Heather Widdows

Heather Widdows (born 29 August 1972) is a British philosopher, specialising in applied ethics. She is currently the John Ferguson Professor of Global Ethics and Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research Impact at the University of Birmingham.[1] Her research is in the areas of global ethics, feminist philosophy, and philosophy of health and bioethics. She has been based at the Centre for the Study of Global Ethics in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham since 2001.[2] In 2005 she was awarded a visiting fellowship at Harvard University.

Her most recent book, Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal (Princeton University Press, 2018), explores how the nature of the beauty ideal is changing - becoming more dominant, demanding and global than ever before.[3] Widdows argues that to address the harms caused by the beauty ideal, we must first understand its ethical nature. Vogue described the book as "groundbreaking",[4] and writer and journalist Bri Lee included Perfect Me in her article Books That Changed Me.

Education and career

Widdows studied at the University of Edinburgh. Following the completion of her PhD, Widdows spent a year as a post-doctoral research fellow at Imperial College London. She became part of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham as a research fellow in the Centre for the Study of Global Ethics in 2001. Widdows has continued to work there since, becoming a lecturer in 2003, senior lecturer in 2005, and professor of global ethics in 2009. She became the deputy pro-vice chancellor for research impact in 2017.

Widdows is currently the deputy chair of the REF2021 Philosophy sub-panel[5] and a member of Nuffield Council on Bioethics. Previously she was a member of the UK Biobank Ethics and Governance Council from 2005-2013,[6] a member of the REF2014 Philosophy sub-panel, and a member of Nuffield Council on Bioethics Working Party on Cosmetic Procedures from 2015-2016.[7]

Research

She has published four sole-authored books: The Moral Vision of Iris Murdoch (Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2006); Global Ethics: An Introduction (Acumen, 2011); The Connected Self: The Ethics and Governance of the Genetic Individual (Cambridge University Press, 2013) and most recently Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal (Princeton University Press, 2018).

Perfect Me

Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal (Princeton University Press) was published in 2018. Widdows was supported in writing this book by a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship. In Perfect Me Widdows argues that beauty is functioning as ethical ideal, transforming our understandings of the world, our judgements of others and ourselves.[8] The introduction is available here. Perfect Me was also voted one of the 19 best books of 2018 by The Atlantic,[9] and one of the 100 best books to read in a lifetime by Edarabia.[10] Perfect Me has also been mentioned in Vogue[11] and Paper Magazine[12][13].

Beauty Demands Network

Widdows is a co-founder of the Beauty Demands Network.[14] The project began with an AHRC Network Grant on ‘The Changing Requirements of Beauty’ which finished in June 2016. Beauty Demands publishes a blog every two weeks (co-run by Widdows and Dr Fiona MacCallum, University of Warwick),[15] and in 2016 published a Briefing Paper. The briefing paper contains key findings of the network in ethics, psychology and law, and makes policy recommendations based upon these.[16] The briefing paper was launched at the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in June 2016.[17]

#everydaylookism

Widdows launched a social media campaign to end body shaming at the Annual Global Ethics Conference at the University of Birmingham in June 2019.[18] Widdows argues that lookism is a prejudice that is more prevalent and more damaging in a virtual culture where our bodies are ourselves. Body shaming is shaming people. Lookism has become so common that we have come to accept it, and even worse, expect it.[19] The campaign asks people to share their lookism stories on social media using the hashtag or anonymously via the website. #everydaylookism has been mentioned by The Telegraph[20] and Birmingham Live[21].

Media

Below is a selection of Heather's popular media articles and appearances.[22]

Articles By Heather

Radio and Podcasts

TV

Select bibliography

In addition to her books, Widdows has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and chapters in edited collections.[23]

Books
  • Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal (Princeton University Press, 2018)
  • The Connected Self: The Ethics and Governance of the Genetic Individual (Cambridge University Press, 2013).
  • Global Ethics: An Introduction (Acumen, 2011).
  • The Moral Vision of Iris Murdoch (Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2006).

Edited collections
  • Handbook of Global Ethics, Edited with Darrel Moellendorf (Routledge, 2014)
  • Global Social Justice, Edited with Nicola Smith (Routledge, 2011).
  • The Governance of Genetic Information: Who Decides?, Edited with Caroline Mullen (Cambridge University Press, 2008).
  • Women's Reproductive Rights, Edited with Itziar Alkorta Idiakez and Aitziber Emaldi Cirión (Palgrave, 2006).

Peer reviewed journal articles

References
  1. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/philosophy/widdows-heather.aspx
  2. "Who we are - Centre for the Study of Global Ethics - University of Birmingham".
  3. "Perfect Me".
  4. https://www.vogue.com/article/french-women-aging-gracefully
  5. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/philosophy/widdows-heather.aspx
  6. https://impact.ref.ac.uk/casestudies2/refservice.svc/GetCaseStudyPDF/38901
  7. http://nuffieldbioethics.org/wp-content/uploads/Cosmetic-procedures-full-report.pdf
  8. "Perfect Me".
  9. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/12/the-19-best-books-2018/578134/
  10. https://www.edarabia.com/100-books-read-lifetime/
  11. https://www.vogue.com/article/french-women-aging-gracefully
  12. https://www.papermag.com/future-of-beauty-ourian-2646046145.html
  13. https://www.papermag.com/simon-ourian-plastic-surgery-interview-2646033606.html
  14. "People - Beauty Demands".
  15. http://beautydemands.blogspot.co.uk/
  16. http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/Documents/college-artslaw/beautydemands/beauty-demands-briefing-paper-june-2016.pdf
  17. "About - Beauty Demands".
  18. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/ptr/departments/philosophy/research/projects/duty-to-be-beautiful/everyday-lookism.aspx
  19. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2019/06/new-campaign-to-end-the-effects-of-lookism-by-collective-social-action.aspx
  20. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/life/dark-side-video-call-boom/
  21. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/youd-gorgeous-you-lost-weight-16426356
  22. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/ptr/departments/philosophy/research/projects/duty-to-be-beautiful/media.aspx
  23. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/philosophy/widdows-heather.aspx
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