Body Beautification: Empowerment or Violence? Exploring Societal and Organizational Implications

Introduction: Discussing the challenges women face on a global scale.

Description: The annual United Nations campaign Orange the World occurs between November 25, which marks the International Day against Violence against Women and Girls, and December 10, known as the International Day of Human Rights. This global initiative involves a range of events and activities. This year, the WU Institute for Gender and Diversity in Organizations, SIETAR Austria (the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research), and Soroptimist International have collaborated to organize an event focused on discussing the challenges women face on a global scale with regards to the societal pressures that force women to modify their bodies in order to conform to organizational or societal norms. The event aims to shed light on how these issues relate to empowerment or oppression. Distinguished professionals from diverse fields such as scientific research, business ethics, psychology, plastic surgery, and journalism will contribute their unique perspectives based on their respective areas of expertise.

Target group: The target audience of this event includes members of the general public, Human Resource practitioners, recruitment specialists, students, and scholars.

Speakers:

Dr. Lina Triana is the President of the International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) and a Plastic Surgeon based in Cali (Colombia), treating patients from all around the world. Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on the subject of vaginal rejuvenation, Dr Triana has authored several publications and scientific articles on that topic. She is committed to working to improve patients’ safety in aesthetic plastic surgery worldwide.

Hawon Jung is a journalist and author of Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea's Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women's Rights Worldwide. Her coverage of South Korea’s #MeToo movement was shortlisted in the Awards for Editorial Excellence by the Society of Publishers in Asia, and her writings and commentary on women's rights have been featured in the New York Times, Foreign Policy, and BBC, among others.

Dr. Merle Ojasoo is an Associate Professor of Management at the Tallinn University of Technology. Her primary research and teaching topics are business ethics, corporate social responsibility, and change management. Merle has published several scientific articles, including a recent piece on "Appearance-based discrimination against young women in the workplace”.

Dr. Raminta Pučėtaitė, Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania, and Adjunct professor at Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics, Finland. Her interests are in organizational ethics, more specifically focusing on human resource management ethics, leadership, trust, and technology ethics.

Dr. Bea Verschraegen, em. professor (University of Vienna) and psychotherapist. She deals inter alia with persons who struggle with their identity after cancer treatment and with transgender persons. They have in common that they may not be appreciated as the person they are, have been or wish to be. It does concern their physical appearance, but also their mind and their relationships with other people. Beauty is one issue, but identity goes beyond this and touches upon recognition, survival and anxiety in and by a society which focuses on success and material goods.

Date: November 30, 2023

Starting time: 17:30

Ending time: 19:00 followed by Networking.

Location: WU Vienna, Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020. Sitzungssaal 1, building AD.
 

This is a hybrid event!

Please access the roundtable via Zoom using the following information:

Meeting ID: 624 6836 4668

Passcode: 053924
 

Registration: margit.feibel@wu.ac.at