American women are spending more time, money, and energy than ever before pursuing an ideal—skinny, tan, and toned—that bears increasingly little resemblance to their reality. But what about the rest of the world's women? How do other cultures define ideal beauty, and do the women of South Africa, Afghanistan, Jamaica, or Japan pursue these standards with equal vigor? In The World Has Curves, Savacool answers these questions and takes readers on a world tour, exploring the ways in which various cultures define their physical "ideal" and the extremes to which women will go achieve it. Through extensive research and firsthand interviews, Savacool shares a historical perspective on female beauty, uncovers shocking facts about the beauty business, and relates the intimate stories of women's pursuit of physical perfection.
From plastic surgery in China to appetite stimulants in Jamaica to our own fascination with diminutive celebrities and get–thin–quick gimmicks, Savacool shows readers that the desire to attain a physical ideal is a worldwide phenomenon.
Ultimately, Savacool suggests that female beauty—in America and abroad—is shaped by and inextricably linked to economics. When it comes to women's bodies, the world is not flat. In fact, it is the many and varied sizes and shapes of the world's women that gives it its curves.
