Introduction

The introduction begins with the postwar origin story of Surgifoam, a type of plastic material used by Hollywood-based cosmetic surgeon Robert Alan Franklyn for breast augmentation surgery. This anecdote provides a useful starting point for retracing the biopolitical history of plastics as a technology of the gendered body. From bullet bras to bombshells, the introduction illustrates how Franklyn’s origin story fits into a broader cultural context of referencing military technology in relation to the sexually desirable female body. Using feminist, queer, and trans methods, the introduction raises many interconnected questions about the military-industrial provenance of plastics, practices of self-fashioning the feminine body, and American postwar constructions of racialized gender. Employing a materials-centered approach, the theoretical framework positions plastics as a form of military-industrial technology that shaped feminine bodies discursively and physically. Lastly, the bombshell is introduced as a methodological model for rethinking technocultural bodies and the power relations they are created within.