Beauty and religion: the research on relations of cosmetic surgery and religious discourse in contemporary Asia

This article explores the complex relationship between religion and cosmetic surgery in contemporary Asia, where aesthetic medical practices have expanded rapidly alongside enduring religious traditions. While existing studies often frame cosmetic surgery through biomedical, economic, or gendered perspectives, this study foregrounds religion as a critical yet underexplored dimension shaping attitudes toward bodily modification. Drawing on comparative analysis of Asian religions, with Christianity included as a theological reference point, the article investigates how religious beliefs, ethical teachings, and cultural interpretations of the body influence both acceptance and resistance to cosmetic surgery across Asian societies. The authors argue that religious traditions do not function solely as constraints; rather, they offer flexible moral frameworks that interact with modern consumer culture, neoliberal ideals of self-improvement, and localized social norms. By situating cosmetic surgery within broader debates on embodiment, morality, and identity, the article contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship on medical humanities and body politics. It demonstrates that religious discourse in Asia plays an active role in negotiating modernity, rather than simply opposing it, thereby enriching theoretical understandings of religion’s adaptive capacity in rapidly changing social contexts.