THE DISCOURSE OF COSMETIC SURGEONS AS THERAPISTS IN A PRIVATE MEDICAL MARKET: SOCIAL MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS

Drawing on thematic content analysis, this paper explores the legitimation repertoires employed by Romanian cosmetic surgeons in their in social media (Instagram) discourse. I argue that the main themes they use derive from their legitimation as psychotherapists operating for the well-being of their patients, and from their position of private medical services providers. Firstly, as surgeons need to reconcile their medical profession with the profit motive, their social media representations consist of their being shown in the avant-garde of progress as medical, and technical innovators. Their representation as innovators is legitimated as ultimately being beneficial for the patients’ surgical transformation. Secondly, their legitimation of the surgical interventions on healthy bodies draws its foundation from the psychological domain. The cosmetic surgery interventions are presented as being performed for the psychological well-being of the patient. Another dynamic that underlies this process is the pathologization of women’s bodies, in which traditionally surgeons play an important role on account of their power derived from their scientific authority. Lastly, in the context of a neoliberal consumer society, women have become informed-patient consumers. This development informs the legitimation repertoires of surgeons who willingly share their expertise with their patients. Consequently, their social media posts consist of content in which they aim to educate their audience by sharing various medical and technical aspects.