Little qualitative literature has focused on women's motivations to undergo cosmetic/aesthetic surgery and their lived experiences throughout the surgery process (e.g., before, during, and after). To fill this gap, we interviewed 15 Czech women aged 30-55 and conducted non-participatory observations at aesthetic surgery clinics. We conducted a thematic analysis from which we generated three overarching themes. Broadly, participants discussed the normalisation of cosmetic/aesthetic surgery in society and the importance of undergoing cosmetic/aesthetic surgery for themselves while "in the shadow" for others. Participants also articulated how medical aesthetic encounters with aesthetic surgeon(s) influence their cosmetic/aesthetic surgery journeys. Finally, some women expressed decision regrets immediately after surgery or later during the recovery process. The presented results are the testimony of women who respond and negotiate differently to the pressures of gendered sociocultural norms and expectations associated with the body and its physicality. These findings seek to contribute to contemporary debates on gendered bodywork and self-care as a broader component of well-being and health from both theoretical and empirical perspectives and to focus on the ageing female body moving through the era of gender and cosmetic/aesthetic surgery.

Department of Longevity Studies Faculty of Humanities Charles University Prague Czech Republic

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