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. 1998 Aug;88(8):1254–1261. doi: 10.2105/ajph.88.8.1254

The socially constructed breast: breast implants and the medical construction of need.

N Jacobson 1
PMCID: PMC1508290  PMID: 9702166

Abstract

When silicone gel breast implants became the subject of a public health controversy in the early 1990s, the most pressing concern was safety. This paper looks at another, less publicized issue: the need for implants. Using a symbolic interactionist approach, the author explores the social construction of the need for implants by tracing the history of the 3 surgical procedures for which implants were used. Stakeholders in this history constructed need as legitimized individual desire, the form of which shifted with changes in the technological and social context.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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