Feminism and cosmetic surgery: Suzanne Gros-Noël (1878-1954)

• Published in: Annales de chirurgie plastique et esthétique 2019-04, Vol.64 (2), p.133
• Main Authors: Olivetto, M, Bettoni, J, Testelin, S, Dakpé, S, Devauchelle, B
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; fre
• ISSN: 1768-319X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anplas.2019.01.008

Born at the late 19th century, Suzanne Noël achieved, despite prejudices, to become at the same time the first female cosmetic surgeon and an influential feminist activist. Trained as a dermatologist by Professor Brocq, she first became fascinated by rejuvenation surgery during her studies by meeting Sarah Bernardh, who had undergone a facelift in the United States. As a surgeon, she mainly performed procedures under local anaesthesia in her salon, where she maintains worldly relations with her women clients. As an activist, she founded feminist clubs all over the world since 1923, under the aegis of a still flourishing organization: "Soroptimist International", which provided assistance in the field to women in need. She successively lost her first husband, then her single daughter and her second husband to be 46 years old, widowed, indebted and without any medical license. Their personal difficulties are not foreign to what she advocates: the women's emancipation by achieving economic independence. Suzanne Noel's journey is a singular paradox on the relationship between the earliest days of cosmetic surgery and feminist ideology. She structured the controversy within the various thinking movements at that time: does embellishing a woman serve her cause? Provocative but necessary question for thinking the surgical act. Suzanne Noël, as a liberal feminist, however, supported the idea that cosmetic surgery could be a transitional solution to integrate a working environment in which there was significant discrimination in women's employment.