Breast Implants for Graduation: A Sociological Examination of Daughter and Mother Narratives

Lori Ann Fowler, Ami R. Moore

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DOI: 10.4236/sm.2012.21014                

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine through sociological theories how young women and their parents make sense of the desire, attainment, and gifting of breast implants for graduation. A qualitative study of 10 high school graduates and their mothers was conducted in the state of Texas, USA, in order to understand why the daughters asked for implants as a graduation gift and why their parents, especially, mothers paid for them. Four theoretical paradigms provided a better understanding of the gifting and receiving of breast implants for graduation: symbolic interaction theory, the social construction of reality, reference group theory, and conspicuous consumption. This study shows that gifting and receiving implants for graduation is primarily motivated by both personal feelings of physical inadequacy and sociocultural representation of beauty.

Keywords

Breast Implants; Graduation; Adolescents; Sociological Theories; Texas

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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