Paper short abstract:

Greek society has embraced Botox and other non-surgical cosmetic treatments to an unprecedented degree. However, Greek women have been very resistant to other drugs, like the contraceptive pill. How, then, can we understand the phenomenon of cosmetic medicine's "domestication" in Greece?

Paper long abstract:

In Greece, cosmetic treatments (which I elsewhere call "cosmetic pharmaceuticals" or simply "cosmeceuticals") have become not only normalized but domesticated (Cook and Dwyer, 2017). Botox especially has been 'disinhibited' to the extent that it is discussed openly among friends and acquaintances. Yet, given how resistant Greek women have been to some other drugs such as the contraceptive pill (Paxson, 2004), how can the anthropologist account for this 'domestication'?

To understand the phenomenon, one must look at the importance of appearance in Greek society, and how the way one carries themselves in public is regarded as a highly serious matter. Presenting a cared-after appearance is not necessarily a sign of 'vanity' or 'superficiality' but, contrarily, carries significant and positive connotations about one's own dignity and self-respect. A "good appearance" is a sign of a civilized way of life, as opposed to a "vulgar" disposition. And wrinkles, as some of my informants reasoned, make the female face vulgar and grotesque.

Secondly, I saw that Botox and other cosmeceuticals encapsulate opposite qualities to the contraceptive pill, and therefore it is not surprising that Greek women readily accept the former and distrust the latter. Contrarily to the pill, with is seen as reformatory and disciplining in character, Botox has acquired a kind of "life-giving" quality amongst Greek women. For many, it was even seen as an antidote to financial crisis, depression and stress, pointing towards Botox's rise as a "miraculous" drug, which has the capacity to 'heal'.