the body to heal the psyche,† asserts Gilman. â€Å"Being unhappy is identified in Western culture with being sick. In our estimation only the physician can truly ‘cure’ our spirits and our souls’ â€Å"(1998, 25). According to Gilman, it was during the Enlightenment that the concept of happiness ceased to be one of a collective morality. During this period, he writes, â€Å"the hygiene of the body became the hygiene of the spirit and that of the state† (1999, 21). Today, he asserts, the â€Å"pursuit of happiness† is no longer a collective goal but an individual desire† (1998, 27). This equating of unhappiness with pain is a concept that began to be formulated in the second half of the nineteenth century, and is closely tied to social and cultural attitudes toward the body and the blurring of the distinction between â€Å"somatic and mental pain,† as he phrases it. Indeed, it is remarkable how often aesthetic surgeons cite â€Å"happiness† as the goal of the surgery. â€Å"Happiness† for aesthetic surgeons is a utilitarian notion of happiness, like that espoused by John Stuart Mill, who placed the idea of happiness within the definition of individual autonomy Happiness, the central goal of aesthetic surgery, is defined in terms of the autonomy of the individual to transform him- or herself (Gilman 1999, 18). In Making the Body Beautiful: A Cultural History of Aesthetic Surgery, he states that â€Å"body imagery follows the lines of political and cultural power,† and he offers a clear, in-depth history of aesthetic surgery in the western world, carefully noting its connection to social, political and technological changes (Gilman 1999, 105). He also carefully traces the history of aesthetic surgery, explaining its strong affiliation with syphilis. Apparently, one of the results of a syphilitic infection was damage to the nose, and that attempts to surgically reconstruct the nose were therefore strongly and inextricably tied to venereal disease and the concomitant loose morality. The association made between nose surgery and syphilis was so deeply ingrained that it continued to taint aesthetic nose surgery for many years: â€Å"The rise of aesthetic surgery at the end of the sixteenth century is rooted in the appearance of epidemic syphilis. Syphilis was a highly stigmatizing disease from its initial appearance at the close of the fifteenth century† (Gilman 1999, 10). Gilman also discusses the impact of important historical events on the development of surgery in general and on reconstructive surgery in particular; he describes the effect of the American and French Revolution and the American Civil War on body image and on the role of aesthetic surgery in restructuring it. Significant changes in aesthetic surgery took place following the upheaval that resulted from these political revolutions. In a society thus destabilized after years of repression, radical changes in thinking occurred, including changing concepts of the body: â€Å"It is not that the reconstructed body was invented at the end of the nineteenth century,† explains Gilman, â€Å"but rather that questions about the ability of the individual to be transformed, which had been articulated as social or political in the context of the state, came to be defined as biological and medical† (1999, 19). Later developments, such as globalization, have had a huge impact on aesthetic surgery. For reasons of privacy, availability, and/or cost, many people will travel to foreign surgery sites. Since they often spend considerable amounts of time in these locations, they often end up bolstering the economy as tourists, hence spurring an entirely new and thriving industry of medical tourism. Gilman describes medical tourism as a thriving business due to the widespread and increasing popularity of elective aesthetic surgery. â€Å"Fitting In† â€Å"You can become someone new and better by altering the body,† Gilman tells us as he plunges into a lengthy examination of the role body modification has played in society. He begins by discussing the assimilation of foreigners into society, and the steps to which people will go to achieve the goal of â€Å"fitting in† or â€Å"passing† for something they are not: â€Å"the transformation of the individual, such as the immigrant, into a healthy member of the new polis† (Gilman 1999, 20). According to Gilman, happiness may be sought through aesthetic surgery because it offers individuals the opportunity to redefine themselves. Categories of inclusion and exclusion, whether tacit or broadly delineated, impact strongly on societal hierarchies. â€Å"Happiness in this instance exists in crossing the boundary separating one category from another,† explains Gilman. â€Å"It is rooted in the necessary creation of arbitrary demarcations between the perceived reality of the self and the ideal category into which one desires to move† (Gilman 1999, 22). The categories are defined so that there is no question about which category is most beneficial. Of course, the advantages of each constructed category are subject to change as society changes. The ideal is to be to move from the negative category to the positive category; the â€Å"catch† is that categories are subject to frequent change. Gilman and other researchers refer to â€Å"the discourse of ‘passing.’† This discourse came into existence during the racially charged nineteenth century, and is, according to Gilman, â€Å"the very wellspring of aesthetic surgery.† Citing the research of sociologist Max Weber, Gilman discusses the concept of validity and acceptance, which are only gained when one is recognized and accepted by the prevailing social group: â€Å"validity through group consensus.† In this light, Gilman posits, we can see â€Å"passing† as a type of â€Å"silent validation† (Gilman 1999, 26). Race and Feature In Customizing the Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing, Clinton Sanders writes that â€Å"in western societies body sculpting to attain beauty or to avoid identification with disvalued groups is a common practice† (Sanders 1989, 7). He then goes on to describe the many ways in which people try to merge into the desired social group. Kinky hair is chemically straightened, while â€Å"ethnic† noses are permanently reshaped through plastic surgery. Less invasive procedures are dietary changes and exercise routines, which will reduce or increase body measurements in