Beauty Refugee

Director Claudia Lisboa, Hysteria Film AB/ Sweden, 2009, 58’

Brazilian Claudia Lisboa was forced to flee from her plastic surgery-obsessed relatives and look for other ways to prove herself in Sweden. All her family members have gone under her brother Serho’s knife to fix noses, to get rid of wrinkles and for liposuction. The family’s only topic of conversation is their daily debate on Botox injections and exchanges on further ways of fixing their looks – even the four month-old baby’s bedtime story is about breast enlargement. After being away for several years, Claudia returns to visit her relatives.

The Miss Plastic Surgery 2009 contest took place in Hungary last year for women 19 – 38 years of age with at least one surgery. The Miss Plastic Body title was won by a woman with breast implants, a face-lift and rhinoplasty. The winner received a sparkly crown and an apartment in downtown Budapest. This contest will take place every year from now on.