Thinking Allowed

Cosmetic tourism - Debt 5,000 years


Listen Later

In Britain the market for cosmetic surgery is now estimated to be worth about £900 million per year, and world-wide it is growing fast too, with people increasingly combining surgery with a holiday abroad. The lines between a hospital procedure and a recuperative break are being blurred and Laurie hears of new research from Ruth Holiday exploring the experiences of people who have a face-lift in Costa Rica or liposuction in Koh Samui. Jacqueline Sanchez-Taylor tells him about her study of young British women who view breast augmentation as a beauty treatment, 18 women from one group of friends have all had the op and are very relaxed about the risks.

Also on the programme - being in the red is nothing new: David Graeber tells Laurie about his anthropological study of 5,000 years of Debt which shows that dispensing credit precedes even the invention of money.
Producer: Charlie Taylor.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Thinking AllowedBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

294 ratings


More shows like Thinking Allowed

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,810 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

376 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

893 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,069 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,517 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,804 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,880 Listeners

In Our Time: Philosophy by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Philosophy

866 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

733 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

302 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,871 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,065 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,123 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,981 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

488 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

410 Listeners

Moral Maze by BBC Radio 4

Moral Maze

56 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

842 Listeners

Start the Week by BBC Radio 4

Start the Week

162 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

64 Listeners

The Briefing Room by BBC Radio 4

The Briefing Room

67 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,208 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

780 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,042 Listeners