Biography
My primary research interests are in the areas of gender, bodies and embodiment, sexuality, families, sociological and feminist theories, and qualitative methodologies. From drag queens to gay fathers to Botox, my work consistently explores timely and provocative issues that advance knowledge on how individuals participate in and challenge the existing gender order. I am the author of Botox Nation: Changing the Face of America (NYU Press), which is the first in-depth social investigation of Botox as a cultural phenomenon. Combining in-depth interviews, analysis of media, and my own experiences, I use Botox as a captivating lens through which to view how norms about bodies, gender, and aging are constructed and reproduced on cultural and individual levels.
I teach such courses as: Sociology of Gender, Gender & Bodies, Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies, Men & Masculinities and seminars in Feminist Theory, Gender & Sexualities, and Qualitative Methods. I design my courses as a catalyst for students to move beyond the role of passive observer toward an active sociological scholar of social, historical, and cultural processes. My courses are challenging but I guarantee that they are also quite fun. I am eager to recruit students who are willing to participate in scholarship that broadens our sense of what is possible.
Education
PhD: University of Florida (2007)
Courses recently taught at LSU
(Syllabi are for illustrative purposes and subject to change)