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10 January 2019 | Story Charlene Stanley | Photo Anja Aucamp
Dr Allessandra Kim Heggenstaller
Dr Allessandra Kim Heggenstaller’s doctoral thesis found that cosmetic surgery can lead to an enhanced sense of empowerment.

With human rights at the centre of our modern society’s psyche, the concept of women taking ownership of their own bodies is often interpreted as standing up against all forms of abuse as well as celebrating their own physical uniqueness.

But what about the interpretation that ownership also gives you the right to alter your physical appearance through cosmetic surgery?

The stigma traditionally surrounding cosmetic surgery which is purely done to correct a perceived physical flaw or shortcoming and not for health reasons, has always intrigued Alessandra Kim Heggenstaller. So much so, that the 31-year-old Sociology graduate made it the topic of her doctoral thesis (The role of cosmetic surgery in the embodied experience of female beauty).

 

Beauty and success

“Nowadays, the concept of human ‘beauty’ is intricately linked to that of identity: beauty is seen as

bringing success in occupation, love, and marriage. Accordingly, beauty is often treated as a commodity – social status is attributed to it, and negotiated with it,” says Heggenstaller.

She wanted to test the prevailing negative perception that women who opt for corrective surgery are vain and superficial and are motivated by their desire to fit into a stereotype of ‘the perfect female body’.

 

Surgery a last resort

In her research, Heggenstaller interviewed 10 Free State women who had cosmetic interventions.

The women were from various ages and backgrounds. However, Heggenstaller found certain commonalities:

“None of them did it for a male partner or to fit a perceived stereotype. All of them had done intensive research beforehand and for each of them surgery was really a last resort,” she says.

She found that the women’s main motivation was that they didn’t ‘feel at home’ in their own

bodies because of the perceived shortcoming.

“The study found that a cosmetic procedure was an action and choice that began a journey of change and self-discovery. When the physical body portrays a more accurate image of how the individual feels, she engages her lifeworld and social environment with an enhanced sense of empowerment,” says Heggenstaller.

 

No regrets

“It was also significant to hear that not one of my case studies had any regrets about opting for surgery. In fact, they all felt that they should have done it sooner.”

News Archive

UFS Physics Research Chair receives more funding
2017-11-20


 Description: Prof Hendrik Swart, Physics Research Chair receives more funding Tags: Prof Hendrik Swart, Physics Research Chair receives more funding

Prof Hendrik Swart, Senior Researcher Professor in the
Department of Physics at UFS.
Photo: Charl Devenish

A research project into low-energy lighting using phosphor materials for light emitting diodes (LEDs) at the Department of Physics at the University of the Free State (UFS) has received further recognition. 

The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChi) has awarded further funding for the Research Chair in Solid State Luminescent and Advanced Materials situated in the department. Prof Hendrik Swart, a Senior Research Professor in the Department of Physics, says this means that the Chair will carry on receiving funds from SARChi for another five years. The Initiative also awarded Prof Swart in 2012 for the research, which resulted in funding for equipment and among others, bursaries.    

Better light emission in LED’s
The research focuses on better light emission of phosphor powers in LEDs. It is also looking into improving LED displays in flat screens. The research into solar cells has shown that phosphors can also increase their efficiency by increasing the range of light frequencies, which convert into electricity. It also entails that glow-in-the-dark coatings absorb light during the day and emit it at night. 

Prof Swart says over the next five years the research will focus on developing and producing devices that emit better light using the substances already developed. “We need to make small devices to see if they are better than those we already have.” In practical terms, it means they want a farmer’s water pump that works with solar energy to work better with less energy input.” 

Device that simulates sunlight
Prof Swart says the renewal of the Chair’s funding means the department can now get equipment to enhance its research   such as a solar simulator. The solar simulator uses white LEDs whose intensity output and wavelengths can be tuned. The output is measured in number of suns. It enables researchers to work in a laboratory with a device that simulates sunlight.     

According to Prof Swart the long-term benefit of the research will result in more environmentally friendly devices which use less energy, are brighter and give a wider viewing field. 

About 10 postdoctoral researchers are working on the studies done by the Chair in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. 

The Research Chair Initiative aims to improve the research capacity at public universities to produce high-quality postgraduate students, research and innovative outputs. The criterion for evaluating the department’s Chair includes aspects such as how much development has occurred over the past five years. The assessors look at features such as the number of students the research entity has trained and how many publications the research team has produced.

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